Plan 21-24
Part of: What must change
Plan 21-24 sets out what needs to change soon for Scotland to #KeepThePromise.
It shows what needs to happen by 2024
So Scotland can #KeepThePromise by 2030.

Plan 21-24
Plan 21-24 sets out 25 actions which Scotland must take by 2024 in order to #KeepThePromise.
Work to #KeepThePromise will take place across
three 3-year phases.
Each of these phases will have its own Plan.
Plan
21-24
phase one
Plan
25-27
phase two
Plan
28-30
phase three
How Plan 21-24 was created
Plan 21-24 was created by The Promise Scotland
The Promise Scotland created Plan 21-24 to outline the first steps of keeping the promise.
Together with Change Programme ONE, the Plan sets out what people and organisations must do by 2024 in order to #KeepThePromise Scotland made to children and families.
To create it, The Promise Scotland mapped all the conclusions from the Independent Care Review.
When it did, it made sure the Plan reflected the lives of children, young people and their families. Keeping the promise will mean seeing things from their perspective.
The Promise Oversight Board reviewed Plan 21-24 once it was drafted, and signed off on it before it was published in March 2021.
And involved consultation with over 100 organisations
The Promise Scotland spoke to over 100 organisations to create Plan 21-24, including those in the public, private and third sectors.
It spoke to both local and national organisations as part of this work.
And it spoke to public sector organisations who had legal duties around the "care system", but also to some who did not.
The Promise Scotland asked each of these organisations how they'd work to help #KeepThePromise. To answer, the organisations submitted evidence including:
- plans,
- reports, and
- survey responses.
Together, these outlined:
- what they would do to help #KeepThePromise,
- what support they would need to help #KeepThePromise, and
- what help they could offer to help #KeepThePromise.
All the organisations who took part had committed to #KeepThePromise. But keeping the promise will require real change.
This process gave them the chance to think meaningfully about what that change might involve.
And it helped them think about some of the barriers that could be in change's way.
What Plan 21-24 is for
Plan 21-24 focuses on what can happen now— to design the services and structures of the future
Scotland's services need redesigning in order to #KeepThePromise, so that:
- children and young people's rights can be realised,
- what matters to children and families can be at the heart of services, and
- a scaffolding of support exists around children and young people's lives.
It's that redesign process which Plan 21-24 focuses on, before structural change takes place later this decade.
It lays the groundwork for phase two of keeping the promise
In late 2023, The Promise Scotland will begin developing Plan 25-27, building on what's already been achieved.
This second Plan will focus on restructuring Scotland's "care system," before Plan 28-30 sets out the final steps.
Plan 21-24 highlighted five priority areas:
A good childhood
All children in Scotland's "care system" will have a good, loving childhood. They will feel loved. They will have their needs met. And they will have their rights upheld.
Supporting the whole family
To realise a child's rights, you have to support their family— whether it's one they're born into or not. And all families need support at different times.
Supporting the workforce
Children experience the "care system" through people— and those people need better support.
Planning
Scotland needs to plan for services that #KeepThePromise, and make sure these have the money they need. And it needs to make sure these exist everywhere: not just in certain parts of our country.
Building capacity
A lot needs to happen to build a system of care that puts children and families at the centre. Right now, Scotland must establish its foundations.
What must change
Find out the specific actions that Scotland must take in order to keep the promise.
Supporting organisations to change
The Promise Scotland can offer support to organisations who act to #KeepThePromise.
Foundations of the promise
The promise that Scotland made to care experienced children and young people is built on five foundations: family, voice, care, people and scaffolding.