The Oversight Board for the promise: Report FOUR

Date: 21st October 2026
Category: Family Environment and Alternative Care

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The Oversight Board for The Promise has published its fourth report on how Scotland is doing around its work to keep The Promise.

The report highlights concerns about delays in delivering change, uneven support across communities and services struggling with limited staff and resources. It focuses particularly on children receiving care at home and whether the views of children and families genuinely influence decisions. At the end of July 2025, 2,411 children were looked after at home, representing around one in five children in formal care.

The report says there is not enough up-to-date, joined-up information about the support these children and their families receive or whether it meets their needs. Although new legislation and improvements to kinship care provide opportunities for progress, the report calls for clearer plans, funding and responsibilities to turn commitments into practical support. It also warns that investment in early help and prevention has fallen short of original ambitions.

The Oversight Board emphasises that significantly more progress is needed to make sure every child and family receives the support they need by 2030.

Read the report FOUR on the promise Scotland webpage