Hansard

I, too, thank Fulton MacGregor not only for only bringing the debate to the chamber but for all the work that he has done as the convener of the cross-party group on social work. I have had the pleasure of being part of that group, which has been very much driven by him. I am grateful for his contribution.

Lest I forget, I add the same comments that others have made about the minister as she leaves this place. I am sure that her future is bright and rosy.

As this might well be my last speech in this session—who knows what the electorate will do in a few weeks’ time?—I put on record my thanks to the people of Lothian for allowing me to represent them for the past 10 years. I also thank all the people in the Parliament who look after us and help us. I want to put on the record that their support for me has been outstanding. I made my maiden speech in a members’ debate like this one, so it seems fitting for me to conclude in this debate.

As I said in the debate last week on the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill, my wife and I have had personal experience of breakdown of adoption. It is not appropriate to go into the details of that, but, from that experience, and having spoken to many other people, particularly here in Edinburgh and Lothian, about their stories, I think that the report shines a light on many of the difficulties that people face, not only once they have adopted but in getting to the point of adoption.

I hope that whoever is returned to the Parliament after the election and whoever forms the next Government will build on what we did last week and continue on the journey. As my friend Roz McCall said, there is still a lot to do and this is not the end of the journey.

In my short contribution, I will make three simple points from personal experience and from picking up on what the report says. First, as Martin Whitfield said, support needs to come at key moments, which will vary for people, depending on their adoption journey. For some, it will mean early intervention and help. For others, it will come when the child hits their teenage years or when they transfer between secondary and further education or job opportunities. It might come at other times in people’s lives. We all know that social workers are under pressure, and there is often a lack of flexibility. There is too much of a postcode lottery, as other members have said—not only a postcode lottery but a council lottery. Given the size of our nation, there must be some way in which we can pull together good practice from across Scotland to do this.

Secondly, again, as Martin Whitfield said, there is the financial cost, which is often ignored. It is looked at well in fostering but less so in adoption. If we are to fully support people who take on children, they should have some financial help throughout that journey.

Finally, there is an issue around the process of how the transfer takes place when the child comes into the family. Again, that is often left to a postcode lottery and it often does not happen well. Support is not there, and too many people encounter difficulties and fall at the first hurdle, whereas, if there was just a bit more support at that point, it could be a different story.

I thank Fulton MacGregor, and I look forward to hearing the minister’s response. I hope that we all—whether we are in the Parliament or outside—commit to real changes in the next parliamentary session.

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