- Experts will meet in Glasgow tomorrow at a National Summit on Permanence for Babies and Young Children that’s been organised by NSPCC Scotland and Parent-Infant Foundation
- The event is being held due to serious concerns about the length of time babies and young children in care in Scotland are waiting to be placed in their long-term-home
- Participants will discuss why delays in decision making about a permanent home can happen with the aim of assisting a Scottish Government review into the impact of this, with a specific spotlight on babies and young children’s unique developmental needs
Experts in the care system will come together this week in a bid to kick-start a Scottish Government review into the impact of delays in deciding on permanent homes for children.
NSPCC Scotland and the Parent-Infant Foundation have organised the National Summit on Permanence for Babies and Young Children amid serious concerns about the length of time those in care in Scotland are waiting to be placed in their long-term-home.
Evidence shows that babies and children in Scotland’s care system wait more than two years on average for decisions or recommendations about their permanent home, with many then waiting months or even years longer before moving there.
Practitioners, policy makers and people with experience of the care system will gather for the National Summit atGlasgow University Union Scotland tomorrow, Wednesday (October 28), to discuss the challenges the country faces in securing permanent homes for children at the earliest opportunity.
The Scottish Government is legally required under the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Act 2026, to conduct a review of this issue by September 2028.
The two charities want to ensure this review shines a light on the true impact of delay on babies and young children and looks to the evidence for practical and legislative changes to prevent them from facing prolonged uncertainty in the care system.
A key focus of the event will be the impact of uncertainty, instability and broken primary carer relationships on babies and children who enter the care system.
Within the current system children can experience multiple home moves and numerous primary caregivers due to drift and delays in decision making within the care system about their permanent home.
This can be harmful for all children, but it’s particularly damaging for babies who are uniquely vulnerable during this critical stage in their development. It can also lead to a greater risk of being exposed to abuse and neglect, disrupted relationships, and increased likelihood of the need for ongoing support as they transition to adulthood and throughout their lives.
The National Summit will set out why infancy is a crucial stage of development and a unique opportunity to improve a child’s future and needs a distinct response from all the adults and services supporting them.
Joanne Smith, NSPCC Scotland policy manager, said: “Delays in securing a permanent home for a baby or child should not be seen as simply administrative issues. They have a profound impact on their development, relationships, wellbeing and future.
“Babies and children cannot wait. Their needs do not pause while systems deliberate. Scotland now has an opportunity to build a system that delivers timely decisions, protects the rights of infants, supports families effectively and provides children with the safety, stability and loving relationships they need to thrive.
“This summit aims to build consensus around the need for reform and identify practical and legislative changes that will ensure babies and children experience a more stable and timely journey through the care system.”
Lucy Morton, Scotland Development Lead for Parent-Infant Foundation said: “Babies depend on sensitive, responsive care to grow and develop healthily.
“Early relationships between babies and their caregivers are incredibly important. If babies are within an uncertain system, with instability and broken relationships with their caregivers, this can be particularly damaging. We want to help change this and our work with infant mental health teams in Scotland helps us envisage a more responsive and therapeutic system.
“We are delighted to be working with NSPCC Scotland to help bring together experts at the Summit to build understanding and collectively help speak up for all babies in Scotland.”
Findings from the BeST? services trial, led by the University of Glasgow in partnership with the NSPCC and other universities[1], showed that achieving a permanent home for children in Scotland takes nearly four and a half times longer in Scotland than in England.
The research also showed that only 27% of children got a permanent home within five years and among those who did, the average time taken to achieve this was 488 days.
And Scotland’s care system for under-fives costs around twice as much as England’s.
The research also showed that in England, where a family court Judge oversees cases and sets clear timescales, all the adults involved are more likely to put the baby or child’s developmental needs at the centre of decision making throughout.
The Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Act introduces a range of changes intended to improve support for children in care and people with care experience, including new rights and support around advocacy, aftercare and kinship care.
Before it was passed, NSPCC Scotland proposed an amendment to introduce legal time limits for decisions about a child’s permanent home, but this was rejected.
However, the charity then worked with cross party MSPs including Martin Whitfield and Fulton McGregor, to secure a commitment from the Scottish Government to review permanence legislation in the next parliamentary term.