New research shows Scotland’s children are entering secure care with complex needs and increased trauma
Newly published research from the Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) demonstrates that 74% of children accommodated in secure care had faced four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), with over one-third (36%) experiencing between seven and 10 ACEs.
The secure care census, which was undertaken by Ross Gibson, Practice Development Advisor at the CYCJ, is a snapshot of the profile of all children living in secure care on a specific day in 2025. This important report helps paint a picture of what the current needs and challenges are for children with the greatest levels of needs and risks in Scotland today.
Significant changes in policy are also reflected in the census results. Prior to commencement of the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024, 16 and 17 year olds could have been imprisoned with adults at a young offenders institute. Now, children who come into conflict with the law receive developmentally appropriate support within a secure care setting. This is reflected in the results of the census which shows an older demographic compared with previous year’s results. Fewer younger children were present in the 2025 census (22% of children being aged 14 or under compared with 35% in 2018 and 31% in 2019). Not only has the age profile changed, but the gender make up of children has changed also. Boys made up 77% of the secure population in this census, representing a substantial increase compared with previous years.
In the 2018 and 2019 censuses, a significant cohort of children were living in secure care whose home local authority was in England or Wales. In this census, only children from Scottish local authorities were present. This drop in secure care placements from outwith Scotland could be associated with the expanded use of Deprivation of Liberty orders in England and Wales, court issued orders which enable children to be placed in locked, but not secure, provision. This could also be a reflection of Scottish Government funding processes which ensures dedicated places are reserved for the use of Scottish local authorities.
The census, supported by a range of studies, shows us that the children who have been subjected to harm, and/or caused harm have also been exposed to the most entrenched levels of poverty, inequality, and generational trauma. Where the financial situations for families was known, some 61% were believed to live in relative poverty. Amongst those children living in relative poverty, some 94% had encountered four or more adverse childhood experiences (ACEs).
To understand the context from which the children living in secure care have grown up in, the census also examined a range of adversities beyond the traditional ACE framework. It found that a significant proportion of children had experiences that could place them at risk of harm. Mental health concerns remain widespread, including high rates of self-harm, suicidal ideation and diagnosed mental ill-health conditions. Crucially, it demonstrates that the needs and vulnerabilities of children within secure care in 2025 is significantly more acute than was the case in 2018 and 2019, reinforcing the need to reimagine how Scotland respond to children who find themselves in such concerning conditions.
Similarly, 53% of children within secure care lived in the 20% most deprived communities in Scotland (Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation quintiles 1 and 2). Some 81% of children lived in SIMD zones 1 – 4. In both instances this represents an increase from former years, and highlights that children who are deprived of their liberty are almost exclusively from our most deprived communities.
Neil Hunter, Principal Reporter/Chief Executive Officer at the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration, said “The needs of children and young people in our secure care are hugely complex and multi-faceted, reflecting significant experience of adversity and trauma in young lives… [This report tells us that there is] need for continued development of high quality and sustainable supports and interventions to ensure children and young people and the wider communities of Scotland can have confidence that our secure care is able to address the underpinning needs of each individual child.”
CYCJ Director Professor Fiona Dyer reflected that,
“This significant report gives important insight into the needs of Scotland’s children living in secure care. We know that there are still children placed in secure care who could be better supported in other environments, and some who are being detained for longer than is necessary. CYCJ is continually working with partners to reimagine what secure care could look like in Scotland, to realise rights-respecting justice for all children and young people.”
The census suggests that the children who have caused the most serious levels of harm in Scotland are facing a range of interconnected and potentially severe challenges, and that more work is needed to ensure that children, families and communities are better supported so that everyone can thrive. With the Scottish Government currently reviewing responses to the secure care consultation, it is imperative that they consider the best way to deliver the acute care needed for those children who require the highest levels of support.
Continued efforts to reduce child poverty, increase access to mental health support, invest in communities and provide a more flexible approach to responding to the most serious level of needs and risks are required to ensure that Scotland gets it right for every child and #KeepThePromise.
Watch the webinar presented by Ross Gibson on these findings, recorded in June 2025: https://www.cycj.org.uk/resource/cycj-webinar-shifts-in-secure-results-from-the-2025-secure-care-census/