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Meeting of the Parliament 02 November 2011

02 Nov 2011 · S4 · Meeting of the Parliament

Item of business

Looked-after Children

McTaggart, Anne Lab Glasgow Watch on SPTV

I add my support for Monday’s launch of national adoption week, which I am sure every member will support. I also acknowledge the foster carers, kinship carers, adopting parents and all those who strive to provide a caring and supportive life for Scotland’s looked-after children.

All members will agree that, whether or not this debate is taking place during national adoption week, it is extremely important that we secure a safe and loving home for all children as soon as possible. Members often hear the phrase “Scotland’s future” used in debates, sometimes on education and sometimes on modern apprenticeships. Today’s debate is equally about supporting Scotland’s future. We must ensure that the most vulnerable children in our society have the same opportunities as any other child has to be part of that future. As we have heard today, there is a lot of evidence that delays and hold-ups in finding suitable homes for children can impact seriously on long-term outcomes.

Given that around 16,000 children and young people are in local authority care but only 218 were adopted last year, calls for greater outcomes for adoption services have been made by a number of organisations as well as by different levels of government. For example, Barnardo’s is concerned that there are not enough foster carers with specialist training and skills to support children with complex and demanding needs. We need the Government and local authorities to consider ways of recruiting and supporting many more such foster carers throughout Scotland. There is concern about the demand that is being placed on residential units throughout Scotland, as more and more looked-after children with complex needs come into units and more wait for places. Without more specialised foster carers, long-term placements for those children may be only an aspiration, not a reality. There is a danger that the children may spend their childhood in numerous placements and residential units. The Government and local authorities must therefore focus on ensuring that all looked-after children, especially those with the most challenges and needs, are given the opportunity to have a safe, loving and nurturing home.

Despite the low number of adoptions last year, we can at least see some positives. In Glasgow, we have seen progress, with the figures doubling last year after a concerted effort to encourage more people to come forward. Glasgow City Council is already taking further proactive approaches in tackling some of the factual inaccuracies that are associated with adoption, particularly in relation to eligibility criteria.

However, we cannot look solely at adoption as a way to improve the lives of our looked-after children. A number of children may not be being cared for although they still live at home, and those children may enter the care system. The damage to life chances that can come from living in an abusive household are well documented. In an attempt to support those children, Glasgow City Council and the local health board are working in partnership with the NSPCC to test the New Orleans intervention model. That early intervention method has had a positive effect on similarly vulnerable children in the United States. I am glad that the Scottish Government’s chief scientist office has provided funding for research into the pilot. Although it is aimed at building relationships between children and foster carers, it has potential benefits for other children in their interpersonal development, providing a steady platform on which to build the rest of their lives. The model also has potential benefits for children who are regarded as looked after but who remain at home.

No one would argue against all of Scotland’s young people being given the best support possible from all public services. Under the Scottish Government’s proposed bill on young people’s rights, ministers would have to have regard to children’s and young people’s rights and views in making policy. That is a step in the right direction. However, although I support the intention behind the proposals, children and young people may still lose out if the proposals are not extended to cover local authority and health board decision making. We must take a comprehensive approach to recognising children’s rights in the policy process. By doing so, we can begin to tackle many of the barriers that looked-after children face and help them and all other children to become part of Scotland’s future.

15:40

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Meeting of the Parliament 02 November 2011

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