Broken promise: Cash starved Scots child protection revolution 'a route map to failure'

It is a ten-year programme that will run till 2030 to implement action points in last year's Independent Care Review aimed at tackling a "fractured, bureaucratic and unfeeling" care system, in which young people’s voices are not sufficiently heard or valued.

But the Common Weal, who studied the plans through its care working group has said that "substantial and significant investment" in public services is needed to fulfil make it work, pointing out that social services departments have faced increasing demands in the face of declining investment.

In a damning overview of the way forward for child protection, it says poor outcomes for those in the care system was the result of "inadequate investment in social welfare across the board, not specifically the experience of out-of-home care".

And Scotland's largest local government trade union Unison has also warned that while the The Promise presents an opportunity to address the "crisis" of underfunding in children's and adult services - the change programme "tries to body swerve the question of funding by focusing on service design and structural reform".

It has called on union branches to "keep on making the case for proper investment in services".

The Common Weal analysis of The Promise is critical of a failure to recognise the role already played by social work staff in reducing risks in families to avoid admission to care.

Social work caseloads for those working with children and their families frequently comprise more than forty cases and the analysis said that the workload often precluded the "kind of connection with children and their families that enables respect, trust and honesty. "It is disingenuous to suggest that this can be addressed in any way other than by allowing social workers the space and time to make these meaningful relationships. Adding more compulsory requirements to an already hard-pressed workforce will make things worse, not better," Common Weal said.

READ MORE: 'Deeply worrying': Child abuse referrals soar by 40% in Scotland during pandemic

"Positive change for people who have experience of care is achievable, but only if the right choices are made and the resources needed committed to.

"The Promise may have worthy intentions but it offers few imaginative or sufficiently far-reaching ideas to achieve the fundamental realignment to which it aspires. A road map without a clear direction of travel, that underestimates the distance to be travelled and that overlooks obstacles to be overcome along the route is, unfortunately, likely to lead to the wrong destination."

Nicola Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament after the review was published that it was “one of the most important moments in my tenure as First Minister so far”.

The Promise reflected what over 5,500 care experienced children and adults, families and the paid and unpaid workforce told the review and outlined what Scotland must do to make sure its most vulnerable children feel loved and have the childhood they deserve.

One of the many key elements was the creation of an independent oversight body “with at least 50 per cent of its members being care experienced including its chair".

An arms-length company called The Promise was created by ministers in March to oversee the implementation and deliver changes by local authorities, the third sector, the regulatory bodies, and other key agencies.

The Promise has been supported with £4m of public money in the last financial year to help organisations adapt to cultural shifts and collaboration across the across the care system. The closing date for the scheme was in March and it was expected to be extended.

Amanda Burgauer, interim director of Common Weal said: “The Promise wants the very best for kids who need care services and so do we all. But the reality is that this needs resources not sentiment and the investment simply isn't matching the sentiment."

Common Weal argues outcomes for many would have been much worse if children had not been placed in care and that it is "largely lack of investment" rather than lack of awareness or commitment that has inhibited progress.

"Substantial and significant investment in public services is what will make a difference, with clear entitlements for children and their families and a nationally consistent approach," it said. "In particular, investment is acutely required in children’s social work. Caseloads must be restricted to a level which enables formation of the effective relationships so critical to children’s welfare.

"Local authorities and the social work staff they employ do not remove children from home for no reason. Both legislation and resource availability dictate so."

The analysis said the review attempted to steer a "rather uncomfortable and contradictory path" between advocating more intervention on the one hand while on the other criticising public services for an intrusive involvement.

"There is limited recognition of the part both statutory requirements and resource availability play in the way services are delivered, and the consequent ways in which they impact on the chances and lives of those in receipt of them," Common Weal said.

"The effectiveness of care services in safeguarding children and the extent to which positive and sustainable change has been achieved in many families, despite resource constraints, does not seem to be either recognised or valued by the review."

Video: Independent Care Review Chair Fiona Duncan on what the Care Review heard and what Scotland must now do for children and their families.

It also criticised the review's conclusions saying that objective evidence "seems to have been jettisoned in favour of ‘listening’ and ‘voices’ prioritised over knowledge".

The think tank said that the for The Promise to work the balance of time spent in meetings and on administration rather than on face-to-face contact "has to change".

Established as a ‘radical blueprint’ for improving the lives of care-experienced children and young people in Scotland, the ICR took in the views of 5,500 people from across the care system, including 2,500 youngsters with lived experience in care.

Among the calls to action was one for the Care Inspectorate and Scottish Social Services Council to come together with other regulators to “create a new, holistic framework that values what children and families value”.

The review recommended that Scotland should move towards early intervention and prevention services, and that “acute and crisis care services must be phased out”.

It stated that Scotland should create “a clear legislative enabling environment that supports families to stay together and protects and allows relationships to flourish”, with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to be used as the “bedrock upon which legislation is based”.

It pushed for the creation of “an accredited legal specialism to set standards for legal professionals representing children” which will uphold children’s rights and understand trauma.

Changes also included that the Children’s Hearing System should “plan to shrink and to specialise” and consider its dependency on volunteers.

It recommended everyone involved in the CHS is properly trained on the impact of trauma, childhood development, neurodiversity and children’s rights.

And secure care was to be “fundamentally” rethought, with more alternatives for community-based support and monitoring, to ensure that some children spend less time in secure care.

It said that children should be able to live with their siblings if they so choose, and “brothers and sisters” in a move to be accompanied by a “strong legal framework that acknowledges, protects and promotes brother and sister relationships”.

A Scottish Government spokesmansaid: “All children deserve to be loved and grow up in a safe environment to realise their full potential. We are committed to driving forward the transformational change set out in The Promise.

“We have supported the set-up of The Promise Scotland and committed to continuing the £4 million per year Promise Partnership Fund up to financial year 2024-25. The Fund enables organisations to better support children and young people in or on the edges of care, as well as families who need it.

“The Change Programme, published by The Promise Scotland, sets out progress against actions required to deliver on The Promise. We have already identified over 40 areas where we are contributing to the programme.

“We will continue to develop and bring forward steps to deliver on The Promise, including in our next Programme for Government, due to be published in September.”