Chief Social Work Officers warn children's care system faces emergency

Scotland's 32 Chief Social Work Officers have issued an unprecedented joint warning that the country's children's care system is facing an emergency, with a severe shortage of foster carers, residential placements and other alternative care options leaving vulnerable children at increased risk of harm.

In a rare collective statement, the senior social work leaders said an "acute shortage of suitable homes and carers" for children unable to remain with their families was placing both children and the workforce under unsustainable pressure.

The statement describes a system struggling to cope with demand, with newborn babies remaining in hospital because no placements are available, young children being placed in residential settings alongside young adults, and older children sleeping on sofas in foster homes and residential services due to a lack of suitable accommodation.

The Chief Social Work Officers said: "The capacity of the care system is saturated, and it is only thanks to the incredible efforts of Scotland’s carers, social work staff and other professionals that we have been able to prevent the system collapsing entirely."

They added that in some parts of the country social workers had been forced to take children home with them because "no other safe options are available".

The leaders warned that the shortage of placements is occurring amid wider pressures including poverty, housing shortages and growing concern about child sexual abuse and exploitation.

As a result, specialist placements are increasingly being used for children whose needs do not require that level of provision, reducing availability for those with the most complex needs.

Declaring the situation "an emergency for Scotland’s care system", the Chief Social Work Officers called on the Scottish Government and local government leaders to work with the profession to address the crisis. They said social work leaders needed greater flexibility to authorise placements they considered appropriate to protect children's welfare and wellbeing, alongside faster progress on reducing administrative burdens on the workforce.

The statement comes more than six years after the publication of The Promise, Scotland's commitment to transform care and support for children and families.

Responding to the warning, the Scottish Association of Social Work (SASW) said the statement should serve as a catalyst for action.

In a response issued this week, the organisation said: "The statement by all 32 of Scotland’s Chief Social Work Officers last week highlighted the scale of the crisis in children’s care. A report from social work leaders warning of social workers taking children home because no alternative safe places can be found, of children being placed with young adults, and expensive independent providers being used out of necessity rather than assessed need, must be a catalyst for change."

SASW said the commitment and dedication of the workforce was evident but warned that emergency measures should not become accepted practice.

"The dedication of the workforce to those they support is clear, but social workers having to take children home because there is nowhere else for them to go cannot be normalised," the organisation said.

"Alternative care placements are needed to protect children who are not safe at home, where these do not exist, children can remain in unsafe homes. This environment has potentially catastrophic consequences for those children."

The association also questioned the pace of progress towards delivering The Promise, stating: "For Scotland’s children and young people to be in this position over six years since The Promise was made is a stark indication of how far we are from our national ambitions. Making The Promise was easy, but keeping it is proving much more difficult."

While welcoming early engagement from the newly appointed minister responsible for the sector, SASW stressed that discussions must now lead to tangible improvements.

"We recognise that the Minister is new in post and has met with colleagues from Social Work Scotland within just a few days of the statement being made. That, and the commitment to finding solutions with the sector, is welcome and a positive first step. However, this engagement must be followed by concrete action to support children and young people."

The organisation said immediate support was needed to address current pressures, alongside longer-term investment in services.

"The immediate needs of children must be the priority, and we must support the profession’s leadership to provide for them in the short-term. In the long-term, there must be significant changes to resourcing and funding for services to protect and care for vulnerable children and young people."

The Chief Social Work Officers concluded their statement by warning that Scotland's ambitions for children and families cannot be realised unless public authorities are first able to fulfil their fundamental duty to keep children safe.

"Scotland aspires to be among the best places in the world to grow up, no matter what your background or circumstances," they said. "But the primary responsibility of public authorities is to protect the welfare and wellbeing of people, and if we are unable to do this fundamental task, those ambitions will never be realised."