“From rhetoric to reality: improving outcomes for care leavers” - blog

Date: 4th October 2016
Category: Social security and childcare
Author: Children and Young People's Centre for Justice

It has been almost a year since the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant was published. In this blog, Debbie Nolan considers how we can make the promises made in the Covenant a reality, and improve outcomes for Scotland's care leavers.

The Covenant was created by an alliance of stakeholders to close the gap between policy and practice for care leavers. It supports the implementation of Part 10 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. This means supporting the 'aftercare' (advice, guidance and assistance) of care leavers transitioning into adulthood.

The Covenant is intended to support corporate parents to deliver changes in action and practice to bring improvement and consistency to the care of these young people. It offers clear guidance on how to meet the needs of young people who are often disadvantaged as a result of their care experiences.

• Read the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant here.

In this blog, Debbie Nolan, a Practice Development Associate with CYCJ has reflected on meaningful implementation of the Covenant and implications for looked after children, young people and care leavers.

• Read 'From rhetoric to reality: improving outcomes for care leavers' here.