More needs to be done to keep The Promise 

Care experienced children must be able to enjoy all their rights, the Children’s Commissioner said today.

Speaking at the inaugural Kibble annual conference in Glasgow, Commissioner Nicola Killean warned that much more needs to be done to keep The Promise – the Scottish Government’s commitment that care experienced children will grow up loved, safe, and respected.

She told professionals who work with children – such as those from education, residential and secure care, fostering, and mental health services – that they all have a part to play.

Commissioner Nicola said: “The children who come into contact with services provided by Kibble, and by other organisations that are here today, are there because their rights have already been breached. 

“The mission, for all of us, is to ensure that their rights are not further breached while they are in care; that they are supported to recover from what they have experienced and that children are properly protected from harm and prevention is prioritised.”

The Commissioner added: “Children in residential care, and particularly in secure care, are children who have experienced serious vulnerability in their lives.

“The services provided to them must be of the highest quality, the best we can do, because they deserve nothing less.

“The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is clear that the State should use its maximum available resources to ensure children’s rights, with action plans that have technical and financial resources attached.  

“We need the right political priorities, the right policies and money invested in children and young people to create a Scotland where all children enjoy their rights. A country where children shouldn’t need to be in care to access these rights, a place where every child can achieve their potential, and The Promise is kept.”

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