National guidance for child protection 2021: consultation report

Introduction

The Scottish Government worked collaboratively with stakeholders and partners from across education, social work, police, health, justice and the third sector to draft a significant revision of the National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland, published in May 2014. A public consultation was carried out in order to seek views on the draft revised Guidance. This non-statutory national guidance describes the responsibilities and expectations for everyone involved in protecting children in Scotland. The Guidance sets out how agencies should work together with parents, families and communities to prevent and protect children from harm caused by abuse and neglect.

It aims to provide a national framework for services and local inter-agency forums such as Chief Officer Groups and Child Protection Committees to develop further in their local multi-agency protocols, training plans and procedures. The Guidance also aims to serve as a useful resource for practitioners on particular areas of practice and signposts where additional information can be found.

Craigforth, a social research company, has undertaken a full analysis of the public consultation on the revised National Guidance and seven accompanying engagement events with Child Protection Committees.