The Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care is funded by the Scottish Government and is a partnership of The University of Strathclyde, The Robert Gordon University, Who Cares? Scotland and Langside College.
© 2008 Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (SIRCC). All rights reserved.
Policy
SIRCC’s policy work refers to a wide range of activities including;
- Drafting responses to consultations
- Developing SIRCC position papers
- Lobbying political and professional decision-makers
- Responding to queries from service providers and others on specific issues
Ian Milligan, Assistant Director (Education), leads on policy work within SIRCC and reports to the Director. Consultation responses are normally issued in the name of the Director, who reviews all responses; these are then passed onto the SIRCC Management Committee for approval.
Examples of responses include: Government guidance on overnights stays for looked after children; the Fostering and Kinship Care Strategy.
SIRCC often works with other partners concerned with services for vulnerable children and their families to share thinking and to campaign together. Prior to the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections SIRCC initiated work on a manifesto for looked after children called No Time to Lose. This involved working closely with other key partners including The Fostering Network, BAAF, ADSW, The Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum, Who Cares? Scotland and the Aberlour Child Care Trust. All the main political parties were lobbied and SIRCC also seeks to inform MPs on various issues regarding the sector.
In 2008 SIRCC launched a report on the residential sector called Home Truths, which was launched at the parliament. This was instrumental in persuading the Government to set up the National Residential Child Care Initiative in September 2008.