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Guidance aimed at giving Scotland's 14,000 looked after children the same chances in life as those outside the care system was published today by the Scottish Government. The new "corporate parenting" advice will lay the foundations to give children in the care of local authorities; health services, the independent sector and the police the support they need to go on to lead fulfilling lives. It is a priority of the Scottish Government to intervene and take action to help our children get the best start in life and to enable them to contribute to Scotland's economic growth in the future. Mr Adam Ingram, Minister for Children and Early Years, said: "Over the years, despite good intentions and investment, we have collectively failed the children and young people who have been entrusted to us. We have a social and moral obligation to do our very best for those most vulnerable members of our communities and to show that we can and will do better as corporate parents. "We are particularly grateful to all of those people who told us their stories to illustrate this guidance. Their words inspire all of us to make a positive and enduring difference to the children and young people in our care." Corporate parenting means the formal and local partnerships needed between all local authority departments and services, and associated agencies, who are responsible for working together to meet the needs of looked after children and young people, and care leavers. Its aim is to ensure that all the needs of looked after children are carefully considered; eg where they are housed when they leave care; do social workers encourage young people to to stay on in education?; and do anti-bullying programmes take looked after children into account? Mr Ingram said: "Corporate parenting is not only a responsibility but a real opportunity to improve the futures of looked after children and young people; recognising that all parts of the system have a contribution to make is critical to success. "The aim of this guidance is to support councils and their community planning partners in closing the gap which has existed for decades between people who have experienced the care system and people who have not. "We must improve educational achievement and attainment, achieving sustained positive post-school destinations, reduce looked after children and young people and care leavers' involvement in the criminal justice system, their levels of homelessness, and help them to live full and healthy lives." The guidance outlines: - the statutory duty on all parts of a local authority to co-operate in promoting the welfare of children and young people who are looked after by them, and the duty on other agencies to co-operate with councils in fulfilling that duty;
- the importance of joining up the activities of the many different professionals and carers who are involved in a child or young person's life, and taking a strategic, child-centred approach to service delivery.
- the need to think like a parent and constantly challenge by asking the question "is this good enough for my child?"
Councillor Isabel Hutton, COSLA Education, Children and Young People Spokesperson, said: "Local government is completely behind this new guidance on corporate parenting. Our looked after children deserve to live and grow up in a caring, nurturing environment and have all the opportunities in life that we would expect for our own children. "The guidance shows how the collective effort of the public sector can add up to improving the lives of looked after children. As a local councillor, it is my responsibility to ensure that this happens. However, it is the responsibly of everyone who works in local government to ensure that we do not settle for second best for young people within our care. "Guidance can only take us so far, and we will need to work hard on the ground to deliver the improved outcomes we all want to achieve. We also need to remember that being a good corporate parent in the long run should help reduce health inequalities, and likelihood of young people becoming trapped in poverty or involved in crime. Effective corporate parenting is therefore an example of an intervention, which if sustained can have a long lasting benefit, not just for the individual concerned but the community as a whole. "I know that for too long the system has let vulnerable young people down. This has to change. However, I also know that there are young people with heartening stories, which should inspire us to do better for every looked after child. This new guidance will help, and I am grateful to all those who have devoted time to develop it. " Mr Ingram said: "People and their potential lie at the heart of our vision for Scotland and children in care deserve every opportunity to be part of a successful Scotland. "The number of vulnerable young people under the care of local authorities is increasing, showing we are identifying those in need and getting them support and security. But I want to see an improvement across the board in outcomes for all young people because they deserve that commitment from all of us." The term Looked After includes children looked after at home, subject to a supervision order from a Children's Hearing, but living at home with their birth parent(s) or with other family members, as well as children looked after away from home who live with foster or kinship carers, in residential care homes, residential schools or secure units. Of the 14,060 looked after children in Scotland at 31 March 2007: - 41 per cent were looked after away from home in foster care, residential or secure settings, while 58 per cent were looked after at home by their parents or by other family members (kinship care).
- 55 per cent were male, 45 per cent female.
- 68 per cent were aged between five and 15 years old; 19 per cent were under 5 and 13 per cent were 16 or over.
- Just over 65 per cent of children in foster care were under 12 years old.
- 12 per cent were in residential care.
- Just over 89 per cent of young people in non-secure residential homes or schools were 12 years old or more.
The Scottish Government is committed to delivering a series of major change programmes for children's services - Getting It Right For Every Child, Curriculum for Excellence and More Choices, More Chances. These programmes all sit within the context of the Early Years and Early Intervention Framework which promotes a culture of early intervention and prevention. www.scotland.gov.uk |
