§ Ms. RichardsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of his Department's appropriate grant aid budget has been allocated to the training of child care workers over the last five years to date.
§ Mr. Michael ForsythProvision of social work services in Scotland is primarily a responsibility of local authorities. Information is not available on the level of expenditure incurred by local authorities in training child care workers.
Over the last five years the Scottish Office has paid to voluntary social work agencies in the child care sector, training grants under section 9 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 totalling approximately £0.5 million and representing some 30 per cent. of the grant scheme budget. Section 9 expenditure in 1988–89 also includes the initial instalment of a grant of £60,000 annually for three years in the first instance awarded to the university of Dundee for the setting up of a programme of training for social workers handling child abuse cases.