Social workers taking children home due to ‘acute shortage’ of accommodation

Social workers in parts of Scotland have had to take children home with them because of an “acute shortage” of suitable accommodation, ministers have been told.

Chief social work officers said staff had resorted to taking youngsters into their own homes as there were “no other safe options available”.

Highlighting the “acute shortage of suitable homes and carers for children who are unable to remain in the care of their family”, the group said that a lack of options had also seen newborn babies “remaining in the care of hospital nurses”.

Branding the shortage of accommodation a “crisis” the chief social work officers in all 32 of Scotland’s local authority areas took the unusual step of issuing a joint statement “to ensure that the public and political leaders are aware of the situation, and the need for urgent action”.

The chief social work officers said: “In some parts of the country social workers have had to take children home with them, as no other safe options are available.”

They added: “This is an emergency for Scotland’s care system, and we ask Scottish Government and local government leaders to work with us to take necessary action.”

Their statement 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.”

Social workers warned that as it stands the “lack of options” for housing children who need care “increases the risk of harm” to those youngsters. as well as “placing undue and unsustainable pressure” on those trusted with keeping them safe.

They told how children as young as three years old are being placed in residential homes with young adults – adding that such places have “frequently changing” staff and residents.

Meanwhile the social workers said older children “are sleeping on the sofas of foster carers and residential homes”.

Their statement added: “The crisis is occurring at a time of growing concerns about the impact of poverty on families, a shortage of housing, and national attention on child sexual abuse and exploitation.”

Social workers want to be given greater flexibility to authorise placements for youngsters in need which they “deem suitable to protect the welfare and wellbeing of children”.

They also said there needs to be a political commitment “to alleviate the administrative demand on social work implemented at pace”.

Commenting on the situation Liberal Democrat children and young person’s spokesperson Duncan Dunlop said: “Ten years ago, the SNP promised that reform of the care system was a priority, but they have never properly engaged the public on this issue.

“The government should be helping the public to provide the conditions for these children to be cared for and loved.

“Their failure to do so has resulted in a lack of care beds and a lack of long-term loving relationships that are so critical for the life chances of these young people.”

He added: “If the government do not fix this as a matter of urgency, their neglect will continue to have a life-long limiting impact on the futures of care-experienced children.”

Children’s minister Siobhian Brown said she was taking the issues “very seriously” and had met Social Work Scotland – which represents social workers – to “discuss their concerns”.

The minister stated: “Any child or young person who cannot live at home, regardless of their age, must be able to stay in a safe, stable and caring environment.”

Ms Brown added the Scottish Government was committed to deliver the improvements for children in care known as the Promise – adding that “this includes increasing the recruitment of foster carers and providing an additional £22.2 million investment in support for foster carers and kinship carers”.

She added: “We also brought new legislation in March to regulate cross-border placements in residential care – this should help ensure more places are available for local authorities in Scotland.

“And this year we launched the National Social Work Agency to strengthen and support the social work profession.”

But she added: “I recognise that significant pressures remain, and we will work closely with Social Work Scotland and other partners to ensure we have the right placements across the country for children and young people.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for local government body Cosla said it “recognises and shares the serious concerns raised by Scotland’s chief social work officers regarding the current pressures on the availability of care placements for children and young people”.

The Cosla spokesperson added: “The issues highlighted point to real and growing risks for children and young people, for families, and for the workforce who are going above and beyond to keep people safe.

“Local government is committed to working closely with Social Work Scotland, the Scottish Government and partners to deliver both urgent action and longer term solutions.

“Addressing these pressures is essential if we are to realise our shared ambitions through the Promise to transform how we support children, young people and families. Without stabilising system capacity, there is a risk that the progress we all want to see for children and families will not be achievable.

“We will continue to work closely with partners across the system to strengthen placement availability and ensure children are supported in safe, appropriate and nurturing settings.”