The Promise
“Keeping the Promise” is the commitment Scotland has made to improve the lives of children and young people who are in care, or on the edges of care. The Promise is to make sure every child grows up feeling loved, safe and supported.
The five foundations of The Promise; voice, family, care, people and scaffolding; are built on what care experienced people said needs to change in Scotland. The foundations are all based on human rights, which we all share.
Every child deserves to grow up loved, safe and respected, and children should be able to stay with their families when they can keep them safe. That’s something made clear in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
You can find more information about The Promise below:
Visit the Pinky Promise website (a shorter version)
Check out the care review document
Keeping brothers and sisters together
Our brothers and sisters, also called siblings, can be one of the most important relationships we have and can help us thrive as we move through life.
Relationships are at the heart of The Promise. Children must be able to keep relationships that are important to them.
The Scottish Government passed new laws in 2021 to make sure that children and young people who are in care have the right scaffolding in place and are supported to have relationships with their brothers and sisters.
Who is my ‘sibling’?
A sibling could be someone that you share at least one parent with. It could also be someone else you have lived with and have an ongoing ‘sibling-like’ relationship with. This might include step-brothers, step-sisters and cousins.
You have a right to say who you consider your siblings to be. Your view should be listened to and respected.
Sibling relationships are lifelong and shape a significant part of shared identity and experience.
What are my rights?
- You have the right to a relationship with your brothers and sisters.
- You have the right to live with your siblings if you are not able to live at home with your family, and it is safe for everyone.
- If for any reason you do not live with your siblings, you have the right to keep in touch with them and to see them, if it is safe.
What can I expect from the adults around me?
The adults around you, such as social workers from your local authority, understand the importance of siblings being together. They will support you with your relationships with your siblings.
Your local authority has a duty to keep siblings together, when they aren’t able to live at home with their family, as long as it is safe.
When local authorities are deciding where to place a child — whether it’s with a kinship carer, a foster family, or in a residential facility — they should try their best to keep siblings together.
The first choice should be living together as long as that’s safe. The other option is for siblings to stay in homes near each other. This arrangement should only happen when your local authority believes that it would be in your best interests to live in a different place to your siblings.
If you can’t live with your siblings, you have the right to understand why that decision has been made, unless this is information about other people and it is not right to share this information or the information would harm you.
If you can’t live together, and it is safe, you have the right to spend time with your siblings, face-to-face, so you can keep your bond strong.
Your views
To make sure that your rights are safeguarded, your views must be understood, listened to, and responded to, especially:
- who your siblings are
- where you should live
- how you should be looked after
- how and when you should keep in touch with your siblings (if they do not live together)
Children’s Hearings & Participation Rights
A children’s hearing is a legal meeting that has been set up because there are concerns about a child or young person’s wellbeing or the care they are receiving. The hearing will give the child or young person the chance to talk about what’s happening in their life. It will set out the legal steps to get them the help they need.
The changes to the law in 2021 mean that if your sibling is involved in a Children’s Hearing and a decision could be made about your contact with each other, you have the right to an opportunity to take part in the process. This is called having participation rights.
You can find out more about Children’s Hearings and your participation rights by visiting the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration website.
Where can I get more help or support?
If you feel your rights are not being respected, you have a right to challenge it. You have the right to be listened to, taken seriously and to be supported in that.
If you are a care experienced young person and you require support, you should firstly contact your local council.
Not everyone will feel comfortable contacting their council directly. There are other organisations who can help and support you like Who Cares? Scotland.
Who Cares? Scotland
Who Cares? Scotland provides independent advocacy services for Care Experienced young people in Scotland. You can find out more about how they support children and young people here: Contact us – Who Cares? Scotland (whocaresscotland.org).
Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland
The Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland works to protect and promote the rights of children and young people in Scotland. The Commissioner works to make sure the laws that affect your lives are fair.
You can find out more about this work here: Child Rights | The Rights of Children and Young People – CYPCS
Support with Mental Health
For information and support about how to look after your emotional wellbeing and mental health go to the Aye Feel section of our site.