Creating a definition of ‘care experience’

This week, Children in Scotland responded to a Scottish Government consultation, which seeks views on defining a universal definition of ‘care experience’, a term that The Promise deems to have meaning for many people, being linked to personal identity and understanding shared experiences. 

Why do we need a universal definition? 

We know that experiences of care in Scotland are hugely diverse and are unique to the individual child, young person or adult. However, an inconsistent approach to defining care experience both complicates how children and young people identify with the term, and presents an additional barrier to accessing rights and entitlements. A clear definition would create clarity across different sectors’ approaches to defining care experience, and strengthen the data we have on care experienced children, young people and adults, allowing us to more accurately identify the barriers they face and put in place appropriate actions. It would allow them to better access their rights, improving wellbeing, whilst combatting societal stigma around the term.  

How has Children in Scotland responded? 

The aim of all actions taken by the Scottish Government to deliver the Promise is rightly to ensure that all care experienced children and young people grow up loved, safe and respected. A significant aspect of this is to improve support and access to care experienced people’s unique rights and entitlements. While there is clear value in introducing a universal legal definition of care experience to help normalise the language of care and thus improving support, we know that amending legal definitions will only go so far.  

Our response urges the Scottish Government to continue working closely with expert stakeholders and organisations representing those with lived experience of care – and act on what they have already told us in other recent consultations on redesigning the children’s hearing system and ‘moving on’ from care into adulthood. 

As we move at pace towards 2030, the deadline for Keeping the Promise, it is important that we step away from further rounds of consultation and focus on implementation and delivery based on these views. 

Read our full consultation response here