A children's charity has called for Scotland's most troubled young people to be placed in foster care rather than secure units.

The NCH says Scottish Executive plans to increase secure places is "not the best solution" for drug and alcohol abusers and persistent offenders.

It wants a system of Intensively Supervised Structured Care which it says is a "more positive alternative" to helping young people change.

The NCH has already pioneered developments in family-based care.

The charity's director of children's services Christopher Holmes said there will always be a need for secure care but called for a wider range of provision.

He said: "This is not a soft option. We need alternatives for suitable youngsters rather than just locking them up.
"We have shown that many who'd have gone to a secure unit can get help in a family home."

And a conference yesterday they examined ways of providing care for vulnerable kids and will also heard details about a ground breaking foster care project.

The Community Alternative Placement Scheme found that 20 young people, most of whom had spent long periods in care, have benefited from living with a foster care family.