Getting it right for every child & young person in Highland: interagency practice model & child protection procedures 2024
Local authorities' social work justice services have a critical role in protecting children from harm, both directly and indirectly. The overarching aims are to maintain community safety through protecting the public from serious harm, to hold individuals accountable for their actions in order to reduce their risk of re-offending, and to support individuals' efforts to desist from offending by promoting health, wellbeing and social inclusion. Social work justice services have responsibilities for the supervision and management of risk relating to adults who have committed high-risk offences, including those against children. They must be aware of risks to children in cases of domestic abuse and parental alcohol and drug use and must respond proportionately.
Some parents live with multiple disadvantages, including homelessness, alcohol and drug use, mental ill health, poverty, and involvement with offending. The intersection of risks for some family members can have a direct impact on the children within that family (Hard Edges Scotland, 2019). It is also estimated that around 20,000-27,000 children experience the imprisonment of a parent each year in Scotland. No official data is collected on this group. This can result in them being overlooked in policy and practice (Deacon 2019).