Chamber and committees

This information is not heldcentrally.

The information requested isnot currently held centrally. The Scottish Executive is collecting information onsocial workers starting and leaving employment with Scottish local authorities duringthe October 2005 to September 2006 period. Subject to the accuracy, reliabilityand completeness of this data, it will be published alongside results of the October2006 annual Social Work Services Staffing Survey which is currently planned forJuly 2007. Information on the numbers of social workers employed by Scottish localauthorities is available as part of the Statistics Publication Notices: Healthand Care Series: Social Worker Posts and Vacancies publications, currently producedquarterly and available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent.

This information is not heldcentrally.

Information on the proportionof child care staff with a registered disability is not held centrally. However,information is available concerning the proportion of child care staff who answeredyes to the question “Do you have any health problems or disabilities that you expectwill last more than a year?” as part of the annual Survey of Childcare and Pre-SchoolEducation Workforce in 2003 to 2005. This information is given in the followingtable.

Percentage of StaffReporting an Illness or Disability

Year
2005	10
2004	9
2003	9

 

Information for years prior to2003 is not held centrally.

The Children and Young PeopleDelivery Group agrees a programme of work each year against which progress ismonitored and reported annually to the Cabinet.

The Executive has provided £270,000between 2003 and 2006 to support the Supporting Front Line Staff initiativerun by the Association of Directors of Social Work, which has a remit across thesocial services sector not specific to children’s services. We also supported thepublication of the Supporting Frontline Staff Framework, and funded its widedissemination to social work services staff to help improve the retention of staff.

A key factor affecting staffretention is for staff to have opportunities to develop their skills during thecourse of their social work services career. Specific Grant for Social Work Trainingof £5.5 million per annum is allocated to local authorities. This ring fenced fundingis to improve the quality of social work service provision by increasing the availabilityof training for relevant staff. It is notpossible to disaggregate the funding specifically spent on children’s services.

	Initial Allocation	Supplementary Funding
2000-01	£2,430,000
2001-02	£2,200,000	£3,500,000
2002-03	£2,200,000	£3,500,000
2003-04	£5,500,000
2004-05	£5,500,000
2005-06	£5,500,000

 

An additional £6 million wasawarded for three financial years commencing 2005-06 through the Early Years andChildcare Workforce Development fund to support the growth and development of aqualified and skilled, early years and child care workforce.

“For Scotland’sChildren” made many observations about children’s services, includinghighlighting areas of good practice. Chapter 8 of the Report, which was publishedas a separate action plan, summarised difficulties in the current system andset out a six-point action plan for avoiding these difficulties and improvingservices for children over the longer term:

Consider Children’s Servicesas a Single Service System

Establish a Joint Children’sService Plan

Ensure Inclusive Access to UniversalServices

Co-ordinate Needs Assessment

Co-ordinate Intervention

Target Services.

We have made good progressin bringing about the improvements in the action plan, for example throughAdditional Support for Learning legislation and our integrated children’sservices planning framework which brings together previously separate plans forchildren’s services, school education, child health, children’s social work andyouth justice.

Implementation of Gettingit Right for Every Child will result in a unified system for both universaland targeted children’s services founded on integrated assessment, a singlerecord and plan to meet a child’s needs when multi-agency support is requiredand strengthened accountability. We are also taking new powers to compelagencies to work together and to share information where this is in the bestinterests of the child. A new Quality Improvement Framework and the roll out ofjoint inspections of children’s services will help to monitor progress.

This information is not heldcentrally.

I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is asfollows:

The Health Care team assesseach prisoner’s mental health problems on reception into prison, withappropriate support thereafter. Information on the number of prisoners withproblems is not collected centrally.

I have asked Tony Cameron,Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) to respond. His response is as follows:

The information requested isnot available. Computerised health records will become available within the SPSlater this year, and will offer information about the health of the prisonpopulation.