About The Promise
Foundations of The Promise
The foundations of the promise are built on what care experienced people say needs to change in Scotland.
The five things the promise is built on
The Independent Care Review identified five key things that underpin the promise. Together, they give Scotland a clear starting point when thinking about what matters.
They show what’s important for any child to grow up loved, safe and respected.
The foundations of The Promise are based on the human rights which we all share.
All children should be able to grow up in a loving family environment.
It’s fundamental to the human rights of all Scotland’s children and young people. That’s something made clear in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
To help make sure this happens for care experienced children, the Convention says there should be extra protections for them. But Scotland should take steps to make sure all children can grow up in this way.
Every child deserves to grow up loved, safe and respected— and children should be able to stay with their families when they can.
But sometimes, families need support to make sure this can happen. And when a child can’t stay with their family, they should still get the care that they need.
Find out more about children’s rights on the CYPCS website
Gette Cobban
Senior Development Officer (The Promise)
About the five foundations
Voice
Children must be listened to.
That means they should be and meaningfully and appropriately involved when decisions are made about their care. And it means everyone involved in their care should listen properly to them, and respond to what they want and need.
Family
Where children are safe in their families and feel loved, they must stay.
Families must get support together to nurture that love, and to overcome the difficulties which get in its way.
Care
Sometimes, it’s not possible for children to live with their family. But they must still be able to live with their brothers and sisters, as long as it’s safe.
And they must belong to a loving home, staying there for as long as they need to.
People
The children Scotland cares for must be supported to develop relationships: with people in the workforce, and those in the wider community. And these people must also be supported: to listen, and to be compassionate in their care and decision-making.
Scaffolding
Children, families and the workforce must be supported by a system that is there when it is needed: the scaffolding of help, support and accountability.
News and updates from The Promise
March update from Gette Cobban – Senior Development Officer (The Promise), ACVO TSI
Five years since The Promise was made This year marks the halfway point from when The Promise was made, to when it needs to be kept. This is a really important year: an opportunity to reflect on all the positive changes that have happened so far and focus on what...
Corporate Parenting: A Collective Responsibility in Fulfilling The Promise in Aberdeen
The Promise, launched in 2020, is the commitment made to our children and young people after the largest ever review in Scotland of our care system. The aim is to create equity across the lives of all our children and young people, working to give everyone the best start in life and the best opportunities possible.
New Framework to understand progress towards keeping Scotland’s promise
A new framework published today (Wednesday, 18 December 2024) gives the first high-level understanding of progress towards keeping the promise — that the conclusions of Scotland’s Independent Care Review will be implemented in full. The Promise Progress Framework brings together nearly 50 different streams of national data into one place, to start to answer the question of how Scotland is doing as it works towards keeping the promise.