Child welfare reporters and child contact services consultations: Scottish Youth Parliament report

Methodology

A focus group was held with 8 Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament (MSYPs) from across Scotland (11 young people signed up to the focus group 3 did not participate.). In addition to this, 8 one-to-one interviews were held with young people who have particular lived experiences of Child Contact Centres and Child Welfare Reporters (11 young people signed up to participate in 1:1 interviews, 3 did not participate).

The questions used for the focus group and one-to-one interviews were taken from the Scottish Government public consultation on the topic and adjusted to ensure the language is suitable for young people.

Participants used a sign-up link to register their interest in taking part, and we worked with relevant national charities to promote the opportunity. Young people

and practitioners were encouraged to circulate the opportunity, and it was publicised on SYP social media platforms. In order to support as many young people as possible, participants were also offered a voucher for taking part.

The focus group was held on Zoom, and facilitated by a staff member from

SYP. Using Zoom as a format allowed participants to make use of features such as the 'reactions', function which they could use to signal to facilitators when they wished to speak. The 'chat' function also allowed participants to add to the conversation in a different way, which many opted to do. Overall, the use of Zoom was helpful in allowing the facilitator to keep track of the conversation, and to ensure that everyone was able to contribute. Some of the one-to-one interviews took place over the phone and recorded with permission given by participants.

The data from the focus group and one-to-one interviews was transcribed and an in- depth analysis resulted in the development of specific themes, across both sections covering Child Contact Centres and Child Welfare Reporters.

All answers from participants have been anonymised and any identifiable information removed to ensure the confidentiality of participants.