The Promise Story of Progress: How is Scotland doing in its progress towards keeping the promise?
A national report co-authored by COSLA, The Scottish Government and The Promise Scotland, presenting the shared approach to understanding progress towards keeping The Promise.
Annex
Sources, Publication Dates And Frequencies
Promise Vision Statement One
Where children are in their families and feel loved they must stay – and families must be given support together to nurture that love and overcome the difficulties which get in the way.
Outcome
The rate of children entering care decreases. For those that do need to enter care, a higher proportion are able to stay living at home with parents, or in a family setting in kinship care or foster care
Core Indicators
1. Number and rate of children in the ‘care system’ in Scotland during the year.
2. Number of children (0-17 years) entering the ‘care system’ during the year.
3. Number and percentage of children in the ‘care system’ who are living at home with parents each year.
4. Number and percentage of children in the ‘care system’ living in the community each year.
5. Number and percentage of children who are living in kinship care each year.
6. Number and percentage of children who are living in foster care each year.
7. Number and percentage of children who are living in residential care each year.
8. Average number of children living in secure care on a given day throughout the year
Source
Children’s Social Work Statistics, Scottish Government
Publication Date
April
Publication Frequency
Annual
Outcome
The underlying universal support system must support all families and identify those who need more support.
Core Indicators
1. Rate of registrations to the child protection register from initial and pre-birth Case Conferences during the year per 1,000 0–15-year-olds.
Source
Children’s Social Work Statistics, Scottish Government
Publication Date
April
Publication Frequency
Annual
Core Indicators
2. Percentage of child death reviews which identified modifiable factors in a child's death.
Source
Publication Date
March
Publication Frequency
Annual (the first report was published in March 2024)
Contextual Indicators
1. Percentage of children with a developmental concern recorded at their 13-15 months, 27-30 months, and 4–5-year reviews.
Source
Early Child Development Statistics, Public Health Scotland
Publication Date
April
Publication Frequency
Annual
2. Number and percentage of children living in temporary accommodation.
Source
Homelessness in Scotland, Scottish Government
Publication Date
April
Publication Frequency
Annual
3. Three-year averaged estimate of the number and proportion of children living in relative poverty after housing costs.
4. Three-year averaged estimate of the number and proportion of children living in absolute poverty after housing costs.
Source
Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland, Scottish Government
Publication Date
March
Publication Frequency
Annual
5. Number and rate of children on the Child Protection Register, with domestic abuse listed as a concern identified.
Source
Children’s Social Work Statistics, Scottish Government
Publication Date
March
Publication Frequency
Annual
Promise Vision Statement Two
Scotland must limit the number of moves that children experience and support carers to continue to care.
Outcome
The average number of homes a child experiences each year decreases.
Core Indicators
1. Percentage of children who have experienced 3 or more homes within the last year.
Source
Children’s Social Work Statistics, Scottish Government
Publication Date
April
Publication Frequency
Annual
Outcome
Where living with their family is not possible, there must be sufficient availability of carers who can provide stable loving homes for children.
Core Indicators
1. Number of registered foster care households per 1,000 0–17-year-olds in Scotland, and relative to number of children in the ‘care system’.
2. Number of foster carer deregistrations in Scotland in the last year.
Source
Fostering and Adoption Statistics, the Care Inspectorate
Publication Date
September
Publication Frequency
Annual
Core Indicators
3. Care Homes for children and young people and residential additional support needs schools workforce:
iv.Size of WTE (Whole-time equivalent) workforce, rounded to the nearest 10
v.Vacancy rate in Care Homes for children and young people
vi.Vacancy rate in residential additional support needs schools
4. The Secure care workforce, in terms of:
i.Size of WTE workforce, rounded to the nearest 10
ii.Vacancy rate
Source
Scottish Social Service Sector Workforce Data, Scottish Social Services Council
Publication Date
August
Publication Frequency
Annual
Outcome
There must be sufficient capacity within children's social services to recruit loving, attentive carers and support them to continue to care, and provide children and young people with stability when moves need to happen
Core Indicators
1. Staff working in children’s fieldwork services, including qualified social workers:
i. WTE (rounded to nearest 10)
ii. Rate per 100,000 0-17 year olds
iii. Stability index
Source
Publication Date
October
Publication Frequency
Annual
Promise Vision Statement Three
Schools in Scotland must be ambitious for care experienced children and ensure they have all they need to thrive, recognising that they may experience difficulties associated with their life story.
Outcome
Care experienced young people spend more time in school.
Core Indicators
1. Rate of attendance for pupils who experienced care at some point within the school year.
2. Cases of exclusions per 1,000 pupils who experienced care at some point within the school year.
Source
Children's Social Work Statistics, Scottish Government
Publication Date
July
Publication Frequency
Annual
Outcome
The average attainment of care experienced young people increases.
Core Indicators
1. Proportion of pupils who experienced care at some point within the school year at stages P1, P4, P7 and S3 achieving the curriculum for excellence level relevant to their stage.
2. Proportion of pupils who experienced care during their last year at school achieving at least one SCQF level 5 qualification (or better).
3. Proportion of pupils who experienced care during their last year at school achieving at least 1 SCQF level 6 qualification (or better).
4. Proportion of pupils who experienced care during their last year at school in a positive destination 9 months after leaving school.
Source
Children's Social Work Statistics, Scottish Government
Publication Date
July
Publication Frequency
Annual
Promise Vision Statement Four
Where living with their family is not possible, children must stay with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so and belong to a loving home, staying there for as long as needed.
Outcome
Care experienced young people spend more time in school.
Core Indicators
1. Proportion of family groups living in foster families who have been separated.
2. Number and proportion of new foster care households approved for family groups of 2 children, and 3 or more children.
Source
Fostering and Adoption statistics, Care Inspectorate
Publication Date
September
Publication Frequency
Annual
Promise Vision Statement Five
Scotland must strive to become a nation that does not restrain its children.
Outcome
The use of physical restraint in residential care should be reduced, and where possible eliminated.
Core Indicators
1. Number of incidences of physical restraint reported between 1st January and 31st December in care homes for children and young people.
2. Number of incidences of seclusion reported between 1st January and 31st December in care homes for children and young people.
3. Number of incidences of Physical restraint reported between 1st January and 31st December in secure care.
4. Number of incidences of seclusion reported between 1st January and 31st December in secure care.
5. Number of incidences of physical restraint reported between 1st January and 31st December in school accommodation services.
6. Number of incidences of seclusion reported between 1st January and 31st December in school accommodation services.
Source
Report on Restrictive Practices, the Care Inspectorate
Publication Date
November
Publication Frequency
Annual
Promise Vision Statement Six
Scotland must seek to uphold the wellbeing of care-experienced children and young people and ensure that there is timely access to mental health support before crisis point so that children can avoid hospitalisation.
Outcome
Support for children and adolescent mental health increases.
Core Indicators
1. Percentage of children receiving Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services treatment within referral guidelines.
Source
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) waiting times, Public Health Scotland
Publication Date
March, June, September, December
Publication Frequency
Quarterly
Core Indicators
1. Number of staff employed in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services
Source
NHS Scotland CAMHS Workforce statistics
Publication Date
March, June, September, December
Publication Frequency
Quarterly
Promise Vision Statement Seven
Care experienced children and young people have access to support ensuring that their health needs are fully met.
Outcome
Health outcomes, and access to health services improve for care experienced children and young people.
Source
Public Health Scotland Indicators under development.
Promise Vision Statement Eight
Scotland must stop locking up children who have often experienced the failures of the state in the provision of their care.
Outcome
The number of young people entering young offenders’ institutions decreases.
Core Indicators
1. Number of under 21s in custody.
Source
Scottish Prison Population Statistics, Scottish Government and Scottish Prison Service
Publication Date
December
Publication Frequency
Annual
Core Indicators
2. Number of referrals to the children’s reporter on offence grounds.
Source
Children’s Hearings System statistics, Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration
Publication Date
June
Publication Frequency
Annual
Promise Vision Statement Nine
Young adults for whom Scotland has taken on parenting responsibility must have a right to return to care and have access to services and supportive people to nurture them.
Outcome
The number of young care experienced people receiving support increases.
Core Indicators
1. Proportion of young people who are eligible for aftercare services who are receiving services.
2. Number and proportion of eligible young people who are going on to continuing care.
Source
Children’s Social Work Statistics, Scottish Government
Publication Date
April
Publication Frequency
Annual
Promise Vision Statement Ten
Care experienced adults must have a right to access to supportive, caring services for as long as they require them. Those services and the people who work in them must have a primary focus on the development and maintenance of supportive relationships that help people access what they need to thrive.
Outcome
The number of households experiencing homelessness decreases.
Contextual Indicators
Number and rate of people of working age living in poverty.
Source
Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland
Publication Date
March
Publication Frequency
Annual
Contextual Indicators
3. Number of households living in temporary accommodation.
4. Number of households assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness.
Source
Homelessness in Scotland, Scottish Government
Publication Date
April
Publication Frequency
Annual
Outcome
The number of households experiencing homelessness decreases.
Contextual Indicators
Number and rate of people of working age living in poverty.
Source
Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland
Publication Date
March
Publication Frequency
Annual
Outcome
Support for people who use drugs or alcohol increases.
Contextual Indicators
1. Number and proportion of people receiving help for problematic drug and alcohol use within waiting times standard.
Source
National drug and alcohol treatment waiting times, Public Health Scotland
Publication Date
March, June, September, December
Publication Frequency
Quarterly
Outcome
Support for adult mental health increases.
Contextual Indicators
1. Number and proportion of people receiving psychological therapy within referral guidelines
Source
Psychological therapies waiting times, Public Health Scotland
Publication Date
March, June, September, December
Publication Frequency
Quarterly
Cover Information
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Publication Title: The Promise Story of Progress: how is Scotland doing in its progress towards keeping the promise?
One sentence summary: A national report co-authored by COSLA, The Scottish Government and The Promise Scotland, presenting the shared approach to understanding progress towards keeping The Promise.
Date and time of publishing: 18/12/2024 – 09:30
Directorate: Children and Families
Tags:
Contact Email: thepromiseteam@gov.scot
Suggested search terms: The Promise, Promise Progress Framework, Promise Story of Progress, Children and families, Care Experience.
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Contact
Email: ThePromiseTeam@gov.scot
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