Doing better for children in care
04/10/2007
The lives of looked after children and young people can be fraught with difficulties. They can face challenging and frustrating times, can be taken away from their loved ones and encounter upheaval and uncertainty that none of us would ever want our own children to experience.
Too often children in care do not achieve their full potential. And yet, despite their backgrounds, there is actually nothing inevitable about young people who have been in care doing less well than their peers - many care leavers have gone on to graduate from university and have successful careers, and there is no reason why they should be the exception.
I believe that when they are in public care, there is no reason why children should not have the same chance to grow and achieve their full potential. This is the responsibility each and every council and council member takes on: their role as a corporate parent.
The Scottish Government is working with councils and other partners to improve outcomes for looked after children by investing in and encouraging this corporate parenting role and, with COSLA, we will be producing guidance for councils.
Taking forward the We Can and Must Do Better agenda to improve outcomes, I know that councils are already piloting different ways of working to ensure specific services are delivered to meet the needs of looked after children.
They are putting in place strategies which examine corporate parenting from the perspective of the whole council, where every department and senior officer that has a potential impact on the outcomes for looked after children, understand and accept their responsibilities to the young people in the council's care.
We must listen to those who have been in care and try to understand how it really feels to be in their position. We can learn a great deal in order to improve services and support.
Identifying problems early in a child's life, or when they come into care, and providing effective early support and intervention can pay dividends for their long future.
So when the state sees every child in care is its child, responsible for their welfare, we now ask ourselves how can councils be a good parent to individual children? How do we address the individual needs, aspirations and personalities of each child? How can you offer the early intervention so crucial to offering the best start in life?
It is not enough simply to provide a roof over their heads, a good school education and food on the table. Children in care need support to negotiate the choices all young people have to make, but without the support of their families.
As a corporate parent a council has not only the responsibility but the power to do right by these children, by fighting their corner to ensure they have the support they need and the chances to develop.
This government believes that a future Scotland will see all its children fulfilling their potential, living full, safe, successful and healthy lives, and we are determined to make this happen. Our children in care deserve nothing less.