Unicef UK committed to helping Scottish care leavers

Karolina Kozlowicz, Programme Officer at Child Rights Partners, Unicef UK took time out of her busy schedule to show her commitment to Scottish care leavers.

She joined us in the CELCIS office to sign the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant and endorse its Agenda for Change.

Talking about the importance of the Covenant, Karolina said:

"We welcome the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant and its explicit recognition of the need for more robust support for care leavers.

As an organisation focused on promoting and advancing the rights of children and young people, including the most vulnerable, we share the concern expressed by the drafters of the Covenant that there is an urgent need for policy commitments to be translated into practice through coordinated, effective implementation.

We endorse the focus within the Covenant on the young person and their outcomes and commend the call for a child rights approach to frame all services for care leavers. A child rights approach empowers and brings professionals and young people together, creating a space for dialogue and for young people to influence and shape the services that are there for them.

As stated in the Covenant, in order to secure a transformational change in outcomes for care leavers, a shift in both culture and practice is needed. We believe a child rights approach provides a framework that can facilitate such a shift."  

CELCIS is part of an Alliance of organisations who have come together to produce the Covenant are we're now helping Corporate Parents to include the principals in their Corporate Parenting Plans. 

Find out more, and sign up to the Covenant on the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant website.