New coalition to help keep the Promise

Organisations across Scotland can capitalise on the opportunities afforded by public service reform to improve the lives of care experienced people, Minister for the Promise Siobhian Brown has said.

Addressing Parliament as Scotland marks Care Experienced Week, Ms Brown announced the formation of a new delivery coalition to accelerate progress towards keeping the Promise by 2030. In light of the action needed across the public sector to support care-experienced people, the coalition will seek to understand and connect important work already underway while providing a forum of expertise in the provision of children and family services.

The Minister also highlighted progress to date, including:

• introducing the £2,000 Care Leaver Payment, as well as a national minimum allowance for eligible foster and kinship carers through the Scottish Recommended Allowance
• investing more than £30 million in Bairns’ Hooses
• providing more than £80 million since 2018-19 for mentoring, outdoor learning and other activities through the Scottish Attainment Challenge
• increasing the number and percentage of care experienced university entrants every year since 2016-17, with guaranteed places for those who meet entry requirements and a £9,000 bursary
• passing the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Act
• ending the placement of children in Young Offender Institutions.

Ms Brown said:

“Scotland’s public services are already working to keep the Promise, but no organisation or body can do this alone. Improving the lives of care-experienced people requires joined-up action from the Scottish Government and from across local government and other public services.

“We must use the Public Service Reform agenda to think differently about how we offer support, how we take decisions better informed by the voices of young people in care and how we ensure we all pull together in the same direction.

“Through early prevention and early intervention, we must move away from services that wait until families reach crisis. Our approach is one where services work together around the needs of children and families rather than expecting families to navigate complicated systems themselves.

“When something works, we need to understand why and help it spread. Where progress is too slow, or where a child’s experience of support depends on where in Scotland they live, we need to understand why and act. 

“By 2030, the ultimate test will be whether change can be felt by children and young people at the heart of the Promise. Ensuring that happens is the task ahead. Together we will keep the Promise.”

Background

The delivery coalition will be chaired jointly by Minister for the Promise Siobhian Brown and Education Secretary Màiri McAllan, bringing together partners from across national and local government, public services, the third sector and people with lived experience. Further details will be confirmed later this year.