Limited progress in keeping ‘The Promise’ to young people living in care

There has been limited progress in improving the lives of young people in care six years since a pledge made by Nicola Sturgeon.

In 2020, the then first minister brought forward The Promise, a commitment to improve the lives of children and young people growing up in care. It followed a three-year review of Scotland’s care system.

A report published today by the oversight board for The Promise found that while progress has been made, not enough of it is impacting people’s lives.

The board called on the Scottish Government to “move faster, with greater urgency and a determined focus”.

It said that in creating the report, it had heard of “stretched teams, limited capacity and resources that do not match need”.

While noting that “real progress” had been made since its last report at the start of 2025, it said the lives of care-experienced people had not been significantly impacted.

David Anderson, chair of the oversight board, said: “There is no more important responsibility than securing the futures and wellbeing of Scotland’s children.

“We have seen that progress has been made, people are working hard and they care. The changes we have seen to plans, legislation, funding, structures and implementation all matter and can represent real progress.

“But The Promise ultimately has to be judged by whether those changes improve people’s lives. Activity is not the same as action and Scotland must show whether support is reaching people, whether barriers are reducing and whether experience is changing.”

He added: “If keeping The Promise was like building a home, the foundations have been laid and some of the walls are up, but after six years the country should be much further forward.”

Lib Dem MSP Duncan Dunlop, who previously worked in the care sector, accused the Scottish Government of “failing the country’s most vulnerable people”. 

He said: “The SNP’s broken Promise is causing people to lose their lives. It’s also undermining efforts to tackle crises like the drug deaths emergency and the spiralling prison population, both of which disproportionately affect people who have been in the care system.

“I am in politics to transform the lives of Scotland’s care-experienced people, and it’s why I have repeatedly urged the Scottish Government to sit down with me and work on this.”

Dunlop also called on the government to publish figures for the number of drug deaths involving care-experienced people.

Statistics published last week by National Records of Scotland show there were 1,133 drug deaths in 2025 – an 11 per cent rise on the previous year.

Scottish Labour Education spokesperson Katherine Sangster said the oversight board’s report was a “stark reminder” of the work still to do.

She said: “Care-experienced young people, care leavers, and all those who support them engaged in good faith in the Independent Care Review. They have put their trust in politicians to respond and to deliver The Promise, and that trust and good faith is wearing thin.

 “It is a moral imperative that the Scottish Government put their words into action. There are clear actions in this report that can and should be delivered. Get on with it.”