We have nearly completed a thematic review of the experiences of young people leaving care in Scotland and the extent to which their rights are upheld.  The review was started in April 2024 and a report will be published in November.

The Scottish Government should work with the Care Inspectorate to develop and undertake robust thematic integrated reviews of ‘transition services’ involving key stakeholders and providers (such as housing and accommodation and further and higher education) and Aftercare engagement up to 26.

Purpose of the review 

The review focusses on the experiences of young people aged between 16 and 26 who are, or have been, formally looked after and accommodated in foster care or care homes for children and young people. We committed to seeking the views of young people about how they feel their rights are being upheld. It is being carried out under Section 53 of the Public Services Reform (Scotland) Act 2010.

The review aimed to establish the following:

• The extent to which young people and their families are actively and meaningfully involved in all decisions about their continued care and have effective opportunities to influence service design and development.

• The extent to which young people’s lives are improving through high quality assessment, planning and support which enables them to live in stable and suitable accommodation which is right for them.

• How leaders ensure the effective delivery of services for young people who are either continuing to be cared for or are leaving care.

Although the statutory duties rest with the local authorities, the review has taken account of the roles of children’s services planning partners.

We have conducted the review in two phases.

Phase 1

We offered children’s services partnerships in four local authority areas the opportunity to take part in phase two to support their development in this part of their work and help us better understand the experiences of young people in their area. Our intention was that these four areas would support our work in phase two which was made up of the following key elements:

• a focused meeting with the lead professionals for five selected young people in each area: combining a case discussion with access to records.

• individual meetings with the five young people

• focus groups of senior leaders, champions boards and corporate parenting boards.

• a review of relevant local documentation.

Reporting 

The thematic review will result in the publication of a single national overview report, with individual feedback given to each of the four areas.  While we will not be evaluating partnerships on their performance, we will report on what is working well across Scotland.  We will also report on whether anything is getting in the way of best practice drawing on the perspectives of young people, families, and staff supporting care experienced young people.