Residential care
Residential childcare establishments provide care for young people who are generally of secondary school age, although some may be younger.
Most young people who live in a residential establishment will have been assessed as needing to be cared for outwith their family home and are placed in residential care by the local authority, usually after a children’s hearing.
Young people living in residential establishments are usually educated in schools nearby; the exception to this is where education is provided on site for young people living in residential schools and secure accommodation.
The latest statistics show that on 31 March 2008, 1,613 children were living in residential care, representing 11% of all looked after children. The proportion of looked after children in residential care is now at its lowest since data has been available.
Residential care homes are inspected by the Care Commission to ensure they meet the national standards.
Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care
The Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (SIRCC) is a partnership of educational institutions - Robert Gordon University, University of Strathclyde, Langside College - and Who Cares? Scotland, a young people's advocacy organisation.
SIRCC was established in April 2000 and is funded by the Scottish Government. SIRCC’s aim is to influence and improve the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people living in residential care in Scotland. It provides specialised professional development training, certificate and degree courses and consultancy services, and undertakes a wide range of research projects.
SIRCC also hosts a variety of events and conferences, provides opportunities for the sector to come together to share best practice, and aims to offer support and leadership to staff, managers, training officers, heads of care, and policy makers in the field.
National Residential Child Care Initiative
The Scottish Government would like every care home to be the first and best choice for children who need residential care, not a place of last resort.
To make this happen, the government has asked the Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (SIRCC) to lead a multi-agency National Residential Child Care Initiative (NRCCI), aimed at shaping the future direction of services to suit children's needs. The NRCCI will focus on key questions:
- how well the residential resources we have match the needs of children and young people
- the skills required of the residential childcare workforce
- how to ensure more effective commissioning of services and
- how to address the challenges facing the secure care sector.
The NRCCI will make recommendations to the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) by the end of 2009.
You can find out more about this initiative on SIRCC’s website.
Related links
National Care Standards
The standards for residential and foster care services.
Historic abuse in residential care
Details of the inquiries into abuse of children in residential care homes in the past.
Jennie's story
Jennie, 17, explains how residential care helped her.