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THROUGHCARE AND AFTERCARE OF LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN IN SCOTLAND
FOREWORD
Leaving home is one of the most important and challenging times in any young person's life. Every young person needs advice, help and support to manage this successfully. For young people leaving care, the change to adult living can be doubly daunting. They may have little or no contact with their natural families; they may not have a foster family to provide support; or they may have felt at home in a children's home which they now have to leave.
At this crucial time in their young lives, local authorities have a duty to act as "corporate parents" to provide the support that other young people get from their families. Young people have a right to expect the sort of help that loving parents would provide for their children, help to reach their full potential, and the same chance to make mistakes secure in the knowledge that there is a safety net of support. It is not good enough that many young people leave care without adequate support or even a guiding hand when they most need it. We know that young people can be left struggling to cope, becoming more discouraged and perhaps feeling that there is no-one who cares. Good quality care means that support continues as a young person moves on.
The Executive is committed to ensuring that young people leaving care get the support they need. I welcome this report, which is the result of two years, work by the Throughcare and Aftercare Working Group, which brings together local authorities and the voluntary sector. Crucially, the group includes organisations who have direct contact with young people leaving care and understand their views and needs. The report makes important recommendations both to improve current services and to enhance provision in the future. Most of all it shows how much needs to be done. I would like to thank the Group for the effort they have put in so far. I look forward to working with them in taking forward this report, to make real improvements to the lives of young people leaving care.
Cathy Jamieson MSP
Minister for Education and Young People
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