Scottish Care Leavers Covenant Alliance publishes briefing on supporting care leavers during COVID-19
A new briefing paper, published today (Tuesday 27 October) as part of Care Experienced Week, by the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant Alliance partners, highlights the how the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and amplified the precariousness of many care leavers' situations, and the inconsistencies and variations that exist in relation to support and services.
During the global public health emergency, the SCLC Alliance partners continue to meet regularly, strengthening their collective resolve to: collate and share information; to identify and share interesting and effective practice; to offer support directly to care leavers and care experienced young people in Scotland; and to offer support to those agencies and organisations who provide services and care for them.
Despite the varied range of positive localised responses, the health pandemic has exposed the structural disadvantage and discrimination that many carer leavers face, impacting on their rights to services, supports and provisions required to meet their developmental needs into adulthood. This is in relation to both individual circumstances as well as recognising care leavers' needs as a broader population to whom the State, as corporate parent, at local and national level, has specific duties and responsibilities.
The briefing highlights some of the key issues and some of the solutions that have been identified. Drawing together learning from their own work and from our extensive networks and relationships with partner, it offers a number of recommendations, and prioritises steps to improve the lives of care leavers.
The Alliance is a partnership between CELCIS, A Way Home Scotland, Barnardo's Scotland, CYCJ, Life Changes Trust, Staf, and Who Cares? Scotland.