Rights to Care resource launched with Who Cares? Scotland

Date: 31st May 2017
Category: Looked after children
Author: Who Cares? Scotland

The Commissioner's office has worked with Who Cares? Scotland to jointly produce resources to help young people in care, care leavers and the adults who support them.

These resources can help people understand more the parts of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act that most affect looked after children and care leavers.

The Children & Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 became law on the 27th of March 2014 and contains several changes to how children and young people in Scotland are cared for. In creating the Act, the Scottish Government has tried to strengthen the rights of children and young people in Scotland by encouraging Scottish Ministers and Public Bodies to think about these rights and how they relate to their work. It has also created new systems to support children and young people and to help identify any problems at an early stage, rather than waiting until a child or young person reaches crisis point.

• See the Children and Young People Act here.

The Act is very wide-ranging. It also:

- increases the powers of Scotland's Commissioner for Children and Young People;
- makes changes to early learning and childcare;
- provides extra help for looked after children and young people in care;
- provides free school dinners for children in Primary 1-3.

• More detail about the key changes and relevant resources are available here.