How are organisations working to #KeepThePromise
in Aberdeen?
Find out how Aberdeen City Council and other partner organisations are working towards ensuring the aims of The Promise are met and delivered in the city.
Aberdeen City’s Children’s Services Partnership
‘The Promise’ makes clear the extent of change required, but the outcomes that Scotland needs to achieve are simple and reflect Scotland’s existing commitment that all children “grow up loved, safe and respected so they can fulfil their potential”.
In Aberdeen we know that commitment and alignment to The Promise requires more than sentiment and change from within single agencies. Aberdeen City’s Children’s Services Partnership is delivering on identified local commitments and actions to Keep the Promise through the Children’s Services Plan.
Aberdeen’s Promise priorities for change
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Whole Family Support: Supporting families (in the broadest context) with a focus on what support works to keep families together and support wider families to continue to care, ensuring that support feels coherent, holistic and relational
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Trauma: Delivery of early and preventative trauma informed support across all services
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Children’s Rights: Ensuring the rights of the child, their own needs and their voice is at the centre of decisions about what is best for them.
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Poverty: Ensuring that our local services know and understand the impact of poverty and work to reduce the number of children growing up in poverty and the negative outcomes associated with that.
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Participation: Involve the care community and lived experience in our plans to #KeepthePromise by working with families to redesign the services available to them to make them work better for those that use them
Promise Delivery Partners from the Promise Scotland Team have been established to facilitate and support change alongside organisations in and around the care system to support shifts in policy, practice, and culture so Scotland can #KeepThePromise.
The image outlines Aberdeen City’s local children’s services strategic landscape which demonstrates how The Promise should encompass them all.
The care system is far reaching and goes beyond the strategic landscape outlined here.
All services in and around care have responsibilities for delivering on The Promise, not just for those children currently in care but for all who have, or will go on to have, care experience including infants, children, young people and adults.
The key outcomes within The Promise are a system that helps families to stay together where safe to do so by providing preventative whole family support, coupled with a care system for those children that require it that shows love, compassion and consistency for individual children and young people.
Progress so far
The latest report, which can be read here: Is Aberdeen Keeping The Promise?, completes the work around Plan 21-24. The new 24-30 plan is currently being shared with Children’s Services Board members and outcome improvement groups – as soon as possible we will add this to the website. The new 24-30 plan links directly to the recent Promise Framework document published in December 2024.
Whilst progress has been made, there is still a significant amount of work to do if we are to affect the transformational change required of us all in and around the care system to deliver on The Promise.
Want to get involved or find out more? As well as getting in touch with Gette at ACVO, you can contact Shona Duff, Corporate Parenting Lead at Aberdeen City Council via Shduff@aberdeencity.gov.uk
Get in Touch
Promise Delivery Partners from the Promise Scotland Team have been established to facilitate and support change alongside organisations in and around the care system to support shifts in policy, practice, and culture so Scotland can #KeepThePromise.
Kris O’Mahoney
Principle Planning & Development Officer – Aberdeen City Council
KOMahoney@aberdeencity.gov.uk
News and updates from The Promise
June update from The Promise in Aberdeen
June update from The Promise in Aberdeen
Read the latest update from Gette including keeping on track with The Promise for 2030, getting involved with the 3rd Sector Forum, Children's Services Board update and more.
Plan 24-30: What you need to know to #KeepThePromise by 2030
Plan 24-30: What you need to know to #KeepThePromise by 2030
The Promise Scotland has shared a new video animation explaining Plan 24-30, how it works and what it means for you.
March update from The Promise in Aberdeen
March update from The Promise in Aberdeen
This is a really important year: an opportunity to reflect on all the positive changes that have happened so far and focus on what still needs to change.