Review of the Multi-Agency Resource Service (MARS) and the Scottish Child Care and Protection Network (SCCPN)
The Multi-Agency Resource Service ( MARS) was launched in 2009 as a national resource for professionals working in the field of child protection. One of its primary functions is to coordinate the exchange of knowledge across agencies and also to broker and facilitate links across the child protection sector in Scotland. The Scottish Child Care and Protection Network ( SCCPN) works closely with the MARS in developing and disseminating research knowledge and evidence and ensuring that professionals working within the field of child protection have access to the information that they need. Both resources are currently based at the University of Stirling and there are plans to merge the two into one central resource in the near future. However, as yet, there is no confirmation of future funding beyond 2012. The Scottish Government Children and Families Analytical Service Unit have conducted this review of both the MARS and the SCCPN with a view to informing future development and sustainability. The aims of the review were to understand the effectiveness and impact of the MARS and the SCCPN activities to date (including any influence on national policy and local practice), and the extent to which they are perceived to be providing good value for money.
