Chamber
Meeting of the Parliament 14 January 2026
14 Jan 2026 · S6 · Meeting of the Parliament
Item of business
Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
That is exactly what I intend to do.
On almost every visit and in almost every interaction that I have had with a child, young adult or family, I have heard how challenging it can be to access the right support at the right time and how difficult it is to interpret the law around the care journey. Stakeholders and partners have concerns about the legislative landscape being cluttered and difficult for people to navigate and about it being difficult for people to know what their rights and entitlements are and what the duties and obligations on public agencies are.
The Scottish Government committed to exploring the issue in the Promise implementation plan, and I thank The Promise Scotland and its legal consultant, Melanie Barbour KC, for the work that they have undertaken to set out how we might streamline the legislative framework.
Yesterday, I announced that Professor Kenneth Norrie will lead an independent review of the legislative landscape in order to simplify and improve it for the benefit of children, their families and the professionals who support them. Professor Norrie will work in partnership with CELCIS, and I expect them to consider points that were made at stage 1, and for the review to report in 12 months’ time, in order to give the next Parliament and Government time to legislate further in this area, if that is required.
In the same item of business
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Liam McArthur)
LD
The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-20389, in the name of Natalie Don-Innes, on the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (S...
The Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise (Natalie Don-Innes)
SNP
It is a personal honour for me to open this debate and introduce a bill that will, with the Parliament’s support, change lives across Scotland. We are makin...
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
The minister spoke of the importance of lived experience and children sharing their stories. Will she share with us what she has heard from young people that...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
That is exactly what I intend to do. On almost every visit and in almost every interaction that I have had with a child, young adult or family, I have heard...
Oliver Mundell (Dumfriesshire) (Con)
Con
Would the time to do the review not have been before the legislation was introduced? We have known from the plan that such a review has been needed for a whi...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
I do not believe so. I believe that the focus over a number of years has been on enacting the transformation that is required to enable the Promise to be del...
Martin Whitfield
Lab
I am grateful for the minister’s patience. On the specific point about the UNCRC, the Scottish National Party Government has consistently said that it intend...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
I have spoken about the review of the legislative landscape that Professor Norrie will carry out, which will complement the work that we are talking about. M...
Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
Will the minister take an intervention?
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
I have to make progress. We are working with the UK Government on the best way to proceed. As I said, if progress has not been made by November 2026, we wil...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
I call Douglas Ross to speak on behalf of the Education, Children and Young People Committee. 15:46
Douglas Ross (Highlands and Islands) (Con)
Con
As convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee, I am pleased to speak about the committee’s scrutiny of the Children (Care, Care Experienc...
Martin Whitfield
Lab
Is it not also the case that the promise to bring forward legislation within the scope of the UNCRC duty was a significant factor in the chamber agreeing to ...
Douglas Ross
Con
Absolutely. That was a key part, and it is the reason why we got that commitment from the cabinet secretary. That is why I am troubled that the Scottish Gove...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
It is not.
Douglas Ross
Con
The minister is shaking her head and saying that it is not. I will give way to her in a moment, but she told us at committee that we could look at the issue ...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
The conversation has moved on from what I said in committee. I hear what is being said about the scattered and cluttered landscape and also the issue with th...
Douglas Ross
Con
No—that is not progress. At the very latest, we will have to pass the bill by April. The Norrie review will not have fed back by then, and nor will the revie...
The Deputy Presiding Officer
LD
The time that we had available over the course of the afternoon has been exhausted, so members will now need to stick to their speaking time allocations. 15:56
Roz McCall (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con)
Con
I am pleased to speak in the stage 1 debate on the Children (Care, Care Experience and Service Planning) (Scotland) Bill—or the triple C ESP bill, as it was ...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind)
Ind
Some of the young people told us that they had a very good relationship with a social worker, so they might not need quite so much in the way of advocacy. Do...
Roz McCall
Con
I thank Mr Mason for his intervention, but there needs to be an independent voice to support the child. I worry that, at times, when it comes to social work,...
Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I declare an interest in that my husband is a service manager in children and families social work and is also a registered social worker. With only a few m...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green)
Green
As other members have done, I pay tribute to those who have got us to this point and, in particular, to our care-experienced community in Scotland who have h...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
I want to provide clarification. Mr Greer is right to point out that not all local authorities provide family group decision making. The Scottish Government ...
Ross Greer
Green
I welcome that intervention and the minister’s announcement that those discussions are on-going. I hope that that is a matter that we will be able to resolve...
Willie Rennie (North East Fife) (LD)
LD
I commend the minister. The Promise is not hers alone, and it was not started by her. It was started by her predecessors in her position and higher up in the...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
I thank Mr Rennie for many of his words there. However, to take one aspect of the bill, it will extend aftercare to previously care-experienced children and ...
Willie Rennie
LD
I think that it will make an improvement, but it is all part of the tone with regard to the Promise that we are making to children and young people. Trust in...
The Deputy Presiding Officer (Annabelle Ewing)
SNP
We move to the open debate. I advise members that there is no time in hand. 16:25