Hansard

It is easy to forget what a powerful statement it was when the Promise was launched and voices across the Parliament and our public services used the word “love”. “Love” is a word that is not often used in politics, so that was a powerful use of language that demanded and commanded our attention and action. At that time, we, as a Parliament, collectively made a promise to children and young people that they

“will grow up loved, safe and respected”.

Following on from the independent care review, the Promise was a radical statement, and it was clear that nothing less than systemic change would deliver it. The Promise Scotland sets out very clearly the case for why change was necessary and how outcomes for the care-experienced community could be improved by thinking, acting and investing differently. We should be proud of the collective achievements that have been made towards that aim, while remaining clear that the focus and pace of change must be sustained.

I welcome the opportunity to recognise the significant amount of positive and transformative work that is under way to keep the Promise across Scotland, which is making a difference to the lives of children and families, as well as the hard work and dedication of those who deliver services day in, day out. A lot has changed since the keeping the Promise implementation plan was published, in 2022. Services have continued to move forward from the pandemic and to navigate through other challenges, such as the cost of living crisis. We should recognise that the workforce is delivering services in an often extremely difficult context.

The stories of change conference held by The Promise Scotland earlier this year showcased and highlighted examples of excellent practice that is taking place across Scotland. The same was the case during the Who Cares? Scotland care experienced week at the end of last month.

South Lanarkshire Council, where my Rutherglen constituency is based, was an early adopter of the champions board model, which is set up to enable care-experienced children and young people to articulate their views and experiences and to be heard. It has already played a key role in helping to shape and adapt practice in my local area.

I thank members of the care-experienced community in South Lanarkshire and across Scotland for their time and engagement through fora such as that. Their experience and voices are imperative in making sure that change is delivered in the right way and that we make progress together.

So far, 2024 has been a significant year for the planning and the system-focused work that is required to keep the Promise. “Plan 24-30” launched in June, and work to develop it continues, led by the Promise board. “Plan 24-30” complements the work of the Scottish Government and is founded in realistic delivery. It sets out what success will look like, what should happen next and a route map, which, crucially, has room to evolve and grow.

When aiming for complex systemic change, tracking and understanding progress can be very challenging. We have heard examples of that already in the debate. “Plan 24-30” is designed to be dynamic and iterative in its structure while being clear about which bodies must work towards change, who is doing what and where collaboration must happen.

This year’s programme for government shows the Scottish Government’s commitment to driving progress through its multiyear approach to the whole family wellbeing fund. Its vision of support is that the fund will be readily available to families so that they can access the help that they need, where and when they need it. The Government this year has confirmed its commitment to introduce additional local flexibility to the ways that budgets and services can be reconfigured in the pursuit of a whole-family approach.

In my home local authority of South Lanarkshire Council, increased investment and buy-in has seen a range of actions move forward via the children’s services partnership. Those include the development of family support hubs to enable easier access to support; a refreshed parenting support pathway; the pathfinders project to deliver early interventions; and more initiatives that are all designed to shift the focus towards supporting families via prevention and reducing the need for crisis intervention. The case for prevention over reaction is, of course, not a new one, and prevention is not an easy thing to deliver in the context of running crucial day-to-day public services, but the Government’s focus on a whole-family approach and the action that that is driving across Scotland demonstrates the power and ability of prevention to sustainably change outcomes for children and families, both now and in the future.

The implementation plan also told us that “a strong legislative framework” would be crucial to achieve the aims of the Promise, and important progress has been made in key areas. That has included the incorporation of the UNCRC into Scots law, which strengthens a key commitment of the Promise that protecting and upholding children’s rights will underpin all approaches to improving outcomes for those with care experience. The Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act 2024 will enable improvements to youth justice, secure care, aspects of the children’s hearings system, victim services and the criminal justice system. In particular, the provisions to end the inappropriate placement of 16 and 17-year-olds in young offenders institutions and the extension of provisions on the children’s hearings system to further uphold the rights of older children are significant steps forward.

The next few years will see more crucial developments in our collective drive to deliver the Promise. With “Plan 24-30”, which sets out a dynamic route map, along with the Government’s key strategic aims and drivers, the commitment and hard work of those on the front line of service delivery and the voices of the care-experienced at the heart of everything that we do, more progress can be made and the Promise kept.

I will close on the theme that I started on: love. It must be at the core of the work that we do to fulfil the Promise. Although we can debate and disagree over policy, guidelines or legislation, we must all remember that at the heart of this work should be our shared commitment to improving outcomes for children, young people, adults and families with care experience across Scotland to ensure that they do, indeed, feel safe, respected and loved.