The way forward for children's care in Scotland set out as The Promise Scotland publishes Plan 21-24
Following the publication of the findings of Scotland's Independent Care Review in February 2020, The Promise has today (31 March 2021) published the first of three plans for the decade ahead outlining how Scotland will Keep The Promise of the review.
Plan 21-24 focuses what must be done during the period from 1 April 2021 until 31 March 2024, providing key priorities and areas of focus for organisations to work to achieve the required change over the next three years.
The Plan clearly states that the change required is change that would make love the value that drives everything and that everything operates around, and the Plan builds on the commitment already made by organisations across Scotland to keep a single promise made to children and families in the knowledge that to do so would require them to change and to work together.
Local and national government, national bodies and agencies, local and national organisations across public, third, and private sectors and those with statutory responsibility for children and families have been directly engaging with The Promise Scotland team over the last year, submitting plans, reports and survey responses to outline what they would do to '#KeepThePromise', the support they needed and what help they could offer.
Five priority areas of change are set out:
- A good childhood
- Whole family support
- Supporting the workforce
- Planning
- Building capacity
Each priority area contains actions that will be achieved by 2024. These actions cover family therapy, support for children of young children, schools and exclusion, the importance of safe, loving relationships, youth justice, advocacy, independent living, values and the workforce, investment, information-sharing, data, legislation, children's hearing system and inspection and regulation, and more.
The Change Programme to support Plan 21-24 is to be published in the coming weeks.
Welcoming the publication of The Plan, Claire Burns, Director (Acting), CELCIS, said:
"The publication of The Plan for the next three years provides a further confirmation of the direction of travel so many of us embarked on as the Review was doing its work. Change is necessary, change is possible, change is happening. We have seen this over the extraordinary circumstances of the last year. There is still much to do and we're committed to continuing our work with people across Scotland to Keep The Promise for all our children, young people and their families."
CELCIS's Commitment to Keeping The Promise was published earlier this month.