Our Children and Families Services provide high quality support to children, young people and families who require help.
Wherever possible, our goal is to help children and young people remain in their own families and communities. Where this is not possible, we aim to provide them with the highest quality of alternative care that enables them to thrive and fulfil their potential.
The legal framework
There are a number of Acts of Parliament and Regulations which set out the duties and powers of local authorities to children and young people and families. The most important of these is the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.
There are three key principles of the Children (Scotland) Act which inform the way we work and deliver our services:
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the welfare of the child is of greatest importance
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all legal involvement with children and families must be justified
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the child should have a voice in decision making
The policy framework
One of the key national policies that we work to is Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC). Using this approach, we work with partner agencies to ensure that East Ayrshire’s children are:
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safe
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healthy
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achieving
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nurtured
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active
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respected
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responsible
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included
Locality services
Our Locality Services are the primary point of contact for children, young people and families who may need our help. We assess the needs of children, young people and their families and provide services aimed at meeting those assessed needs.
Family support and young people services
Our Children and Family Support Services provide enhanced support to children, young people and families where the need for this has been identified in an assessment undertaken by our Locality Services. This includes children and young people living at home with their families, those accommodated away from home and care leavers.
Corporate parenting
These services are for children and young people who cannot live at home within their own family or their extended family network, whether this is on a short-term or long-term basis.
They include Adoption and Fostering Services, residential Children’s Houses and specialist services purchased from independent sector service providers.
If you would like to know more about corporate parenting, read our Corporate Parenting Action Plan (PDF 4.15Mb).
Further information
For further information or if you think you may require support from Children and Family services, please contact your local Social Work office using the contact details below.