Children and young people in care have the right to the love, stability and support they need to thrive. Too often, the support they and those who care for them need comes too late, falls short, or never comes at all.
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC) wants to see greater support for care-experienced children, young people and adults, as well as their families and carers, so that they can live happy, healthy and fulfilling lives.
Being in care can be a difficult environment for a child or young person to cope with. They have been placed in care because their families are unable to provide them with the caring, nurturing and in some cases safe environments that they deserve. Many children and young people find the process very daunting and unsettling, and the impact can last well into adulthood.
Families and carers, including foster carers, kinship carers and adoptive parents, play a vital role in providing stability and love, yet too often they do not receive the support they need to do so.
As highlighted by voluntary organisation, Who Cares? Scotland, which works with care experienced individuals, these vulnerable children and young people experience some of the poorest health, educational and employment outcomes of any group in society. They often leave school early, with no formal qualifications, and are less likely to enter positive destinations such as further/higher education, training and employment.
They are also more likely to experience significant problems on leaving care, such as homelessness, mental health problems, long-term illness, unemployment, or end up in the criminal justice system.
We believe that care experienced children, young people and adults, as well as their families and carers, should be able to access the right support, at the right time and for as long as they need it. This includes early and preventative help for families, so that children can, wherever possible, remain safely at home, as well as consistent support for those in care and on leaving care.
Foster, kinship and residential carers and adoptive families also need greater recognition and support, including access to training, respite, financial assistance and specialist services such as mental health support. This helps provide the stable and loving relationships that care experienced children and young people need to thrive.
Access to independent advocacy is also important, supporting individuals to express their views and be involved in decisions that affect their lives. This support can make a huge difference to the day-to-day and long-term experiences of children and young people in care and upon leaving care, contributing to the Respected and Included elements of the Curriculum for Excellence’s Wellbeing Indicators.
The Promise, which was an outcome of the Independent Care Review, is Scotland’s pledge to care experienced children and young people that the necessary changes will be made to ensure that by 2030 they grow up loved, safe and respected, able to realise their full potential.
The Promise recognises that to achieve this, families must be supported to stay together where it is safe to do so, and that those who care for children and young people must themselves be properly supported.
We welcome the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill, passed by the Scottish Parliament in March 2026, as an important step towards keeping The Promise, including a right to access independent advocacy for care experienced people. However, with 2030 fast approaching, it is vital that this is matched by sustained investment and support for care experienced people, their families and carers.
As a nation, our ultimate aim must be to ensure that every care experienced person has the love, stability and support they need to thrive.
