Statement: CYCJ publishes reports on Reimagining Secure Care

Today – Friday 27 October − the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) published The Final Report: A Vision for the Reimagined/Future World , three reports outlining a vision for the future of secure care in Scotland.

In a statement, Fiona Duncan, Independent Strategic Advisor to the promise, said:

“I’d like to thank every single person who was involved in the intensive work of Reimagining Secure Care. These three reports outline the comprehensive approach, taken with care, by the Children and Young People's Centre for Justice.

“The Final Report: A Vision for the Reimagined / Future World makes clear that by placing the needs of children and their families first, and by offering individualised support, Scotland will create a more caring and safe society, whilst giving hope to those who need it.

“Launching these reports, a few weeks after all under 18s were removed from Scotland’s young offenders institutions, is another significant moment in a decade of change needed to realise, in full, the conclusions of the Independent Care Review so Scotland does #KeepThePromise.

“Now there must be commitment to deliver this vision with the resources required to do so by 2030 - so Scotland’s children and families do not have to imagine a better future – they have it.”

Fraser McKinlay, Chief Executive of The Promise Scotland, said:

“This report from the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice provides a clear vision of how secure care can take a children first, rights based approach, rather than making children fit into the needs of the system.

“The promise is clear that there must be alternatives to the current secure care model, including more therapeutic, trauma-informed and community-based supports. I’m pleased to see how the proposed community hubs support this approach.

“The proposed Flex Secure model can also provide the supportive, holistic, rights-based environments needed for those children and young people that do experience secure care.

“The focus on workforce development, to allow for trauma informed, relational-based care provided in the communities that young people live in, would mean that young people have the best chance of getting the care they need.

“There is a lot of work to do now in implementing this vision, and real focus needs to be on whole family support. To do this everyone involved in the lives of families need to be working together, so families can get all the support they need in one place.