Meeting of the Parliament 18 March 2026 [Draft]
I thank all members for their contributions to the debate on group 1, and I thank Ross Greer for raising the important issue of estrangement, which we discussed at length at stage 2.
The stage 2 amendments provided an important opportunity to further consider estranged young people during the scrutiny of the bill. At stage 3, I will provide some assurances on the record. I understand that young people who are estranged from their families can face additional challenges. Although they do not have formal care experience status, they do not have the same family support network as their peers. That is particularly important for those who are aged 16 to 25 years who are navigating the transition into adulthood without support and life guidance. At stage 2, I advised that further reflection was needed. I thank Scottish Green members for their engagement ahead of stage 3, and I am grateful for the constructive discussions on how we can give proper consideration to estranged young people in our work to keep the Promise.
Following the commitments that I outlined in my recent letter to Mr Greer, I am happy to put on record that further work will be progressed to raise awareness and build a better understanding of estranged young people, the challenges that they face and how we can ensure that they are properly supported. Through the development of guidance or regulations, depending on the outcome of group 8, on guidance related to care experience that will be published under section 5 of the bill, there will be a good opportunity to reflect further on estranged young people and inform public authorities’ understanding of the issues that they face and how to properly support them. The guidance will be co-produced and developed closely with young people with lived experience. I will ensure that estrangement forms a key part of that work. To complement that, wider work will be undertaken, including the mapping of existing local support for estranged young people in order to further develop our understanding of how that works in practice. Careful consideration is also being given to how estranged young people can be referenced in children’s service plans, further promoting consistency and understanding across Scotland.
I hope that those clear commitments provide reassurance to Ross Greer and others that the Government understands the importance of ensuring that there is proper awareness and understanding of, and support for, estranged young people.
I press amendment 91.