Over a thousand children and young people in Scotland with experience of care have shared their views and experiences through our Bright Spots programme, established to help local authorities better understand the wellbeing of children in care and young care leavers in their local area and improve support.
Published today by CELCIS and Coram Voice, the Your Life, Your Care and Your Life Beyond Care reports bring together data and the views of 1,316 children in care between the ages of 4 and 17 and young care leavers aged 16 to 26 across the six local authority areas that piloted the Bright Spots programme for the first time in Scotland. The programme uses surveys developed with children in care and care leavers to hear directly how they feel about their lives and wellbeing.
This snapshot of first-hand experiences over a three-month period in 2022 and three-month period in 2024 reveals the ‘bright spots’ of what children and young care leavers feel is going well for them and what matters to them. It provides insights where more needs to be done, both locally and nationally, to ensure all children in need of care and protection can thrive in childhood and adulthood. Three local authorities – Aberdeenshire, Dumfries and Galloway, and East Ayrshire – volunteered to take part in 2022 and three more – Aberdeen City, Scottish Borders, and Stirling – in 2024. Since then, these local authorities have been working to respond to what their children and young people told them through the surveys.
The analysis published today shows what affects the wellbeing of children and young people, including their relationships, trust, safety and health. It compares the experiences of children in care and care leavers across the six areas, with care experience children and young people in England and Wales, and with the general population.
Key findings show that:
- Most children in care felt that their lives were getting better, had a good friend and adults who supported them, and felt safe and settled at home.
- Many care leavers felt they were doing well and had people in their lives who they trusted, who provided them with emotional support and listened to them.
- A substantial number of children in care and care leavers were however experiencing poorer wellbeing than their peers in the general population
- A higher proportion of care leavers had long-term health issues or a disability, and were not in employment, training or education.
- Many aspects of wellbeing were very similar when all children in care and care leavers in Scotland were compared to their peers in England and Wales, but there was substantial variation between wellbeing of children and care leavers depending on which local authority area they lived in.
- Challenges associated with being in care included children having complicated relationships with family members and children feeling stigmatised because they were treated differently to their peers
- Many care leavers were struggling financially, were feeling unsafe or unsettled where they lived, and were experiencing loneliness.
- There was a noticeable decline between the wellbeing of older children in care and young care leavers.
- Lots of the children and care leavers were positive about support from their practitioners feeling this was making a difference to their lives.
The findings inform clear recommendations for national and local authorities and all corporate parents across Scotland. Central to these is a call to ensure there is greater equity in access to services and opportunities, regardless of which local authority a child or care leaver lives in and who they are living with. What children and young people shared shows that what matters to them is support to:
- Enable all children and young people to thrive;
- Develop and maintain supportive relationships including their friendships;
- Be aware of their rights; and
- Navigate family relationships.
Recommendations include:
- There must always be opportunities for children’s voices and experiences to be heard and be listened to. Children should be regularly asked about their views, feelings and wellbeing by support practitioners. This is an essential component of how corporate parents from all agencies, across Scotland, can work to ensure that there is sufficient and equitable support for all children.
- A concerted effort by national and local government, and multi-agency networks, to share positive practice, new ways of working, and models of delivery and implementing improvement and change, that can be shown to be making a difference to the lives of children, young people and their families.
- Particular attention must be paid to the need for children being cared for in residential child care and other non-family environments to have the same opportunities to develop and maintain supportive relationships as children who are being cared for in family environments.
- National and local government committing to investing in long-term, sustainable funding and services that are required to ensure there is the right ‘scaffolding’ in place to provide high-quality care, resourced workforces and effective inter-agency working, in every area of Scotland.
- Further consideration by Scottish Government and corporate parents of the financial support care leavers need to improve their financial security.
- Pro-active planning to support children in care as they move into adulthood, involving all necessary, multidisciplinary services, including social work, health, housing and welfare rights to ensure that children and young people do not ‘fall through the cracks’ as they move between children’s and adults’ services, and if they move between geographic and health board areas.
Dr Heather Ottaway, Head of Evidence and Innovation at CELCIS, said:
“Understanding the wellbeing of children and young people who are being cared for is central to how we can assess how well Scotland is achieving the aspirations of The Promise of the Independent Care Review.
“The Bright Spots programme creates opportunities for children and care leavers’ first-hand, recent experiences to be shared with their local authority who have committed to them that what they say will be used to drive real change. Bringing this well-established, co-produced programme for engaging children and young people to Scotland has provided new and invaluable learning for everyone involved.
“This programme of work is so much more than a survey: not just hearing and listening to the experiences of children and recent care leavers but taking action to address these. This is an example of how local authorities across Scotland can, do, and are, working to make change informed by what their children and care leavers are telling them.
“From a national point of view, the voices of more than a thousand children and young care leavers provide crucial insights into what matters for care experienced children and young people, adding to the evidence we have in Scotland about what needs to be addressed, what areas to further strengthen and what to change.”
Linda Briheim-Crookall, Head of Policy and Practice at Coram Voice said:
“We’ve already seen the power of this feedback to drive real change. Children and young care leavers are not just being heard. Their experiences are directly shaping services, support and decision making in local authorities.
“The Bright Spots surveys ensure that those working with children in care and care leavers can hear directly from them. Over the last decade, across England and Wales, and now Scotland, this approach, shaped with care experienced children and young people from the very start, has shown a commitment to make their lives better.
“In our Bright Spots Resource Bank, Coram Voice is now able to share many real, tangible examples of how services have changed to address the feedback and experiences shared by children and young people. When we work together to listen and act, we can help all children and young people to thrive.”