We are now taking a social media break over the festive season and will be back on 5 January. In the new year we will be posting on Bluesky, Facebook and LinkedIn. We wish you all a Merry Christmas, a peaceful and safe new year, and a happy year ahead.

Temporary accommodation: Scotland’s housing emergency is leaving children growing up in limbo www.holyrood.com/inside-polit...

Significant updates have been made to the Plan 24-30 route maps – including clear outcomes, milestones, and commitments from now to 2030 – to help everyone working to keep the promise. Find out more here: ow.ly/RcyF50XMbPj

Have you signed up yet to join us for our free, live webinar exploring what AI might mean in the context of children's social care? Find out more and sign-up here: buff.ly/8axgZJE

ICYMI: Increasing the visibility of disabled children in Scotland’s children’s statistics, a new report sharing learning from a CELCIS-led project focused on developing a more effective and rights-based approach to identifying and recording disability: buff.ly/f8qIrKq

ICYMI: Thank you to every child or young person who sent in a tree-mendous entry to our Christmas card design competition! 🎁🎄 Congratulations to Ryan, aged 13 from Aberdour for creating the winning design. See more wonderful designs in our online gallery: buff.ly/gAJa9SF

We've just published the latest issue of the Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care, full of peer-reviewed and short articles, and book reviews - see it all here: buff.ly/MHXEcBW #SJRCC

AI is here to stay. What impact could it have in children's social care? What needs to be considered? Join us to explore these and other foundational questions with guest contributors in our new free webinars: buff.ly/Sbhhapy

The creation and ongoing development of the Promise Story of Progress is an integral part of keeping the promise. By creating new ways of understanding progress, it can support better conversations, different actions, and culture change across Scotland. 1/2⬇️

New report launched! Scotland’s first Care Policy Scorecard examines whether care policies are actually delivering for families, carers and workers: buff.ly/fJPCQlg #AScotlandThatCares

The recording of our webinar, "Change in Residential Child Care in Scotland" which heard from speakers from Glasgow City Council, The Care Inspectorate and Aberlour Children's Charity Sycamore Services, is available here: buff.ly/ufk6YGr

Day 3 of OHOV 2025 Wrapped! We created an online interactive guide called Seeing Beyond the Surface. The guide features videos, artwork, poetry, & voice recordings gathered from our research with children & young people, along with lots of quotes. You can visit our guide here: www.ohov.co.uk/guide/

The Promise Story of Progress aims to help Scotland to understand how change is happening & where improvement is needed. Updates have been made to the 3 kinds of data included, with each offering a different but equally important perspective. Learn more: ow.ly/hAIE50XKM0P

The piece makes the case for an evidence-driven prevention-based approach to adolescent mental health that focuses on reconstructing social capital across policy and practice. Read the expert feature: bit.ly/Socialthinning

Join our team! We are recruiting for a Senior Practice and Research Development Officer to join our team. Closing date for applications is 14 January. https://ow.ly/xyui50XKRrZ

ICYMI: Increasing the visibility of disabled children in Scotland’s children’s statistics, a new report sharing learning from a CELCIS-led project focused on developing a more effective and rights-based approach to identifying and recording disability: buff.ly/f8qIrKq

Thank you to every child or young person who sent in a tree-mendous entry to our Christmas card design competition! 🎁🎄 Congratulations to Ryan, aged 13 from Aberdour for creating the winning design. See more wonderful designs in our online gallery: buff.ly/gAJa9SF

The ongoing development of the Promise Story of Progress is integral to keeping the promise – creating new ways of understanding progress, resulting in better conversation, informed actions and culture change. Find out more here: ow.ly/ZXRO50XKLyz 2/2

Updates have been made to all three questions in the Promise Story of Progress. This is a different approach to measuring progress, by having real experience at the centre. It helps people to understand what things need to change and how they can change. 1/2⬇️

Have you signed up yet to join us for our free, live webinar exploring what AI might mean in the context of children's social care? Find out more and sign-up here: buff.ly/8axgZJE

As the year draws to a close, we've been reflecting on our work supporting young children and families across Scotland. Our most recent annual report highlighted the impact of our range of services. 👇 heyzine.com/flip-book/ed...

Sign-up for one of our regular #STEMnation award drop-in sessions where you can have a friendly chat with our @educationscot team and review your evidence before making a formal submission. blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/st...

The STEM self-evaluation and improvement framework underpins @educationscot's #STEMnation award. It's a great place to start! Check it out here: education.gov.scot/resources/st...

If you're a single parent in Scotland looking for advice give us a call on our Helpline📲 👩‍👦 Talk to our expert advisors about anything from general worries to budgeting and benefits Call 0808 801 0323 ☎️ opfs.org.uk/talk-to-us/l... #SingleParents #Scotland #Helpline #SingleParentSupport #OPFS

We're here to support you through the Christmas break🎄 Our Helpline will be open on Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th December 10am–2pm. Call us on 0808 801 0323 or email [email protected]. Chat to us⬇️ www.opfs.org.uk/talk-to-us/ #Christmas2025 #ChristmasSupport #SingleParents #Scotland

Struggling to deal with debt? Our money and debt advice service is free and open to single parents across all of Scotland💸 Find out more and get in touch⬇️ opfs.org.uk/support-and-... #Debt #Scotland #SingleParents #DealingWithDebt #MoneyWorries

Join colleagues from Family Rights Group for a workshop on 29 January that will explore developing a Family Group Conference (FGC) service. Sharing key messages from research and lived experience, this session will discuss the principles and current use of FGCs in the UK. https://ow.ly/KPHU50XGbkL

Our Co-Director @aroeschmarsh.bsky.social has been working with @stafscot.bsky.social on some inspiring and impactful resources around supporting friendship - find out more below! #AcademicSky @edfuturesinstitute.bsky.social @uoe-sps.bsky.social #CreativeResearch

🥁 And the winner is… 🥁 Congratulations to 12-year-old Chloe who has won our fostering team’s Christmas card competition! 🎄🎅 We hope you enjoy this wonderful festive design. #Aberlour150

Girls' mental health is getting worse. With gender norms, academic stress and social media comparisons, the pressures are building. Earlier this year, we held a workshop in Westminster to ask: What’s working? And what needs to change? Read our findings: www.childrenssociety.org.uk/information/...

The Community of Practice is looking forward to another busy year in 2026 and we hope to see you there. Tickets to our first event next year are available here: ow.ly/2A8v50XIoWB Interested in finding out more? Learn about the Community of Practice here: ow.ly/PAl750XIoWA

NEW: Increasing the visibility of disabled children in Scotland’s children’s statistics, a new report sharing learning from a CELCIS-led project focused on developing a more effective and rights-based approach to identifying and recording disability: buff.ly/f8qIrKq

Thank you to every child or young person who sent in a tree-mendous entry to our Christmas card design competition! 🎁🎄 Congratulations to Ryan, aged 13 from Aberdour for creating the winning design. See more wonderful designs in our online gallery: buff.ly/gAJa9SF

Working in or researching residential child care? Stay up to date with local and global issues in research and practice with the Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care - new issue online now: buff.ly/MHXEcBW #SJRCC

AI is here to stay. What impact could it have in children's social care? What needs to be considered? Join us to explore these and other foundational questions with guest contributors in our new free webinars: buff.ly/Sbhhapy

🚨 ONLINE TRAINING REMINDER 🚨 We've developed CPD-certified anti-bullying online training for anyone that works with children and young people. Access it here 👉 anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/tools-inform...

Thousands who grew up in the care system still can’t access their childhood records. The ICO’s new campaign aims to change that.

In this feature story, we learn how adoption and support for children in need of care and protection has been changing in South Lanarkshire over recent years: buff.ly/3NOcjEz

To start our new series of webinars looking at AI and children's social care, we'll be posing some of the fundamental questions about the potential opportunities and challenges of using AI in practice and how AI is impacting young lives: buff.ly/8axgZJE

ICYMI: Curious about Artificial Intelligence and what it all might mean for children's social care? Announcing our new Emerging Insights Series of free, open webinars about AI beginning in the new year. Find out more and register now: buff.ly/Sbhhapy

What do the objects that are special to us tell us? In this feature story, young refugees give us an insight into what matters most and what they value from the past as they rebuild their lives in new countries: buff.ly/3HHBAGG

To start our new series of webinars looking at AI and children's social care, we'll be posing some of the fundamental questions about the potential opportunities and challenges of using AI in practice and how AI is impacting young lives: buff.ly/8axgZJE

In the new year, we'll be hosting a new series of free webinars exploring and discussing different themes, perspectives and experiences related to the use of AI and children's social care. Find out more and register for the first ones now: buff.ly/Sbhhapy

'Investing in Children: Early findings on the difference the Scottish Child Payment makes to child well-being' authors @katejandersen.bsky.social Suzanna Nesom @ruthpatrick0.bsky.social @ilonapin.bsky.social @kittyjstewart.bsky.social @emmatominey.bsky.social CASEpaper/238: tinyurl.com/4m3pdpu9

Two new Working Papers from our mixed-methods study Family Finances out now📣 📰 Our first paper looks at the emerging qual & quant findings showing that Scottish Child Payment is making a significant difference to household resources & children's wellbeing 🧵

In the new year, we'll be hosting a new series of free webinars exploring and discussing different themes, perspectives and experiences related to the use of AI and children's social care. Find out more and register for the first ones now: buff.ly/Sbhhapy

We are inviting social workers from across the UK to take part in the BASW survey to better understand the needs, priorities and experiences of social work professionals. Read more and complete the survey: buff.ly/iVpGc2k

In the new year, we'll be hosting a new series of free webinars exploring and discussing different themes, perspectives and experiences related to the use of AI and children's social care. Find out more and register for the first ones now: buff.ly/Sbhhapy

NEW: Curious about Artificial Intelligence and what it all might mean for children's social care? Announcing our new Emerging Insights Series of free, open webinars about AI, beginning in the new year. Find out more and register now: buff.ly/Sbhhapy

The recording of our webinar Growing Up in Kinship Care, where our speakers shared research and reflections on the experiences and challenges faced by kinship families and the implications of these for policy and practice, is available here: buff.ly/5fwgkPA