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Five members of The Oversight Board sitting by Oversight Board branded banners.


Scotland’s promise to care experienced children, young people and families can still be achieved by 2030, says an Oversight Board report published today— 5 February 2025.

The promise, which was made in 2020, is that the conclusions of Scotland’s Independent Care Review will be implemented in full, by 2030 at the latest.

However, Report THREE – released exactly five years after the promise was made – has found that unexpected events and systematic barriers have delayed implementation of this promise.

In particular, it found that issues impacting the workforce and whole family support have meant the promise is not halfway to being kept— despite 2025 marking the halfway point to 2030.

However, the Board still remains confident that the promise can be kept, having seen the progress that has been made and the restated commitment of those responsible for delivering it.


What areas of the promise did Report THREE look at?

The report looked at key areas of the promise: whole family support , and the workforce.

It found that too many people cannot access the right family support when they need it, facing:

  • housing barriers,
  • issues with support for kinship, adoption, and foster carers,
  • gaps in data to understand what really matters to children and families.

Short-term funding cycles have also been highlighted as an issue, with some in the workforce having to repeatedly secure funding, rather than using that focus to concentrate on the families they support.

Services are stretched, and pressure is growing. The cost-of-living crisis has pushed more children, young people and families into poverty, and the workforce needs targeted investment and a national strategy— rather than cuts.

Additionally, there are continuing issues with social worker retention and recruitment, as well as foster carer numbers.

However, the report also found positive changes. Among these were:

  • work from the community of practice for siblings to keep brothers and sisters together
  • the new national minimum recommended allowance for foster carers and kinship carers.

“What we need now is action”

David Anderson, Chair of The Oversight Board, said:

All our Board members know how important it is that the promise is kept: many of us have direct experience of care whilst every one of us strives to keep the promise in our working lives.
What we need now is action: around spending decisions; bravery to do things differently; courage to count what matters rather than what is easy or politically palatable.
Some people, some organisations, and some systems are not yet doing enough, and this risks the country as a whole failing to deliver the promise.
In saying that, this report recognises and wishes to highlight that many people are keeping the promise in their day-to-day work. The changes our report highlights will assist them to ensure the right support is available at the right time for children and families.
Right now, the journey is behind schedule, but progress thus far – added to the continuing commitment to the journey – makes it still possible for Scotland to deliver by 2030. However, there is not a minute left to lose.
We remain determined that the promise must be kept. This is about Scotland's children and young people: there is no task which is more important, and not a moment left to waste.

Read Report THREE.