An inspection of services to protect children and young people by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education (HMIe) took place in Glasgow during October/November 2008. The inspectors’ role was to evaluate the impact of services on children and families and answer the key questions set out in the publication ‘How well are children and young people protected and their needs met?’
The inspection focused on the child protection services delivered in Glasgow. This included services provided by Health, the Police, Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration, voluntary and private organisations, as well as those provided by Glasgow City Council. The inspectors asked for a sample of cases of children who were on, or have been on, the Child Protection Register or were causing concern. Inspectors read the records for these children sampled and in some cases, met with children, families and workers.
George Black, as Chair of the Chief Officer Group for Glasgow Child Protection Committee announced:
"We are satisfied that HM Inspectors have found that overall Glasgow's children are safe. The report identifies many strengths in the work of services to protect children. It has also identified areas for improvement. Changes in line with these recommendations have already been made or are being addressed as a matter of urgency.
"We are pleased that inspectors recognised the complex and challenging environment in which services work. Deprivation, issues with alcohol and drug addiction along with high levels of domestic abuse affect the lives of many children and young people across the city. However the high priority given to child protection within Glasgow's child protection partnership along with the strong leadership from elected members and chief officers provide a strong platform on which to base further improvements. We are confident when HMIe returns in two years significant progress will have been made."
The findings from the Inspection were published on the 26th March 2009 and the link below will take you to the full report.