Scotland behind schedule in its promise to care-experienced children – experts

The fulfilment of a national promise made to care-experienced children in Scotland to keep them safe growing up has been delayed due to a mix of unexpected events and “systemic barriers”, a group of experts has found.

In a report published this week, the Oversight Board said issues impacting Scotland’s workforce and providing whole family support has meant the Scottish Government’s Promise is not even halfway to being kept.

The board believes some progress has been made since the promise was made five years ago, however, and that it is still possible to fulfil it by the original target date of 2030.

This year marks the midway point since Scotland made a promise to care-experienced children and young people that they would grow up loved, safe and respected.

The report states too many people cannot access the right family support when they need it, including barriers to housing and issues with support for kinship, adoption and foster carers.

Other issued identified in the document include short-term funding cycles, stretched services and continuing issues with social worker retention and recruitment.

David Anderson, chair of the Oversight Board, said: “All our board members know how important it is that the promise is kept, many of us have direct experience of care whilst every one of us strives to keep the promise in our working lives.

“What we need now is action, around spending decisions; bravery to do things differently; to count what matters rather than what is easy or politically palatable.

“Some people, some organisations, and some systems are not yet doing enough, and this risks the country as a whole failing to deliver the promise.

“In saying that, this report recognises and wishes to highlight that many people are keeping (the) promise in their day-to-day work.

“The changes our report highlights will assist them to ensure the right support is available at the right time for children and families.

“Right now, the journey is behind schedule, but progress thus far – added to the continuing commitment to the journey – makes it still possible for Scotland to deliver by 2030. However, there is not a minute left to lose.

“We remain determined that the promise must be kept. It must kept. This is about Scotland’s children and young people, there is no task which is more important, and not a moment left to waste.”

Joanne Smith, NSPCC Scotland interim assistant director, said “brave, strategic, and political leadership” was needed if the promise to care-experienced children and young people is to be kept.

“Families must be able to access the very best support in the earliest years, to prevent unnecessary suffering to children and enable them to thrive,” she said.

“Short-term funding will not deliver the promise. We need to see meaningful and sustained investment in the core, statutory early years support services for families.

“This must include GPs, maternity, health visiting, social work, early learning and childcare, and multi-agency trauma informed infant-parent relationship teams for those families who need additional support.”

Natalie Don-Innes, the minister for children, young people and the promise, said: “All children deserve to grow up loved, safe and respected, and be supported to reach their full potential – that remains at the heart of the Scottish Government’s commitment to keeping the promise as we reach the pivotal halfway point to 2030.

“We have seen important progress towards keeping the promise – the latest statistics show a 15.6% reduction in the number of looked-after children, since 2022 over £110 million has been invested to increase whole family support and, as of August last year, no children under 18 will be admitted to young offender institutes, backed by £7 million to cover the cost of placements this financial year.

“Throughout this work, ministers have listened to people with care experience and their insights will continue to inform our approach to shaping the Promise Bill, which will be introduced before the end of this Parliamentary term.”