CARE-experienced adults in Scotland have been "forgotten", the charity Who Cares? has warned in a new report.
The charity has spoken to many of its 3600 members to produce a report called Paving The Way, which examines the Scottish Government’s progress on the "Promise Implementation Plan" since February 2020.
The Scottish Government's "Promise Implementation plan" was announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in 2020 following a root-and-branch review of the care system in Scotland.
It was intended to be “a clear statement of what needs to change to support the lives and wellbeing of our children, young people, adults and families across Scotland”.
But Who Cares? Scotland says that although there are "many positives in the report with indications of much-needed change around how we keep families together and the support we provide young people leaving formal care settings", that they still have "some concerns".
Alongside their concerns about care experienced adults, the charity state the timeline for implementing the Promise is “unclear” and implementation is taking “too long”.
READ MORE: Census reveals growing privatisation of Scotland's care sector
Louise Hunter, Who Cares? Scotland chief executive, said: “It’s vital that we don’t run the risk of older care-experienced people becoming a forgotten generation.
“We will continue to monitor and report on the Scottish Government’s implementation plan and will do so through a number of consultation events with some of our over 3500 care-experienced members across the country leading up to the reading of the Promise Scotland Bill.”
Members of the charity also say it is unclear who is responsible for making the changes to the care system.
Who Cares? Scotland will continue to engage with members over the coming months through regional forums.
Hunter added: “We would welcome direct participation from interested parties and will continue to share the feedback and recommendations from these events in further interim reports, providing a final report ahead of the Promise Bill being shared with the Scottish Parliament.
“If Scotland is to #KeepThePromise by 2030, collectively, we must listen to the people who will be directly impacted by the changes.”
Elsewhere, the charity’s members celebrated the commitment to a trauma-informed justice system, with some pointing out that offending or risk-taking can be attributed to past experiences of trauma.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We are committed to Keeping The Promise by 2030 – ensuring that all children grow up loved, safe and respected so they reach their full potential.
“The Promise Implementation plan sets out over 80 actions that the Scottish Government will take to deliver change as quickly as possible. Our investment of £500m in Whole Family Wellbeing will help keep more families together and provide support for care experienced adults, including our Care Experience Grant.
“We will carefully consider the feedback given in the Who Cares? Scotland report, and, alongside The Promise Scotland, the care community, local government and others, we continue to build on work that is already under way to improve the lives of children, young people, adults and families in and around the edges of care.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here