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For Scotland's children report

appendix 2 resources

Finance

Figures for overall expenditure by the Scottish Executive, including central government support for local authorities, updated following the new budget allocations announced by the Minister for Finance on 28 June 2001, are in the annex to this section. In some cases - particularly expenditure on education and children's social services - expenditure can readily be identified as related to children. In other cases such as health, although much funding is spent on children, it is less easy fully to identify this separately.

One particular issue sometimes raised is the disparity between notional allocations from the Scottish Executive to local government for children's social work services and actual expenditure. The table below sets out provisional out-turn in such expenditure for 2000-01, and the best estimate of expected out-turn and notional allocation (GAE = grant aided expenditure) for 2001-02. This shows expected out-turn at 52% above the notional allocation. It should be stressed that the Scotland-wide percentage masks variations at the level of local authority and that the GAE figures are only intended as a way of calculating grant: there is no obligation or expectation for local authorities to follow them in expenditure decisions.

There have been some developments recently on best use of resources, particularly in the context of enabling better integrated services:

• The Changing Children's Services Fund, which started with £4 million for drugs related projects only in 2000-01 and which will get fully underway in the following two years with funding of £33 million and £44.5 million respectively, draws on Scottish Executive resources from education, health and social justice. It is intended to encourage
• The expansion of good practice in delivery of well integrated services;
• Modernisation to reshape existing services to achieve better integrated support; and
• New and innovative approaches to integrated service delivery.

A particular challenge here will be to escape from the syndrome of time-limited projects with uncertain funding and instead achieve a genuine reconfiguration of services.

• A study has been undertaken into funding crosscutting working.
• Work is underway in developing pilot local outcome agreements, including in children's services, between the Scottish Executive and a number of local authorities.

Staff

Resources for children's services should not be seen purely in terms of finance. Staffing, in particular, is vital. Even where financial resources are available it is not always possible to find staff to fill vacant positions. This problem, among others, in the teaching profession prompted the Committee of inquiry into professional conditions of service for teachers (the "McCrone Committee") although developments since its report seem to have improved the situation. Similar difficulties have been experienced in recruiting social workers in children and family services.

Nor should staffing be seen simply in terms of numbers. Levels of qualification at entry level, and professional development thereafter, are important in ensuring that the best use is made of staff resources.

The remainder of this section sets out some outline data on staff numbers and entry qualification levels.

• Staffing

It should be noted, however, that the Scottish Social Services Council's regulatory coverage will be extended gradually. Initially it will concentrate on qualified social workers and managers of care establishments.

Voluntary Sector and Volunteers

Human resources in children's services come not only in the form of paid, professional staff. The role of volunteers is enormously important. The Scottish Executive is committed to promoting the voluntary sector. Its commitment is set out in The Scottish Compact: the principles underpinning the relationship between Government and the voluntary sector (originally produced under the then Scottish Office but subsequently re-endorsed by the Executive).

The Executive endorses the importance of volunteering, not least for young people. As the Scottish Compact said 'voluntary activity must be seen as a part of citizenship for young people'. A number of Ministers underlined their commitment in February and March 2001 by shadowing volunteers, as part of the International Year of Volunteering.

That said, some of the Executive's recent or planned initiatives might have the effect of discouraging volunteering. Greater access to criminal record checks and, in due course, to the index of adults unsuitable to work with children, may discourage volunteers with criminal records even where this is for trivial offences. Although there are safeguards to ensure that such information is handled with appropriate confidentiality, prospective volunteers may be unwilling to trust this.

Annex A

Department Expenditure Limits (DEL)

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