Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund: operational guidance 2023 to 2024

Reporting on Interventions

Local authorities will be accountable for the use of funding allocated and required to report on its spending, using any outcome measures available, as outlined in the grant letter terms and conditions. Reporting can be done, highlighting evidence of the impact on attainment alongside qualitative and, where available, quantitative information.

Measures should reflect the strategic decisions taken around how the funding is used and local authorities should agree the mechanisms which best illustrate impact on attainment. These can be both quantitative and qualitative measures, for example capturing the experiences and feedback from care experienced children and young people, or through the Chief Social Work Officer Reports. Outcomes, measures of progress and evaluation of impact should be built into any programme or initiative at the outset and clearly set out in the relevant plans. Measures for individual children should also be included in the child or young person’s plan. A key consideration and focus should be strategic planning to ensure the sustainability of the plans in place to support care experienced children and young people.

As part of Strategic Equity Funding guidance, local authorities should ensure that there is a clear narrative on the extent to which the Attainment Scotland Fund (including Care Experienced Children and Young People funding) has influenced and supported local approaches in meeting locally identified stretch aims, and that there is evidence of strategic coherence and alignment in the use of these funding streams.