A decade of care: A corporate parenting update from Scottish Ministers 2021 - 2024

Ministerial Foreword

I am delighted to present the third statutory corporate parenting report by Scottish Ministers, 10 years since corporate parenting duties were first set out in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. In this third cycle of reporting (2021-2024), we have seen increased activity across Scotland by the Scottish Government and Executive Agencies, as well as other public bodies, to help uphold the rights and secure the wellbeing of children and young people in care and care leavers.

In accepting the conclusions of the Independent Care Review in full, the Scottish Government places keeping The Promise at the very heart of our actions as a corporate parent and our ambition that Scotland will be the best place in the world for each and every child to grow up.

In March 2022, we published our Promise Implementation Plan, setting out the actions the Scottish Government would take as a corporate parent to keep The Promise by 2030. In September 2024, we published a progress report, a copy of which accompanies this publication, to highlight our activities and achievements against the fifteen key commitments identified in our implementation plan.

Our actions, such as ensuring legal protection for children’s rights by passing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024; our investment, such as our commitment to the development of holistic, whole family support services with £500 million from the Whole Family Wellbeing Funding programme; and our collaboration, providing funding to over 100 organisations through The Promise Partnership Fund, including Highland Strategic Partnership to improve throughcare and aftercare and The Village to provide an online support community, are just some of the examples of our commitment to ensuring that those with care experience are well supported through corporate parenting.

Corporate parents play a vital role in ensuring that children and young people in care and care leavers have their rights upheld and are given support to help them achieve the best outcomes in life. I would like to thank the workforce across all corporate parents in Scotland for your tireless commitment to championing the rights of care experienced children and young people.

The voices of children and families with lived experienced of care are at the heart of all we do as corporate parents, and we must listen to what they tell us to ensure that our actions have the greatest impact. I would like to thank everyone who has shared their experiences and stories with us to help inform policy, activities and legislation during this reporting period.

Over the next three-year corporate parenting reporting period, aligned with our Promise Implementation Plan and Plan 24-30, I look forward to working with children and young people with care experience, their corporate parents and other partners in delivering on our priorities to keep The Promise.

Natalie Don-Innes MSP

Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise