Independent Care Review
Part of: What is the promise?
The Independent Care Review set out to be the last care review Scotland needs.
Scotland has known for a long time that its "care system" isn't working.
It's not done as much as it could to make sure care experienced children grow up loved, safe, and respected. That's made things harder for those children. Sometimes, things have remained hard as they've moved into adult life.
There have been lots of attempts to fix this over the years, but they haven't worked. When the Independent Care Review was commissioned in 2016, the then First Minister said Scotland should never need another one.
This time, real change had to happen.
The Independent Care Review helped Scotland make a promise
The promise is based on what care experienced people know needs changing
For over three years, the Independent Care Review listened to care experienced children, young people and families. It heard about how many of them did not feel loved. Were not kept safe. Were not respected.
And it put this together with evidence around how Scotland might do things better— to #KeepThePromise it made to every child and young person.
In February 2020, The Independent Care Review set out how the country can do just that: to make sure every care experienced child and young person is safe, loved and respected.
In seven reports, it laid out a vision for a Scotland that keeps the promise. It's one which all political parties have said they would implement in full.
Independent Care Review: Reports and resources
Scotland's "care system" doesn't always work as a system.
So when you see it referenced by The Promise Scotland, it will be in inverted commas.
This is a way of highlighting that what's called a "care system" is really a lot of different parts.
And often, these don't fit together very well.
The Promise Scotland: Supporting Scotland's promise
The Promise Scotland supports Scotland’s promise to care experienced people.
It does this through:
- leading projects to drive change across Scotland, and
- supporting other organisations to make the changes they need to #KeepThePromise.
Find out about
The Promise Scotland.
About the promise
Information about the promise which Scotland made to care experienced children and young people— that they will grow up loved, safe and respected.
Care experienced people
Learn about the term “care experienced”, which has special meaning to many of the people who identify with it.
What must change
Find out the specific actions that Scotland must take in order to keep the promise.