The future of secure care and the single point of contact (SPOC) for victims in the Children's Hearings System

Date: 16th February 2026
Category: Child justice system, Child victims and witnesses

Three children holding hands

Closing Date: 16th April 2026  

Scottish Government opened a consultation that seeks views on a transformative future for secure care, and for the children who may need its support.  

Specifically, they want to hear opinions on:  

  • The case(s) for the future nationalisation and / or the national co-ordination of secure care in Scotland, including the potential contribution of the National Social Work Agency 

  • Depending on the adopted future approach, the design of funding and commissioning models to support consistent, high-quality provision 

  • Expanding or redefining the statutory concept of “secure accommodation” or “secure care” and revising the criteria for when a child may be placed in restrictive environments 

  • Models proposed in the ‘Reimagining Secure Care’ report – ‘flex secure’, ‘community-based hubs’ and ‘multi-disciplinary teams’ 

  • Standards for the safe and secure transportation of children, whether to secure care facilities or to essential appointments during their stay in secure care, or wider transport needs when secure transport is required 

  • The establishment of a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for victims affected by harmful behaviour that is being considered within the youth justice system. 

This consultation forms part of the Scottish Government’s wider programme to transform children’s care, centred on furthering the rights of children (UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024), The Promise, and the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024. 


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