Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill: equality impact assessment

Executive summary

The Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill covers a wide range of policy areas in relation to children, young people and adults who have interactions with the care system. The key areas that the Bill intends to legislate in are:

• Extension of eligibility to receive Aftercare support
• Introduction of a right to advocacy for children, young people and adults with care experience
• Guidance in relation to ‘care experience’
• Legislative steps to tackle profit from residential care
• Strengthening the not-for-profit principle in relation to foster care
• A national register for foster carers
• Redesign of the Children’s Hearings System
• Extending the statutory responsibility to Integrated Joint Boards in the development of Children Services Plans

The introduction of the Bill will progress the Government priorities of eradicating child poverty and improving public services. It contributes to ensuring that care experienced children and young people are able to access the services, care and support that is needed, when it is needed and where it is needed. The support for families that will be available as a result of the Bill will help ensure disruption of some of the key drivers of poverty.

For the purposes of this assessment, the key groups that this Bill will impact on are:

• Children and young people who have experience of care
• Adults who have experience of care
• Families