Committee
Education, Children and Young People Committee 04 February 2026 [Draft]
04 Feb 2026 · S6 · Education, Children and Young People Committee
Item of business
Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill: Stage 2
At the moment, the cost is being met by each local authority, because the Scottish Government is funding it, so there is no cost. In addition, it cannot be budgeted for, because we do not know how many people will go into kinship care annually. It is a bit like the social security payments that we make. It is an open budget. We can give estimates. There should be no greater cost than at the moment, because kinship carers should be getting the moneys that they are due. It is about whether they are aware of that and whether they are accessing those services.09:30To be honest, putting a financial cost on this is coming at it from the wrong end. These families are taking in very vulnerable children at a very difficult time in their lives. Whatever the cost of that is, it will be far less than if those children had to go into care or fostering. The overwhelming majority of people who provide kinship care do not do it for financial gain; they do it to protect some of the most vulnerable people in our society.I hope that we can look at something, perhaps at stage 3, around social work, health and education to make sure that those who take in vulnerable children are given the support that they need.
In the same item of business
The Convener (Douglas Ross)
Con
Good morning and welcome to the fifth meeting of the Education, Children and Young People Committee in 2026.Today is the first day of our stage 2 proceedings...
The Convener
Con
Welcome back. We move to our stage 2 consideration of the bill. Amendment 87, in the name of Sue Webber, is grouped with amendment 225.
Sue Webber (Lothian) (Con)
Con
It is nice to be back here in committee room 1 on a Wednesday morning.My amendment 87 seeks to place prevention, minimum intervention and family reunificatio...
John Mason (Glasgow Shettleston) (Ind)
Ind
I have some sympathy for the idea of having general principles in a bill. However, Sue Webber mentioned prevention, and subsection (2)(e) in her amendment 87...
Sue Webber
Con
A whole host of things could come under the banner of preventative measures. However, far too often, those preventative measures are not fully funded. We wil...
Martin Whitfield (South Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
We are talking about young people and so we have to go back to the basis of getting it right for every child. The individual support and assessment that one ...
Sue Webber
Con
Mr Whitfield is right. We hear time and again that it is about getting it right for every child, and every child is different and every family circumstance i...
Paul O’Kane (West Scotland) (Lab)
Lab
I draw members’ attention to my entry in the register of interests, which shows that my husband is a service manager in children and families social work and...
Ross Greer (West Scotland) (Green)
Green
I have a lot of sympathy with what Paul O’Kane has outlined. My concern is the feedback that we have had from so many people in the care-experienced communit...
Paul O’Kane
Lab
I recognise Ross Greer’s point and some of the concern about renaming the bill. I have heard the flip side of that, too. I have met many care-experienced peo...
The Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise (Natalie Don-Innes)
SNP
In the first instance, I thank Sue Webber for explaining the rationale behind amendment 87. I agree that the welfare of a child or young person should be par...
Sue Webber
Con
Surely, for the sake of transparency and accountability, all the preventative measures that are considered should be documented somewhere, so that there is a...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
That may be, and I would be happy to debate that with Ms Webber, but I do not feel that the child’s plan is the right place for that.Under current legislatio...
Paul O’Kane
Lab
In her opening remarks, the minister referred to the fact that she has referred to the bill as “the Promise bill”, both at the committee and in the chamber. ...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
As I have just laid out, I do not believe that the bill is the be-all and end-all of delivering the Promise. As I have stated in committee before, a huge amo...
Paul O’Kane
Lab
I do not think that anyone is suggesting that the bill is the be-all and end-all. In fact, we are quite far away from that. However, thinking about a stateme...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
I understand the intent behind the proposal, as I think I have said clearly. However, given the feedback that I have heard from young people on what the bill...
Sue Webber
Con
I will keep my remarks brief, because I know that we have lots to do.I am curious to know where the minister thinks that information about preventative measu...
The Convener
Con
The question is, that amendment 87 be agreed to. Are we agreed?Members: No.
The Convener
Con
There will be a division.
ForBriggs, Miles (Lothian) (Con)O’Kane, Paul (West Scotland) (Lab)Ross, Douglas (Highlands and Islands) (Con)AgainstAdam, George (Paisley) (SNP)Dunbar, Jacki...
The Convener
Con
The result of the division is: For 3, Against 7, Abstentions 0.Amendment 87 disagreed to.
The Convener
Con
Amendment 1, in the name of the minister, is grouped with amendments 2 to 4 and 126. I call the minister to move amendment 1 and speak to all the amendments ...
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
Moved.
The Convener
Con
I am asking you to move amendment 1 and speak to all the amendments in the group.
Natalie Don-Innes
SNP
Sorry, convener, I was a little bit behind—I am organised now.I welcome the opportunity to speak to this group of amendments, which relates to kinship care a...
Jeremy Balfour (Lothian) (Ind)
Ind
Good morning. Amendment 4 seeks to ensure that kinship carers are on an equal footing with others who provide care, such as foster carers. Both take in child...
John Mason
Ind
I accept that the issue is not just about finance, but it partly is. Does Jeremy Balfour have any idea about what the proposal would cost?
Jeremy Balfour
Ind
At the moment, the cost is being met by each local authority, because the Scottish Government is funding it, so there is no cost. In addition, it cannot be b...
Miles Briggs (Lothian) (Con)
Con
Good morning. I am pleased that we start by, I hope, putting kinship care at the heart of the bill, as Jeremy Balfour said. I recognise what the minister sai...