Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee Standards and Quality Report 2024-25
Perth and Kinross Council · 14 January 2026
Back to Perth and Kinross Council — 14 January 2026 and its agenda
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Perth and Kinross Council Date of Meeting: 14 January 2026 Report Title: Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee Standards and Quality Report 2024/2025 Report Number: 26/15 Report Authors: Julie Baker, Child Protection Interagency Coordinator and Graham Binnie, Independent Chair of the Perth and Kinross CPC (FBSCommittee@pkc.gov.uk) Organisational Lead: Arun Singh, Strategic Lead – Children, Families and Justice ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 Perth and Kinross Child Protection Committee (CPC), in compliance with Scottish Government guidance, publishes an annual Standards and Quality (S&Q) report. This report is routinely presented to elected members on an annual basis. This S&Q report, for the academic year 2024/2025, provides an overview of the key activities and work of the CPC partners to protect unborn babies, babies, children and young people from harm, abuse and exploitation. 1.2 This report describes the CPC’s achievements, key strengths, and areas for improvement. It also includes an update on the CPC’s new Improvement Plan, confirms the CPC’s ongoing commitment to shared learning and continuous improvement, and the comprehensive programme of improvement work in place for academic year 2025/2026. 1.3 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendations 3. Structure of Report 4. Background/Context 5. Analysis 6. Proposals 7. Conclusion 8. Impact Value Assessment 9. Appendices
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2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Council: • Notes the wide range of work being carried out by Perth and Kinross Council and their partners, through the CPC, to provide high quality services to protect children and young people, in particular, the high-level of commitment to continuous improvement through quality assurance and self-evaluation; and • Endorses the contents of this report, the CPC S&Q Report 2024/2025 (appendix 1), the contents of the CPC Improvement Plan 1 January 2025 – 31 July 2028 (appendix 2) and its update (appendix 3) and the Executive Summary of the CPC S&Q Report and Infographic for 2024/2025 (appendix 4). 3. Structure of Report 3.1 The 2024/2025 report has been structured in a different format to previous years reports to bring it into greater alignment with the CPC Improvement Plan (appendix 2). The report is structured over the following sections: • Section 1: Continuous Improvement. • Section 2: Public information, engagement and participation. • Section 3: Strategic planning and connections. • Appendices 4. Background/Context 4.1 CPCs in Scotland are encouraged to publish an annual report in compliance with the requirements described in protecting children and young people: Child Protection Committee and Chief Officer responsibilities, published by the Scottish Government in February 2019. This report covers the work of the CPC for the academic year from 1 August 2024 to 31 July 2025. 4.2 The format of the S&Q report now aligns with the three main functions of CPCs so that the work of the CPC can be more clearly tracked in terms of its key priorities as established in the Improvement Plan 1 January 2025 – 31 August 2028 (appendix 2).
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4.3 The S&Q report presents an overview of performance in services to protect unborn babies, babies, children and young people and is based on sound evidence, obtained through a range of single and multi-agency key performance indicators (data), quality assurance and self-evaluation activities. It describes achievements, key strengths, and areas for further improvement. Within appendix 4, the Executive Summary of the CPC S&Q Report and Infographic for 2024/2025, there is a high-level overview of the work of the CPC in 2024/2025. 4.4 The S&Q report was approved by the members of the CPC at its meeting on 16 September 2025, and the Public Protection Chief Officers Group on 15 December 2025. 5. Analysis 5.1 As noted in appendix 1, there has been a change in the leadership of the CPC with the retiral of the Independent Chair in June 2025. A successor was subsequently appointed, commencing their position in August 2025. 5.2 The S&Q report provides data and narrative regarding performance management information on key multi-agency child protection processes (pages 6 to 14 of appendix 1). As reported within the S&Q report for 2023/2024 (report no. 23/371 refers), the statistics for 2024/2025 show that the decrease in the number of unborn babies, babies, children and young people involved in formal child protection processes has continued. These include Inter-agency Referral Discussions (IRD), Child Protection Planning Meetings and Joint Investigative Interviews. The number of unborn babies, babies, children and young people referred to the Children and Families Social Work teams has steadied following year on year increases. The number of unborn babies, babies, children and young people on the Child Protection Register has again decreased, which would be anticipated given the reduction in the use of formal child protection processes. The number of unborn babies referred also remained steady as a percentage of the overall number of recorded pregnancies within Perth and Kinross. 5.3 The reduction in the use of multi-agency child protection processes is explored on page 5 to 6 of appendix 1. The three factors identified in the CPC S&Q Report for 2023/2024 remain relevant: the realignment of services towards earlier intervention commenced in 2022; multi-agency work to ensure that IRDs are consistently and proportionately convened; and the likelihood that figures for formal child protection processes are returning to more expected levels following the increases seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CPC’s subgroup, the Quality Assurance Working Group (QAWG), when reviewing these factors also noted that the implementation of the Safe & Together model in working more effectively in domestic abuse (commenced 2021) has made a positive difference.
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5.4 In 2024/2025, the CPC launched a new Quality Assurance Strategy and Schedule to set out a framework for its continuous improvement activities. Pages 14 to 25, of appendix 1 outlines the major findings from its multi- agency and desktop audits with a series of infographics. This self-evaluation work has again provided reassurance that unborn babies, babies, children and young people in need and/or at risk received good immediate responses which were delivered through strong multi-agency working relationships. Areas for development identified through the self-evaluation activity are remitted to the relevant service or agency and progress is tracked through the QAWG. 5.5 The CPC’s training offer in 2024/2025, delivered free of charge to practitioners from across the partnership, is evaluated in pages 25 to 32 of appendix 1. The findings from the Training Needs Analysis undertaken by the Learning and Development Officer are outlined in terms of the barriers staff reported in terms of accessing training. The information from the analysis was used to inform the creation of the training programme for 2025/2026. 5.6 The CPC has been focused on including first line practitioners within its work to ensure that operational perspectives are included in the development or revision of guidance. On pages 32 and 33 of appendix 1, the work of the guidance group is discussed and links provided to the documents that they have already updated. 5.7 From pages 34 to 41, Section 2 of appendix 1 details the test of change made by the CPC with respect to public engagement in April 2025 in the Letham area of Perth. It goes on to detail how the voices of children, young people and family members who have been involved with our services were sought through the annual multi-agency audit. 5.8 Pages 42 to 45 of appendix 1 details the structure and governance of the CPC, its working groups and its work to strengthen public protection arrangements. 5.9 Partnership updates are provided from pages 45 to 58 of appendix 1, detailing the implementation of the Bairns’ Hoose pathfinder in Tayside and brief updates from some of the CPC’s partners, including Barnardo’s, NSPCC, the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund and Young Carers, showcasing some of their valuable work to support unborn babies, babies, children and young people. 5.10 The CPC’s new Improvement Plan which runs from 1 January 2025 – 31 July 2028 is provided at appendix 2, along with a progress report on its actions which was approved at the CPC on 16 September 2025.
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6. Proposals 6.1 It is proposed that the Committee recognises the progress of the CPC in working towards the full implementation of its improvement actions as detailed in the Improvement Plan (appendix 2) and the progress report (appendix 3). 7. Conclusion 7.1 The annual Perth and Kinross CPC S&Q Report 2024/2025 provides a comprehensive, high-level overview and analysis of the work carried out by the CPC, partner services and agencies to keep children and young people safe and protected. It provides detailed evidence that the CPC is a highly effective multi-agency partnership which is fulfilling its three statutory functions of continuous improvement, public information, engagement and participation and strategic planning and connections. 8. Impact Value Assessment 8.1 This report has been classified as being an operational report and as such does not require a full Impact and Value Assessment. 9. Appendices 9.1 Appendix 1: Perth and Kinross CPC Standards and Quality Report 2024/2025. 9.2 Appendix 2: Perth and Kinross CPC Improvement Plan 1 January 2025 – 31 July 2028 and progress report as of 16 September 2025. 9.3 Appendix 3: Perth and Kinross CPC Improvement Plan 1 January 2025 – 31 July 2028 and progress report as of 16 September 2025 – Update. 9.3 Appendix 4: Perth and Kinross Executive Summary of the CPC Standards and Quality Report and Infographic 2024/2025.