Audit of Scotland’s promise to reform children’s care published
Audit Scotland has today (8 October) published an audit of national public spending on work to deliver The Promise of Scotland’s Independent Care Review, and the progress made to date.
The report - Improving care experience: Delivering The Promise - was prepared for the Auditor General for Scotland and the Accounts Commission and concludes that the reform of support for children and young people in Scotland in need of care and protection, lacks clarity and accountability. The report identifies that there was:
- no assessment of what resources and skills were needed to deliver The Promise by 2030, or how success would be defined or measured;
- not enough early planning by the Scottish Government and COSLA;
- continuing confusion over where responsibilities should lie; and
- complex governance and structures including The Promise Scotland,
which have all contributed to slow progress and has made collective accountability challenging.
A joint statement was published by the Scottish Government, COSLA – the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities; The Promise Scotland; the Independent Strategic Adviser on The Promise, Fiona Duncan; and Solace, representing public sector and local authority leaders in Scotland.
The report also explores some case study examples of where improvements have been made including in education, where the Virtual School Head Teachers approach has been improving the support and outcomes for care experienced learners; and support for families through the Aberlour Intensive Perinatal Support Service.
Commenting on the report, CELCIS’s Director, Claire Burns, said:
“As Scotland seeks to achieve the aspirations of The Promise for children and young people, ongoing scrutiny is important.
“The evidence, including our Children’s Services Reform research, tells us that transformational change requires resourcing, planning, and strong national and local leadership with clearly defined roles and responsibilities. This includes long-term sustainable investment and a well-supported, equipped workforce, able to provide high quality, relationship-based care for children and young people who need this, and support for their families.
“There are many examples now showing us that change is possible, and change can happen, but crucially these also show us that it takes time – and will continue to take time – to make that happen. We continue to apply the learning both from these examples and where policies have yet to achieve their aims due to a persistent ‘implementation gap’.
“It’s in the best interests of all Scotland’s children, young people, families and communities, that what is put in place can adequately address the issues affecting the successful implementation of the changes and improvements we all want to see.”
The review was announced by the Scottish Government in 2016. The review took place from 2017 and concluded in February 2020 with the publication of its conclusions, known as The Promise. Over 5,500 people shared their experiences and insights with the review.
Read the Audit Scotland report