Children's Bill introduced to Scottish Parliament

The Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament last week, the first step in the process towards becoming an Act.

The Bill, formerly known as the Promise Bill, is part of the Scottish Government’s commitment to keeping The Promise by 2030 and will, if passed into law, introduce changes to the services and support provided to care experienced children, young people, and adults.

The changes will be introduced across eight legislative areas at different stages of a child’s interaction with the care system, including a right to advocacy for children, young people, and adults with care experience; steps to address issues around profits from residential care; and a redesign of the Children’s Hearings system.

While introducing this Bill is a positive step towards keeping The Promise, we have some concerns regarding certain aspects of the Bill, including its timescale; with Parliament going into recess on Friday 27 June, it was thought that the Bill would face severe delays if the Call for Views is not launched prior to this. It is incredibly important to ensure the voices of care experienced children, young people, and adults are heard throughout the entire process, and with only five years until the 2030 deadline to keep The Promise, expediency in this area is vital.

Furthermore, there is a lack of clarity around some aspects of the Bill; reforms to the Children’s Hearing system take up a significant portion of the Bill, with little explanation for why this has been prioritised over other aspects. Additionally, we are looking for further guidance and clarity on how the Bill will align with the UNCRC incorporation legislation to strengthen the rights of children and young people with care experience.

Overall, we are happy to see progress towards keeping The Promise, particularly from a legislative perspective, and we are committed to further work with the Scottish Government to ensure this Bill keeps the voices of care experienced children, young people, and adults at its heart, and we look forward to following the Bill’s progress closely in the future.