Hansard

“Plan 24-30” is a good example of how that can be done. The more that develops and the more good practice is shared in that regard, the more we will be able to deliver that level of consistency. Also, stories of change will be published, which will allow further sharing of information on progress.

I attended a conference earlier this year—although it seems like longer ago—at which a lot of key stakeholders, local authorities, third sector organisations, children and young people came together to learn about the different things that were going on across the country. Such events are really important, and we need to have more of them in the future.

I absolutely agree that the use of restraint should always be a last resort. I confirm that the Care Inspectorate is preparing to publish, this month, data on the extent of physical restraint in residential accommodation settings. However, again, I know that we have further to go, and I welcome discussions with members around what is required as we progress towards introducing the Promise bill.

I am a big supporter of the whole family wellbeing fund, which supports a huge range of activity across a comprehensive programme to enable local system change. Children’s services planning partnerships can choose how to spend that money as best meets their needs. I have seen on the ground the impact that it has had on various services in local authority areas, which shows that transformational change can happen.

I agree with Ms Sturgeon and other members that the whole family wellbeing fund is absolutely fundamental to delivering the Promise. I recognise the urgency, and our ambition is to increase the scale of that investment but, of course, we have to take an evidence-based approach to funding decisions.

Mr Rennie and many other members spoke about how we can track progress best. The Promise progress framework, which uses the quantitative data that is held at the national level to inform progress, is due to be published by the end of this year.

Finally, Ms Haughey made an important point. We are in a different place now from where we were when the Promise was made. We have had a cost of living crisis and a pandemic, so delivery has been more difficult, but that does not take away from this Government’s emphasis, focus and determination to keep and deliver the Promise.

As I said, I thank members for their challenges today. This is a journey to 2030 and, even with all the progress so far and the upcoming Promise bill, there is still some way to travel. We are learning every day, and best practice is being created, duplicated and shared. In spite of our having a long way to go, I am confident that we are moving in the right direction.

We all have a responsibility to raise the profile and understanding of the Promise. There can be no denial that good things are happening across local authority areas, but a lot of people still do not know what the Promise is or what it means, yet it impacts on every one of us every day.

The “Follow the Money” report, which was published as part of the Promise in 2020, showed that Scotland spends £942 million per year on the care system. The universal services that are associated with care-experienced people cost a further £198 million per year. The cost of services that care-experienced people require, as a result of the current failures in care, is estimated to be £875 million per year.

Even if we are not care-experienced or do not know anyone who is care-experienced, keeping the Promise impacts on all of us. Keeping the Promise, supporting families to stay together and moving towards prevention, rather than reaction, will have huge benefits not just for our children and young people, but for our entire country.

That is entirely in line with our tackling poverty agenda. A disproportionate number of children who live in care are in poverty. Equally, tackling poverty and supporting families to thrive will mean that fewer children will be unable to be looked after at home. The two approaches go hand in hand with one another.

In line with that, it is hugely important to tackle the stigma around care, which Gillian Mackay mentioned, and to have understanding and awareness of what care experience means.

As we move forward, we must continue to ensure that our actions have a real and lasting impact. To do that, we must continue to listen to the voices of our care-experienced community.

I feel very privileged when someone is brave enough to share their personal experience with me, in the hope that they can improve things for others. The basis of the Promise is that the voice, the individual and the group conversations are making a difference, which is why it is important to share something back.

When I became the Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, I had no idea how much the role would mean to me. I got into politics because I want to change the world for the better, and I want an independent Scotland in which children grow up happy and families are free from poverty. I have previously highlighted some of my personal experiences growing up in a difficult background, but I think that it is appropriate to do so again to drive home the point.

My childhood was not easy. I was very young when my dad passed away. From far too early an age I saw the problems that drug and alcohol abuse can cause, and I witnessed domestic abuse from an early age. Something that I had not considered prior to my first day in this role was that, during periods of my life when I was not able to be cared for at home, I sometimes spent months at a time in an informal kinship care arrangement at my grandparents’ house. I am very thankful to have had them, and they are a massive part of why I am standing here today.

I do not say this for sympathy, and I do not pretend to understand every experience that children and young people face in Scotland—not by any means—however, members can be sure that, as someone who has lived through some extremely difficult experiences growing up, and who has experienced a sense of unbelonging, fear and disconnection, I am here to fight for all the children and young people across Scotland who face similar issues.

Doing this role every day and speaking about such issues regularly—whether with colleagues, care-experienced people or the third sector—has been very difficult, I will admit, and it has raised a lot of emotions that I thought I had dealt with. However, over and above that, the trauma has driven me to work as hard as I possibly can to facilitate change for those who need it most. Keeping the Promise is a priority for this Government, but it is a personal commitment of mine to do everything in my power to improve the lives of care-experienced children and young people, to tackle poverty and to work towards our having a country that supports families to stay together and to be happy.

I look forward to working with all children and young people, care-experienced people, colleagues, third sector organisations and other stakeholders to ensure that our vision to keep the Promise remains laser focused. I give members my assurance that I will remain committed to driving forward that change.

I finish by urging members to use today’s decision time to reaffirm our commitment across the Parliament to keep the Promise. [Applause.]