Report outlines ‘transformational change’ to keep Promise, says minister

Progress made by the Scottish Government to fulfil its “Promise” to improve the lives of care-experienced young people has been set out in a report.

The Promise is a commitment to bring about change to ensure all care-experienced children in Scotland grow up loved, safe and respected, with the ability to reach their full potential.

The commitment was agreed following the outcome of an independent review in 2020.

The report, Keeping The Promise To Our Children, Young People And Families, highlights the scale of work undertaken by the Government since 2022 to deliver the commitment by 2030.

It follows the recent passing of the Children (Care and Justice) Act by the Scottish Parliament and associated measures, which include ensuring no child is placed in a young offenders institution.

The report includes updates on the launch of six pathfinder and four affiliate partnerships which aim to ensure that holistic, child-centred support is offered to children and young people in the justice system.

It also updates on the introduction of the Scottish recommended allowance for kinship and foster carers, which is estimated to date to have benefited more than 9,000 families across Scotland.

Natalie Don-Innes, the minister for children, young people and the Promise, unveiled the report during a visit to the Young Scot head offices in Edinburgh to meet recipients of a share of the Promise partnership fund.

She said: “Our commitment to the Promise is as strong today as it was in 2020 when we accepted in full all the recommendations of the independent care review.

“Since then, we have taken strides in our work to keep the Promise and this report sets out clearly the scale of work and transformational change already undertaken to ensure all children in Scotland grow up loved, safe and respected.

“We know there is still much to do and such significant change takes time, but the Scottish Government will leave no stone unturned as we work with partners and stakeholders to ensure that the necessary transformation is in place by 2030.”