National statistics provide important information about children entering and leaving secure care, however there is limited analysis that brings together the different routes into secure care, children’s circumstances before admission, and their destinations on discharge. This makes it more difficult to understand what may be contributing to changes in the use of secure care and what these changes may mean for practice and planning across the secure care estate.
This paper outlines findings from these statistics which suggest that while overall admissions to secure care are reduced, secure care is increasingly operating at the interface between welfare and justice systems. This has implications for workforce development, placement capacity and the future role of secure care within Scotland’s care and justice landscape.