Report Summary
This report provides members of the Scottish Police Authority Policing Performance Committee with an overview of the Authority’s actions as a Corporate Parent and also provides an update on the Authority’s Corporate Parenting Plan for the 2024-27 period, providing a summary of the engagement involved in its creation and approval.
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Meeting
The publication discussed was referenced in the meeting below
Policing Performance Committee - 10 December 2024
Date : 10 December 2024
Location : online
Background
The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 defines corporate parenting as ‘the formal and local partnerships between all services responsible for working together to meet the needs of looked-after children, young people and care leavers’. Schedule 4 of the Act identifies both the Scottish Police Authority (‘the SPA’) and the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Scotland as Corporate Parents.
This legislation requires Corporate Parents such as the Authority and Police Scotland to publish Corporate Parenting Plans at least every three years. These plans detail how Corporate Parents will work to improve outcomes for those with experience of care.
Outlined in the Act are the six duties of Corporate Parents:
• Be alert to matters which, or which might, adversely affect those with experience of care
• Assess the needs of those with experience of care for the services and support you provide
• Promote the interests those with experience of care
• Provide those with experience of care with opportunities to participate in activities designed to promote their wellbeing.
• Take action to help those with experience of care, (a) access the opportunities you’re providing and (b) make use of services, and access support, available.
• Take any other action you consider appropriate to improve the way you work with those with experience of care
Following the approval of the Policing Performance Committee, the Authority published its first Corporate Parenting Plan in December 2021. Progress reports have been presented to the Committee to provide an update on the implementation of the plan.
