As you might have seen, the Scottish Government and organisations across Scotland have been working on The Promise. The Promise Scotland is responsible for driving the work of change demanded by the findings of the Independent Care Review.

In the three years leading up to 2020, the Independent Care Review had been looking into the ‘care system’ in Scotland and listened to the views and experiences of children, young people and families that have experienced the system. It concluded that the current ‘care system’ is not fit for purpose and is shaped around complex and bureaucratic frameworks instead of around children and families. It said that, for Scotland to truly be the best place in the world for children to grow up, a fundamental shift is required in how decisions are made about children and families.  The review made lots of recommendations to improve the experiences for children and young people across the country.

On 5^th February 2020, Scotland listened to the conclusions of the Independent Care Review and all political parties in Scotland promised to implement them in full.

The Promise is therefore working with all kinds of organisations to support shifts in policy, practice and culture so Scotland can #KeepThePromise it made to provide experienced care to infants, children, young people, adults and their families - that every child grows up loved, safe and respected, able to realise their full potential. It aims to have implemented the conclusions of the review by 2030.

You can read more about The Promise here as well as their publications Plan 21-24 and Change Programme, which outline the outcomes, progress and timelines for the work.

Here at The Yard, we have been closely following the progress of The Promise to understand our role in the work. As an organisation that supports disabled children, young people and their families, we want to ensure that care-experienced children and young people who are also disabled can access tailored support that suits their specific needs. We also want to ensure that our services are open to, and inclusive of, care-experienced disabled children and young people, and integrate with their other support networks. We hope that we can make meaningful contributions to the work of The Promise and the wider sector supporting children, young people and their families, with a specific focus on disability.

Celine, CEO of The Yard, says “The work of The Promise is hopeful and if realised would be transformational for families across Scotland. We are committed to working in partnership with other organisations to progress the work of The Promise, and share their goal of improving the lives of all care-experienced children and young people.”

There are many changes in policy, practice and culture to be made both at The Yard and in the wider ‘care’ landscape in Scotland, however, we are committed to #KeepThePromise and working towards the common goal of building a country that cares, made up of services that work to meet the needs of children and families.

If you have any questions about The Yard’s involvement with The Promise, please email [email protected].