A National Care Service For Scotland – CJS Response To The Consultation
Community Justice Scotland’s Response to the Consultation on a National Care Service
In August 2021, the Scottish Government launched a public consultation on proposals for A National Care Service for Scotland. Drawing on the findings of the Independent Review of Adult Social Care, the scope of proposals expanded to other areas, including community justice.
Community Justice Scotland responded to the Consultation in November 2021, focussing specifically on the questions most closely related to the governance and delivery of community justice in Scotland. Our response reflected on the proposals for reform and other options available to improve the delivery of community justice, and included the following key points:
- Incorporating Justice Social Work into a National Care Service would not in itself result in improvement of the coordination and delivery of justice social work services, or community justice services more widely
- The specific problems faced by the justice-involved population and the challenges for those delivering justice services merit specific consideration outwith the analysis drawn primarily from experiences of adult social care, and should draw on the evidence, learning and progress in the justice agenda developed over recent years
- Other structural reform is required to deliver the long-desired shift in outcomes for people involved in the justice system, and their families and communities
The suggestion of using a public health approach to justice problems through development of a National Prevention Service should be explored further with partners, and could be transformational for not only the delivery of services, but people’s lives.