Tag: The Promise

Natalie Don-Innes MSP visits Barnardo’s fostering session

BARNARDO’S OUTLINES NEW APPROACH TO FOSTERING TO GOVERNMENT MINISTER

Foster carers representing the country’s leading children’s charity today met with the Scottish Government’s Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise, Natalie Don-Innes MSP, to outline a pioneering new “extended family” model approach to foster care.

To tackle the ongoing crisis in fostering, Barnardo’s Scotland first unveiled the ‘Mockingbird model’ in 2021 in collaboration with The Fostering Network which is inspired by the support and relationships of an extended family. Today, the Minister met with several foster carers who undertake care for children using this exciting model.

Speaking about the Mockingbird model, Natalie Don-Innes MSP said: “All children should have the support, love and stability they need throughout their childhood, to enable them to have the opportunity to thrive.

“Foster carers have a vital role in this, by providing secure, stable and nurturing homes for children in their care. Foster care is key to delivering The Promise by 2030 and to supporting our collective efforts to tackle Child Poverty and I would like to thank foster carers for all that they do.

“I am grateful for the work Barnardo’s and the Fostering Network have put in to developing the innovative Mockingbird approach, which will enhance the support network available to children, and provide increased resilience for carers.”

Anne Whyte, Assistant Head of Fostering and Adoption at Barnardo’s Scotland, said: “The Mockingbird model helps children, young people and foster families build a strong, caring community. This involves creating a ‘hub home’ with an experienced carer acting as a ‘grandparent’, surrounded by nearby homes that form a ‘constellation’.

“The aim is for the caring community to mirror an extended family, so that children can develop relationships not only with their own carers, but also with other children and carers. Everyday childhood experiences are encouraged, such as sleepovers and playdates.

“The service builds a community around a child, helping to provide stability, and if a foster care arrangement is put under strain, a child can go and stay with the hub home or move into another home within the constellation.

“The young people have the opportunity to go on sleepovers, on a regular basis, to build relationships with other families and children – and this is not just when their main home is under strain.

“There is no doubt that the Mockingbird model is proving to be a huge success in Scotland. We are keen to expand this offering, but, to do that, we need more people to come forward to become foster carers.”

Barnardo’s Scotland has eight families in its 2021 constellation. There are eight foster children and one young person in continuing care. The carers can be couples or single carers and some are short break carers.

The charity’s latest constellation currently has six families with seven foster children and one young person in continuing care. Working with The Fostering Network, Barnardo’s first introduced the Mockingbird model to its service in Edinburgh.

Janet Davidson, a foster carer from Fife, said: “The Edinburgh Mockingbird is more than an extended family to me; it has developed into a group of understanding friends, who themselves are also living with the challenges that fostering presents to its carers and young people.

“The support and knowledge within our group is well beyond what I expected and there is always someone 24/7 available and willing to listen to me, or to give me advice.”

Jackie*, also from Fife, has been a foster carer for more than 25 years, and became a carer for Barnardo’s in Edinburgh in 2021. She is keen to highlight the many positives of the Mockingbird model: “The Mockingbird is an extended family that provides lots of different support, planned and emergency sleepovers and short breaks. It gives our young people peer support, social activities to meet, build friendships and just have fun.

“We are in it together, so we never feel alone. This is because it is modelled on a family setting so other carers become almost like aunties and uncles and the other young people are like cousins once the relationships have been built.

“The aim is to improve the stability of fostering homes and to strengthen relationships between carers, children, young people and siblings who could be nearby with other carers, and extend it to when the young person moves away from their present carer to a home of their own or into an adopted home. This provides them a strong family connection that a lot of fostered children do not have.”

A crisis in fostering in Scotland was identified last year when Barnardo’s pointed to research by The Fostering Network that revealed the number of foster families required stands at 500.

Speaking at the time, Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo’s Scotland, said: “Fostering in Scotland is in crisis as the numbers of people registered to foster continues to fall year on year.

“A shortage of foster carers leaves hundreds of children without a safe and loving home, and that is something we are keen to address. But we strongly believe that any loving person can make a wonderful foster parent to a child who needs us the most.”

Barnardo’s Scotland is committed to keeping The Promise to care-experienced young people and to ensure every child in Scotland grows up safe, loved and respected. That is why the charity is calling on people to consider joining Barnardo’s Scotland as a foster carer. Barnardo’s has more than 80 years of experience of successfully matching children and young people with families, and there are many benefits to being a carer.

For more information on becoming a foster carer with Barnardo’s in Scotland, please visit www.barnardos.org.uk/foster, or call 0800 0277 280. The charity’s friendly and supportive staff are available from Monday to Friday, between 9am and 5pm.

In the past year, Barnardo’s provided essential support to more than 11,500 children, young people, parents and carers in Scotland through more than 150 specialised community-based services and partnerships across the country. The charity works to ensure that every child has the best possible start in life.

To donate, volunteer or fundraise, please visit:

www.barnardos.org.uk/get-involved/raise-money.

5,000 children and young people supported by advocacy service

A scheme that provides dedicated advocacy services for children and young people who are attending Children’s Hearings has been praised by those who use it, according to a new independent report.

The report, Children’s Hearings Advocacy Scheme Scotland-wide provision evaluation, features testimony from children and young people in the Hearings system.

The national Children’s Hearings Advocacy Scheme was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide support for children and young people attending Children’s Hearings.

The demand led scheme is backed by £2 million from the Scottish Government annually and taken forward by a network of ten organisations that provide advocacy services before, during and after a hearing.  

The report highlights the benefits of the service, ensuring children and young people feel:

  • the Advocacy Worker is on their side and there to support them and make sure they understand the Hearings process
  • more prepared, less worried, safer, confident and more in control ahead of speaking at the Hearing
  • supported by having someone else say the things they find difficult to say or to speak for them when they find it hard to attend the Hearing
  • they can access wide support – including at school, health services, social activities and legal support through the advocacy scheme

Access to advocacy is a key element of work to keep The Promise and this scheme, alongside ongoing efforts to reform the Hearings System, plays an important role in ensuring children and young people have their voice heard.

It also aligns with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child Act, ensuring children who take up the offer of independent advocacy are able to express their views, feelings and wishes in matters affecting them.

Speaking on the fourth anniversary of the launch of the service, Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise Natalie Don-Innes said: “The Children’s Hearings System is unique to Scotland and I’d like to pay tribute to the outstanding service and dedication of all those who have worked and volunteered within the system over the past 50 years.

“The Scottish Government has committed to The Promise, ensuring children and young people’s voices are at the heart of this system and the decisions made about their care. Central to this is the support provided by advocacy services and I’m pleased that over 5,000 children and young people across the country have felt supported while attending a Hearing.

“However, we know there is still much more to do to improve the experiences of children and young people who go through the Children’s Hearings System and our commitment to Keeping The Promise is as strong today as it was in 2020.

“The Scottish Government is continuing its work to change the system and will ensure children and young people are at the heart of its redesign.”

Final-Evaluation-Report-September-2024.pdf (hearings-advocacy.com)

Final-Evaluation-Report-September-2024Download

Letters: Keeping the Promise?

Dear Editor

The recent Scottish Government report highlighting the work done to date on improving the lives of care-experienced children and young people is to be welcomed. There is however much to be done.

‘The Promise’ is a commitment that by 2030 all care-experienced children in Scotland will grow up loved, safe and respected, with the ability to reach their full potential.

Those in this category represent some of the most vulnerable members of our society, experiencing considerably fewer life chances than their peers, with poorer health and educational outcomes.

Recent data reinforce this, noting that the figures for exclusion of pupils who have been looked after in the past year are still between five and six times as high as the levels found across the total pupil population. This is despite a commitment that all formal and informal exclusions of care-experienced pupils would end. Scotland is still very far away from achieving that.  

As a society, if we want to build a care system which has love and respect at its very heart, we must provide the resources necessary to ensure that that this group of individuals get the vital care and support they so desperately need.

Only through this can we ensure that ‘The Promise’ is kept.

Yours faithfully

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Kenny Graham, Falkland House School

Lynn Bell, LOVE Learning

Stephen McGhee, Spark of Genius

Niall Kelly, Young Foundations

42 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4HQ

Tel: 0131 603 8996

No under 18s in Scotland’s Young Offenders Institutions

All under 18s who were previously detained in YOI Polmont have now been moved into secure care settings. New regulations came into force on 28 August and as of that date, there will be no new admissions of children under 18 to Young Offender Institutions.

Funding of up to £7 million is being made available by the Scottish Government to cover the costs of placements this financial year. This is in addition to £500,000 funding which has been offered to secure accommodation providers to support their preparations for the movement of the children, ensuring their wellbeing and safety is the top priority.

As part of wider work to embed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and to Keep the Promise, the 2024 Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Act’s provisions aim to improve children’s experiences of the care and justice systems, whether victims, witnesses or children who have caused harm.

Minister for The Promise Natalie Don-Innes said: “We have been moving at pace since the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill received Royal Assent in June to implement this reform and ensure no under 18s will be detained in a Young Offenders Institution from now on, moving to suitable settings such as secure care.

“This move will ensure children in conflict with the law are placed in safe suitable accommodation which will ensure their wellbeing and rehabilitation is at the heart of their care, while also keeping communities safe.

“I value and appreciate the work the providers will undertake to make the young people feel settled. Implementing this reform has been an enormous collaborative effort.

“I am very grateful to the secure accommodation providers, the Scottish Prison Service, Social Work Scotland, Crown Office, Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service and the Care Inspectorate.

“The success of their combined effort demonstrates our commitment to ‘Keep the Promise’, further protect children’s rights and keep communities safe.”

Scottish Government: Supporting parents with children in care

£900,000 for organisations working with birth parents

Parents who have had a child taken into care will receive support from community services through £900,000 of Scottish Government funding this year.

The annual investment, delivered through the Corra Foundation, will be shared in 2024-25 by 11 organisations who work closely with birth parents who see their mental health decline following the loss of their child.

Many of these parents have dealt with multiple traumatic life events, such as childhood trauma, substance misuse, mental health issues or experience of domestic abuse.

The community organisations work to help empower birth parents to take control of their lives, develop new skills and build their self-confidence.

Health Secretary Neil Gray said: “The Scottish Government is committed to keeping The Promise and keeping families together where it is safe to do so. Taking a child into care should only be done in the best interests of the wellbeing of that child. It is a hugely traumatic experience that impacts on the whole family, and doesn’t just stop.

“Sadly it is often the case that birth parents are left with little support after their child is taken into care – leaving them isolated having to deal with the situation alone, often when they are at their lowest point. However, much evidence and positive outcomes have been gathered by those working with birth parents as part of this programme.

“Feedback from birth parents involved in the programme to date has been extremely positive, with some calling it ‘life changing’. I am pleased we can continue this and show our appreciation for the Corra Foundation and all the groups they work with and the parents they support.”

Carolyn Sawers, Corra CEO said: “The funded services provide vital support to birth mums and dads. The relational, compassionate support the organisations provide means birth parents feel safe, valued and cared for.”

The list of funded projects is online here https://corra.scot/grants/supporting-birth-parents/…

Children (Care and Justice) Bill passed

Landmark bill passes Stage 3

MSPs have backed Stage 3 of the Children (Care and Justice) Bill, enshrining in law age-appropriate care and justice for vulnerable young people across the country.

As part of wider work to embed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in law and to Keep the Promise, the Bill contains a series of measures to improve children’s experiences of the care and justice systems, whether victims, witnesses or children who have caused harm.

It ensures children are kept out of prison, ending the placement of under 18s in Young Offenders Institutions, with secure accommodation being the normal place of detention instead.

The Bill also provides new reforms to support victims, including providing a clearer understanding of their right to request information from the Children’s Reporter and a new single point service for victims in the hearings system.

Further measures include:

  • strengthened referral arrangements between courts and children’s hearings
  • enhancements around secure and residential care, including secure transport
  • improved regulation for cross-border placements, to ensure that these happen only in exceptional cases where a move is in the child’s best interests
  • enabling secure care to support a young person past their 18th birthday, in appropriate circumstances

Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise Natalie Don said: “Scotland is taking a big step forward in embedding UNCRC principles and Keeping the Promise by passing this Bill.

“It contains wide ranging measures to ensure age-appropriate justice is delivered, ensuring children in Scotland are kept out of prison and supporting safe, proven care-based alternatives.

“The integrated, welfare-based, Kilbrandon ethos of our children’s hearings system is something Scotland can rightly take pride in and all children – whether in need, at risk or in trouble – deserve our concern and support. This Bill will help ensure they get it. It equally provides a robust package of support for victims and their families, strengthened during Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the Bill.

“This landmark Bill is proof of the progress Scotland is making to Keep the Promise by 2030 and will be transformational for the most vulnerable children and young people in the country.”

The Promise Scotland Chief Executive Fraser McKinlay said: “The Promise Scotland is pleased that the Children (Care and Justice) (Scotland) Bill has passed the final stage of parliamentary scrutiny. Effective implementation of the Bill will be critical. It must be accompanied by significant support for the workforce, along with adequate investment and resourcing.

“These important changes represent a significant step forward in Scotland’s efforts to Keep the Promise by 2030. It is clear that Scotland’s approach to care and protection must be based on early help and support alongside a more progressive, rights-based approach to youth justice that builds on the Kilbrandon principles, upholding children’s rights and increasing access to Scotland’s unique, welfare-based Children’s Hearings System.”

Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice Director Fiona Dyer said: “This is a momentous day for children in conflict with the law in Scotland.

“It marks the culmination of years of hard work and campaigning from many across the sector, including from children and young people themselves, to rightly recognise all children under 18 in the care and justice systems as children, in need of care and support. 

“Nearly all children who harm have also been the victim of significant harm themselves and this Bill guarantees a compassionate, trauma-informed, and rights-respecting approach to ensure they are given the support needed to prevent future offending.” 

Children (Care and Justice) Bill

Championing care-experienced children and young people

£10.5 million to improve educational outcomes

Care experienced children and young people will receive further support to improve attainment, attendance and wellbeing throughout their education and beyond.

The Scottish Government will provide £10.5 million to be shared by local authorities across Scotland through the Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund.

Launched in 2018, the funding is provided to local authorities and aims to improve the educational outcomes for care experienced children and young people, supported by the strategic goals of The Promise and the Scottish Attainment Challenge.

The fund has so far provided more than £60 million to deliver initiatives such as mentoring programmes and out of school support.

First Minister Humza Yousaf, said: “I am fully committed to Keeping the Promise – every single child should grow up loved, safe, supported and respected, as well as being given every opportunity to flourish and reach their full potential.

“Supporting care-experienced young people includes helping them to continue or re-enter education and The Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund plays a vital role in delivering additional support to improve educational outcomes.

“We know it is making a real difference as the latest figures show more care experienced children and young people are staying in school for longer and achieving higher qualifications.

“Improving outcomes for care-experienced young people requires a truly national effort, and the Scottish Government will continue to work with local authorities, schools and others to ensure that all young people in Scotland can meet their full potential.”

COSLA Children and Young People Spokesperson Cllr Tony Buchanan said: “Local Government is committed to keeping the Promise made to care experience children and young people by 2030.

“We have welcomed this funding, which councils have used in recent years for a number of innovative approaches responding to the diverse needs of care experience children and young people across Scotland. This has included ‘virtual’ head teacher and mentoring schemes.

“We will continue to work with the Scottish Government, across Local Government and with our partners across the education system to ensure that all children and young people grow up loved, safe and respected and achieve the best possible outcomes.”

18 years and counting: Foster carers share their fostering journey

Mary and Billy have been fostering with FCA Scotland for over 18 years now. They are now sharing their fostering story with us.

Billy and Mary have built lifelong connections with the children they have fostered over the years. Although they are all independent adults now, the couple still stays in touch with most of them.

When they first began their fostering journey, Billy was ready for a career change after working in the leisure industry for a number of years and decided to take up fostering full-time. He was the main carer for the first 10 years while Mary continued to work full time in housing but supported Billy in the mornings, evenings and at weekends.  

Billy wants people to understand that men can make brilliant foster carers, too.

He said that fostering doesn’t mean only giving a child a roof, there’s a lot more to it. He shared how to manage expectations and work towards a successful outcome, saying: “You’re not going to get a ‘perfect’ child. It’s a challenging job, but it’s a very rewarding one.”

It is important, as Billy explained, to look at the situation from the foster child’s perspective. He said: “Your foster children may not be well equipped to receive the love and care you are giving them and so it’s very important to be patient and be able to support them in the right way.”

Billy, the main carer in the family at the time, said: “I decided that it was a good career choice for me. I felt that we could really help the children and make a difference in their lives.”

He wants more men to consider fostering as a career and shared some practical advice to get started, he said: “Get all the relevant information about fostering, ensure you have done your research, speak to people about it, and get as much support as you can.”

Currently, the couple cares for a fifteen year old girl who has lived with them for nine years along with her two siblings who have since moved out of their care, become “well-rounded adults”, and even started their own families. 

They have kept an open channel of communication with them and said: “If anything happens, you can always come and speak to us and we will deal with it together.” 

Alongside her, Billy and Mary also welcome short-term fostering which can be extra challenging but given their experience, the couple are happy to take them in and give them a safe space.

Billy and Mary were well-settled in their lives but always felt like they needed something more out of it. Mary said: “We were both working full-time and had a good life but we always felt that there was something we could offer.”

The couple both had children from other partners but didn’t have the chance to bring up a family together. Mary said: “We thought we could be a good parenting team.”

They saw an advert for fostering with FCA Scotland and decided to have a look into it since their own children were all grown up and had left home.  

Billy and Mary’s fostering journey has been a long and successful one but not without its challenges. FCA Scotland provides consistent support, guidance, training and development to all their foster carers, to help manage those challenges and ensure they deliver nothing but the highest quality of care.

Mary fondly talks about one of their foster children who lived with them for eight years before moving out, she said: “As a foster carer, you build a long-lasting relationship with the child.

“We are still in contact with him after all these years and we are always there to support him when he needs it. He remains a member of our family and comes along for Christmas Day and family events.

“We helped these children build up their self-esteem and fit into the world, a journey which was made easier by the support of our social workers, therapists, and the team at FCA Scotland. We would highly recommend them as a fostering agency.”

Billy said: “I’m proud of the work we’ve done since the beginning of our fostering journey, it’s a very rewarding job and we’ve seen the rewards.

“I think we’ve done something worthwhile and have been able to give back to our community.”


For more information about fostering, visit FCA Scotland’s website: 

https://www.fcascotland.co.uk/.

Salvesen Mindroom Centre secures £116K grant from The Promise 

Salvesen Mindroom Centre has confirmed that they have been awarded a £116,000 grant from the Scottish Government partner, The Promise.

This transformative funding, effective from October 2023 for 18 months, will revolutionise their transition service, amplifying its impact in Scotland and supporting neurodivergent care-experienced young people.

The core focus of this initiative is to provide individualised in-school support, guiding young people through their transition into adulthood, and nurturing the realisation of their full potential. This grant marks a pivotal moment in Mindroom’s planned expansion of the much-needed service.

Commenting on the grant award, Kelly McFadden, Project Manager of The Promise Partnership, said, “We are delighted to be able to support Salvesen Mindroom Centre with this funding.

“It represents a significant step towards creating a more inclusive and supportive environment for neurodivergent care-experienced young people across Scotland.”

Salvesen Mindroom Centre’s CEO, Alan Thornburrow, added: “This grant is a testament to the dedication and expertise of our team. We are immensely proud to embark on this journey, empowering young individuals to shape their own futures.”

Salvesen Mindroom Centre will be working closely with school students, offering personalised one-on-one guidance, using Mindroom’s distinctive “Future Me” resource.

This tool focuses on identifying strengths, aspirations, and dreams of the young person, while also addressing any necessary support they may require to turn these aspirations into reality.

The charity’s approach is rooted in its profound expertise in working with individuals who may have diverse communication needs, ensuring that every person has a voice in shaping their own future and achieving their full potential.

Alan Thornburrow continues: “Neurodivergent young people who are care-experienced, are all too often overlooked and it’s our unwavering commitment to ensure they are equipped with the same opportunities as their peers.

“We are dedicated to providing them with the tools, resources, and support needed to thrive and this funding will go a long way to supporting that.”

To extend their reach and impact, the charity is excited to announce plans to recruit and train a dedicated cohort of volunteers. This expansion represents a clear intention to build on their existing successful transition work within schools.

For more information on Salvesen Mindroom Centre go to:

https://www.mindroom.org/

Keeping The Promise

Supporting partnership projects

42 organisations across Scotland will benefit from £4 million funding to deliver projects that will help children, young people and families in the care system.

Administered by the Corra Foundation, the second round of The Promise Partnership Fund will be split across third sector and public organisations that prioritise work to:

  • build supportive workforces that can provide the unique support for young people and families in the care system to thrive
  • create school structures that provide support, opportunities and a sense of belonging
  • enhance youth justice and rights to reduce and prevent the criminalisation of children and young people with care experience

The announcement marks the beginning of Care Experienced Week, when people come together to advocate for change and encourage the transformation required to Keep The Promise.

Minister for Keeping the Promise Natalie Don said: “The Promise Partnership Fund is crucial in supporting organisations to make the changes needed to enrich the lives of children and young people in or on the edges of care.

“Care Experienced Week starts today and is a key opportunity for Scotland to come together to celebrate and show our love for children and young people who have experienced care.

“I am determined we keep driving forward the transformational change that is required to Keep The Promise and make Scotland the best place in the world to grow up, where all children are loved, safe, respected and realise their full potential.”

In 2022 the Scottish Government appointed Corra to administer £12 million through the Promise Partnership Fund from December 2022 until March 2025.

The 42 successful organisations are:

  • Aberdeenshire Council Virtual Headteacher
  • Adoption UK
  • Angus Carers Association
  • Association for Fostering, Kinship and Adoption Scotland
  • Bright Light Relationship Counselling
  • Children 1st
  • Children and Families Service, Dundee City Council
  • Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice
  • Children in Scotland Ltd
  • Circle
  • City of Edinburgh Council – Childrens Partnership
  • City of Edinburgh Council – Parent Panel
  • Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
  • Community Law Advice Network
  • Cyrenians
  • Families Outside Limited
  • Fife Council
  • Fostering People Scotland
  • Highland Child Protection Committee
  • Home-Start UK
  • includem
  • Kirkcaldy YMCA
  • Moray Council
  • Napier University Development Trust (Hub for Success)
  • North Lanarkshire Council
  • Project Esperanza
  • Renfrewshire Council
  • Salvesen Mindroom Centre
  • Scotland Yard Adventure Centre (known as The Yard)
  • Scottish Attachment in Action
  • South Ayrshire Council
  • South Lanarkshire Council
  • Staf
  • Stirling Community Enterprise
  • Stirling Council
  • The Fostering Network
  • The Princes Trust
  • The Why Not? Trust
  • West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership
  • Winning Scotland
  • YMCA Edinburgh SCIO
  • Young Scot