Shaky Promise

Kaitlin Dryburgh

The Promise has long been on a shaky peg, for those working within care. A promise made in reaction to the independent care review which laid bare the failings of Scotland’s care system and the ways it continues to let down care experienced children. The promise is to achieve a Scotland where every child feels loved, safe, and respected, by 2030.

It has recently been announced by First Minister Humza Yousaf that those leaving care will receive a one-off payment of up to £2000. This seems to be his way of re-iterating the previous commitment made by Nicola Sturgeon to achieve The Promise by 2030.

This is an important aspect of the care experience, leaving it. Personally I can’t imagine how daunting that would be and it’s not uncommon at all for the transition to be done poorly. As it stands there is a 50/50 chance that those leaving local authority care or foster care could be deemed homeless, that doesn’t have to mean on the streets with nowhere to go but in some extreme cases, it does. There is a lack of suitable accommodation for those leaving care, as well as help and assistance with this big move. Usually when we first move away from home we have the support of family, be that financial, practical or emotional yet there is little of that available to those leaving care. Having that extra financial help can really enable those to get on their feet and gain a solid grounding. However, the transition is more than just financial. Integrating into the community and starting to build roots is so important to ensure that young care experienced people set up a fulfilling life for themselves. Support with running a household quite often on a low budget is again something many would usually look to family for help with, but to those leaving care this can be very daunting if there is a lack of a support network.

Not enough suitable accommodation is a big barrier for care leavers. With rents and mortgages skyrocketing those leaving care have found another financial squeeze when trying to find appropriate living accommodation. Barnardo’s has started to make headway on the new Gap Homes in Stirling, which will be purpose-built homes for those leaving care. Although Barnardo’s is working in conjunction with the Scottish Government and keeping in mind the Promise, it shouldn’t be up to the third sector to bridge this gap. The new homes in Stirling will hopefully provide a really resourceful and nurturing environment, helping many to adjust to their new life, yet it shouldn’t have been down to funding from the Postcode Lottery to develop such a project.

There still remains some foundational issues with the Promise and the evidence that the Scottish Government is basing its strategy on. This was intricately discussed in Common Weal’s paper Empty Promise?, authored by Marion Macleod. The Promise is entrenched in subjective feelings and experiences, and a consistent stream of value-based language runs throughout it. There still remains a lack of emphasis on proper strategy and the value of social work and other professionals working within this area isn't fully recognised. After all, it will be public services who will facilitate this change, not warm hugs from Government ministers. Yet in the face of achieving the Promise by 2030, social work in Scotland has faced cut after cut, with many believing services are now at tipping point. Glasgow City had to make £20 million worth of cuts to their social care budget and Edinburgh Council have an even bigger gap to fill now.

Social workers report feeling unvalued, over worked and belittled doing their job when attending things such as children’s hearings. The workforce should also be at the centre of designing and revolutionising the care experience, yet just like the proposed national care service, they are not. Although building a care system should indeed include the voices of those who use it and have experienced it, providing a space for the workforce the ones who will be providing this and have invaluable experience. One of the main concerns surrounding the Promise is the actual promise itself. The goals are in a way subjective and rather ambiguous. How can you realistically prove that every care experienced child is loved. Would they need to be loved or feel loved, and how would that be a measurable feeling when everyone is different. Perhaps the sad thing is that striving to get every care experienced child to be loved isn’t exactly what they need the most, perhaps attachment and trust is more valued. The Promise does set out that Scotland shouldn’t try and legislate for love, yet when it’s the basis of driving policy does it really provide a solid foundation with direction.  

It has long been known from evidence, studies and within the social work community that leaving care is an extremely difficult transition and has been for a long time. It therefore is baffling that the Scottish Government decided to waste time conducting different reviews and investigations and has taken until this year to announce a new one-off payment for care leavers, when expressed financial concerns are not new. Although a welcomed policy, it seems a little late in the day and in some senses still doesn’t go far enough because lack of suitable accommodation is still a massive barrier.

Since The Promise was established we’ve gone through a once in a generation event via Covid and are currently being subjected to a cost-of-living crisis. Overall things have not gotten better for children and it’s unbelievable that currently one in four Scottish children are considered to be living in poverty, while local authorities grapple with crushing budget cuts. The care system is over represented by children who came from the most impoverished families. The Empty Promise paper from Common Weal has long argued that the problem isn’t a lack of commitment or experiences from out of home care but actually a lack of investment. This continues to be a problem.  

So naturally the Scottish Government ability to achieve their promise by 2030 has very much been thrown into question, while others believe there are simple things that could be done right now to help children yet are not being undertaken. Scotland still has issues with children being separated from siblings and a 2022 report found that the majority of children are not kept together with at least one of their siblings. Social workers' caseloads are more often than not too overwhelming for adequate care to be given, additionally this has lead to more social workers going off work due to stress and mental health issues.

Extra help in the form of one-off payments for those who are leaving care is very much welcomed. But change is too slow to come and the many of the answers are already there. Invest in the correct public services and children will reap the rewards, yet focus on subjective issues and continue to review the situation Scotland will waste valuable time.