First Minister announces funding on anniversary of ‘The
Promise'.
Projects that support the education and wellbeing of care
experienced children and young people will receive a share of
£9.5 million this year, First Minister has announced on the sixth
anniversary of The Promise.
The Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund, which is
part of the Scottish Attainment Challenge Programme, was
introduced in 2018-19, in recognition that care experienced
children and young people require additional support for their
attainment.
Mentoring and extra-curricular activities are among the range of
ways that local authorities are investing the funding to support
children and young people across Scotland.
The First Minister visited the City of Edinburgh Council's
Corporate Parenting Hub to meet young people supported by charity
MCR Pathways and other services and assistance offered at the Hub
– including through the We Matter Team and the Edinburgh
Champions Boards.
Mr Swinney said:
“Ensuring that all children grow up feeling loved, safe and
respected is a top priority for my government and we want to
continue to reduce the number of children and young people who
are living away from their families.
“The Scottish Government is committed to
Keeping The Promise by 2030, and we are
seeing good progress across Scotland from education to
justice – including a 18% reduction since 2020 in the number of
children identified as ‘looked after'.
“The Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund is improving
outcomes for young people across Scotland in a range of different
ways – driving not only education improvements, but building
broader confidence, resilience and well-being.
“The funding we are announcing today, on the sixth anniversary of
The Promise, takes the Scottish Government's total investment in
the programme to just over £80 million since 2018 – showcasing
how we are delivering for Scotland's care experienced young
people and helping them get the best start in life.”
Chief Executive Officer and Mentor at MCR Pathways Sharon
McIntyre said:
“MCR Pathways commends today's announcement about the continued
investment in The Care Experienced Children and Young People
Fund. It is critically important that care experienced children
and young people feel the direct benefits from this significant
commitment. Everyday, together, with partners, we see the real
benefits of the power of personalised relationship based
mentoring across Scotland.
"We work side by side with dynamic communities, Schools and Local
Authorities like Edinburgh City Council, to bridge the
opportunity gap for care experienced young people through
consistent, encouraging trusted adult relationships. No two
trusted adult relationships are the same, they are bespoke
to each and every young persons' needs. These relationships
empower young people to believe in themselves, value their own
unique talents, build ambitions for their future careers -
shaping their future fulfilling lives. That way,
confidence is built, self belief instilled, skills are developed
and engagement in learning achieved.
"On this poignant 6th anniversary of The Promise, collectively we
are deeply committed to working towards Scotland becoming the
first to commit to a life changing Trusted Adult Guarantee for
every care experienced young person in Scotland."
Councillor James Dalgleish, Education, Children and Families
Convener said:
“I warmly welcome additional funding for projects that support
care experienced children and young people. We are committed to
doing all we can to support children and young people who are
care experienced in Edinburgh, acknowledging their experiences
and providing the appropriate support to ensure they grow up
loved, safe and respected so they can realise their full
potential.
"We were pleased to welcome the First Minister to our Corporate Parenting Hub
in the heart of Edinburgh, showing how care experienced children
and young people in the city have helped to create a welcoming
space where they can meet, make friends and have fun.”
Background
Find out more about the Scottish Attainment Challenge Programme,
including the Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund
(LINK) Pupil attainment: closing the
gap - Schools - gov.scot
The Government's Children (Care, Care Experience
and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill, currently being
considered by Parliament, proposes a package of key legislative
changes to further support children and families – underpinning
and sitting alongside other important work to Keep the Promise.
