EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. This report presents the findings from the evaluation of the Child Protection Line ( CPL) undertaken by York Consulting LLP ( YCL) on behalf of the Scottish Government.
2. The Child Protection Line was launched in February 2007 as one of the last outputs of the three year Child Protection reform programme. The main aim of the CPL was to "provide a single point of contact for members of the public throughout Scotland who have a concern about a child or young person, to call." The Child Protection Line had a specific signposting remit; callers to the CPL could receive general information, be transferred to local Social Work or Police departments, or leave information to be passed on to appropriate agencies.
3. Between February 2007 and October 2008 2,530 calls were answered by the CPL; 538 calls were received between February 2007 - January 2008 and 1,992 calls were received between February 2008 - October 2008. Over 550 calls were received about specific children and families of which there was a concern. This information was then passed to either local Social Work departments or the Police.
4. The marketing campaign for the Child Protection Line was launched in February 2008. Engagement in this marketing campaign varied considerably across local Child Protection Committees ( CPCs). Local areas chose to engage fully, selectively or not at all in the marketing campaign.
5. Call demand for the CPL has been relatively low. Increased call demand coincided with the launch of the marketing campaign, however in comparision to other existing telephone lines and perceived level of calls received through local access points, the level of calls has been low.
6. The CPL is succesfully attracting callers with valid child protection concerns . Concerns about neglect and drug and alcohol abuse were most prevalent. These trends were seen both prior to, and after the launch of the marketing campaign. For example, since the launch of the CPL in February 2007:
- 17% of calls (about specific children) were about unattended or unsupervised children;
- 10% of calls were about children appearing hungry, tired or untidy;
- 10% were about the misuse of drugs and alcohol.
7. There were difficulties identified in the ability of the Essentiagroup call advisers to immediately transfer live calls to local areas. A high proportion of calls related to concerns about a child or family were unable to be transferred immediately to local area Social work teams (this related to 51% of calls about specific children after the launch of the marketing campaign). Difficulties with the immediate transfer of calls to local areas indicates that callers, without the existence of the CPL, may face difficulties in being able to easily report concerns directly with local Social Work departments. In this respect, the CPL may provide a more accessible access point than is currently available at a local level. This issue needs to be addressed at a local level to ensure that there is the capacity for Social Work teams to effectively and efficiently deal with such calls.
8. There is considerable variation in referral levels across local areas. This reflects the variation in engagement in the marketing campaign across local areas. Areas with the highest levels of referrals include North East Scotland, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Fife. Referral levels varied across areas that had selectively engaged in the marketing campaign.
9. The average cost per call to the Child Protection Line is £259.69 (including call handling and marketing costs). Average call handling costs decreased slightly between the pre-marketing period and the launch of the marketing period. This is explained by the relative increase in the volume of calls being greater than the increase in call handling costs.
10. The majority of Child Protection Committees do not value the current operation model of the Child Protection Line. Whilst areas value the principle underpinning the establishment of the CPL, the current delivery model not viewed as being an effective solution to meeting this need.
11. There are a number of reasons for local areas' dissatisfaction with the CPL, this includes:
- duplication of effort and resources with local awareness raising campaigns;
- short length and low intensity of the marketing campaign;
- inconsistent engagement of local areas in the marketing campaign. The Scottish Government proactively attempted to engage local areas in the marketing campaign, however there was a high unwillingness across some areas to engage;
- low call demand and costs associated with operating the CPL;
- narrow remit of the CPL.
12. Impacts achieved by the CPL are perceived as being minimal by practitioners and Child Protection Committees. Perceptions at a local level, triangulated with the views of callers, suggest that public awareness about access points to services has increased through the establishment of the CPL. However the conclusivity of these findings are limited by the small sample of callers involved in the evaluation. More intensive investigation at national level across the general public would be required to fully understand the role of the CPL in increasing public awareness about child protection.
13. There is some evidence that positive benefits have been achieved for children and families through the establishment of the Child Protection Line. Case file and referral review although undertaken on a small sample through the evaluation, identified that referrals made through the line resulted in the identification of families previously unknown to Social Services. The existence of prevalent isses with these families, suggests a positive outcome as a result of the Child Protection Line.
14. The majority of new families identified through the Child Protection Line were not pursued as child protection issues. Nine of the ten cases reviewed were below the child protection threshold and resulted in either advice on child welfare, support from other services or did not result in any further action. The CPL has therefore clearly been beneficial in some areas in identifying familiies that may require early intervention support.
15. Understanding the impact of the CPL at a child and family level has been affected signficantly by the poor tracking and monitoring of referrals at a local level. Referral tracking has not been a high enough priority at a local level, causing difficulties in the identification of referrals; meaning that local areas are not effectively equipped to monitor and track referrals from the CPL. This suggests wider organisational issues in Social Work Departments in relation to being able to effectively identify case files that have been routed through a particular referral source. This has been detrimental in understanding the 'added value' of the CPL at an individual case level.
16. Strengths of the Child Protection Line include:
- the powerful message portrayed through the national marketing materials - the telephone box campaign was viewed as being particularly powerful;
- the effective operation and management of the CPL by the Essentiagroup and the Scottish Government working group;
- perceptions at a Child Protection Committee level that public awareness concerning child protection has increased as a result of the line.
17. The operation of the Child Protection Line is currently not the most viable and cost-effective operational model. There are three potential approaches to developing the CPL further, based on the following considerations:
- the outcomes and impact achieved by the CPL and the potential of maximising the impact of the CPL;
- the perceived value of the CPL by Child Protection Committees;
- key challenges and successes faced in the establishment of the CPL, and their potential solutions.
18. The potential options for the future development of the CPL are:
- the enhancement of the current operational model, including:
- further resource allocation to the marketing of the CPL;
- improved tracking and monitoring of referrals at a local level by local authorities;
- a more consistent engagement in the national marketing campaign by local areas.
- developing a professional-led operational model, to allow for an advice and guidance based function of the CPL;
- continuation of the national child protection awareness campaign, but with signposting to a local area access number .
19. Decisions on the future development of the CPL should be informed by further clarity on the outcomes and impact that the CPL is aiming to achieve and the most effective way for these to be met. The ability for the Child Protection Line to provide value for money is reliant on the following:
- that the profile of the CPL is heightened;
- higher call voumes are achieved and maintained;
- understanding the 'added value' of the CPL in relation to existing local area activity.