Reports and publications
The digital divide: The impact on the rights of care leavers in Scotland
28 January 2021
This report shares the findings of a focused piece of research carried out in Scotland by CELCIS at the University of Strathclyde and partners at the University of Edinburgh. The aim of the research was to understand care leavers' experiences of digital exclusion before and during the COVID-19 restrictions in Scotland in 2020 and builds on an earlier study which explored this issue by looking at the experience and provision across 17 local authority areas in Scotland by surveying those working within local authority services.
This research found that the experience and issues which underpin digital exclusion within the care experienced community had been exacerbated by the pandemic and its subsequent social restrictions. Challenges around ensuring digital access during the pandemic included: a lack of hardware; a lack of access to stable broadband or Wi-Fi; and for some, gaps in digital confidence and literacy.
Continuing Care and the Welfare Assessment: Practice Note
18 November 2020
Published by CELCIS, the Care Inspectorate and Clan Childlaw, this Practice Note clarifies the legislative requirements when undertaking a Welfare Assessment in Scotland to support planning for a looked after young person to ‘stay put’ in a care placement under Continuing Care arrangements. It offers clear guidance on what needs to be considered, by whom and when, and supports the principle that Continuing Care should be considered the default option for young people who are looked after away from home on, or after, their 16th birthday.
The Practice Note is intended to inform and support carers, practitioners, managers, and decision-makers in consistently implementing the Staying Put policy and Continuing Care legislation.
Read a blog post on the Clan Childlaw website
All you need to know about the Care Experienced Students Bursary in higher and further education
9 November 2020
The Hub for Success, which offers support for university and college for care experienced students in Scotland, has published two factsheets:
All you need to know about the Care Experienced Students Bursary and Further Education in Scotland
All you need to know about the Care Experienced Students Bursary and Higher Education in Scotland
Both factsheets answer frequently asked questions such as what the bursary is, who is eligible, and how the bursary is administered.
Scottish Care Leavers Covenant Alliance ‘Collaborative Voice’ Briefing
The challenge of 2020: Supporting care leavers in Scotland during the pandemic and beyond
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the SCLC Alliance partners have continued to meet regularly, strengthening our collective resolve to: collate and share information; to identify and share interesting and effective practice; to offer support directly to care leavers and care experienced young people; and to offer support to those agencies and organisations who provide services and care for them.
This briefing paper aims to highlight some of the key issues and some of the solutions that have been identified. We draw together learning from our own work and from our extensive networks and relationships with partners to offer a number of recommendations, and to prioritise steps to improve the lives of care leavers.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and amplified the precariousness of many care leavers’ situations, and the inconsistencies and variations that exist in relation to support and services. Despite the varied range of positive localised responses, the health pandemic has exposed the structural disadvantage and discrimination that many carer leavers face, impacting on their rights to services, supports and provisions required to meet their developmental needs into adulthood. This is in relation to both individual circumstances as well as recognising care leavers’ needs as a broader population to whom the State, as corporate parent, at local and national level, has specific duties and responsibilities.
Bridging the digital divide for care experienced young people in Scotland: If not now, when?
27 July 2020
New research authored by Kenny McGhee and Dr Autumn Roesch-Marsh and published the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant and CELCIS has revealed the impact that the COVID-19 public health emergency has had on the digital divide for young people in, or leaving, care, in Scotland.
Over half of Scotland’s local authority areas were able to contribute information for us to build this picture and provide an understanding of the themes and issues involved. The information confirmed that issues of digital exclusion and disadvantage, which were present for many before lockdown, have only intensified during the COVID-19 crisis. There were three challenges raised by all local authorities:
Lack of access to hardware including: laptops, tablets and smartphones
Lack of consistent reliable access to broadband and WiFi
For some young people, gaps in digital literacy or confidence
‘I’m Already Falling’: Preventing students without family support from falling through the gaps and facing financial hardship over the summer
15 July 2020
Become, Stand Alone, The Unite Foundation, NNECL, and Spectra jointly surveyed over 450 UK care-experienced and estranged students in higher education to investigate the financial impact of Covid-19 over the summer resulting in a briefing and recommendations. This followed a previous survey in the week following lockdown which revealed the significant concerns that students without family support had around finance, loneliness and mental health, accommodation, and academic study.
This study found that the majority of care experienced and estranged students are not confident they can pay their basic bills over the summer and there is no consistent source of support.
Young People Leaving Care: A Four Nations Perspective
12 February 2020
The purpose of this Care Leavers’ Case Study is to explore the differences in approaches to policymaking around childhood taken by the governments of the four UK nations over the past 30 years.
The study summarises the policy priorities of the UK nations for care leavers, reviews outcomes, and discusses a number of areas where policy differences can be identified.
Over the last thirty years governments across the UK have introduced a succession of policy initiatives to improve these outcomes. These have included new data collections, performance indicators and targets, coupled with focused programmes, for example to allow young people to stay on with their foster carers after they turn 18, or to encourage local authorities (LAs) to do more to involve those with care experience in decisions about local services.
Youth Homelessness Prevention Pathway: Improving Care Leavers Housing Pathways
A multi-agency working group, co-ordinated by the A Way Home Scotland coalition, has produced guidance and recommendations to make support for care leavers more consistent across Scotland and easier for care providers.
This report was developed to improve the housing journey of care leavers in Scotland and is the result of work which included assessment of the problem, ambition, activity, partnerships, and implementation process required for improvement. A multi-agency working group, which includes local authorities, health and social care partnerships, the DWP, homeless organisations and children's charities, was chaired by CELCIS and co-ordinated by the A Way Home Scotland coalition produced the report, which contains key recommendations to make support for care leavers more consistent across Scotland. The working group has engaged closely with the Independent Care Review to ensure recommendations and advice set out in this paper are in line with the direction of travel the Review is taking.
The report sets out evidence-backed next steps to:
Support the full implementation of the policy and legislative frameworks which mean corporate parents can and do prevent care leavers experiencing homelessness, at the point of leaving care and later
Ensure that if they do experience homelessness, care leavers can rapidly access support which is tailored to their specific needs and circumstances from their corporate parents, recognising that their care experience may make them uniquely vulnerable in particular ways, at the point of leaving care and later
Support practice and culture shifts, including in partnership working and shared responsibility between all corporate parents, to help ensure young people are prepared for, and supported, through the transition into adulthood and beyond once they have moved into their own accommodation.
Response to Scottish Government’s consultation on improving Temporary Accommodation Standards
15 August 2019
The Scottish Care Leaver’s Covenant supports recommendations to extend the Homeless Persons (Unsuitable Accommodation) (Scotland) Order 2014. We highlight the rights and needs of care leavers to greater protection from experiencing unsuitable accommodation, and argue for prioritisation of care leaver’s needs when improving temporary accommodation standards in Scotland.
Beyond the Headlines: Care experience and homelessness
June 2019
This Beyond the Headlines briefing by CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, aims to provide further information and analysis on some commonly reported statistics relating to children and young people in care, care leavers, and care experienced people in Scotland.
The briefing explores the extent to which we understand how homelessness disproportionately affects the lives of care experienced young people, and consider what more can be done to further our understanding of the factors that cause homelessness so this can be addressed.
Bursary for Care Experienced Students: Implementation Issues
CELCIS hosted a roundtable discussion in October 2018 in response to issues around the implementation of the bursary for Care Experienced Students . Representatives from Barnardo’s Scotland, CELCIS, CPAG Scotland, Staf, Who Cares? Scotland, Angus Council, East Ayrshire Council, East Renfrewshire Council, Falkirk Council, Glasgow City Council, and West Dunbartonshire Council took part.
The meeting explored how the bursary is interpreted locally and any subsequent impact on other benefits or entitlements available to care experienced young people. Delegates shared issues, concerns and local practice in how to maximise support to care experienced students heading onto higher or further education.
The bursary was welcomed with its intention to encourage care experienced young people to engage in and sustain further and higher education; to remove barriers; and to enhance the financial support available.
The issue highlighted is not with the bursary but with the way it is interpreted by some local authorities. A concern is that the bursary is being seen to replace rather than enhance the financial support offered to care experienced young people.
Study of independent supported accommodation providers in Scotland
CELCIS has published a qualitative study to examine independent supported accommodation commissioned by local authorities in Scotland.
The study was initiated and undertaken by James Frame with support from CELCIS. James is supporting work within CELCIS in his role as a care experienced consultant, and has a particular interest in improving post-care accommodation and support options for care leavers.
Supporting the implementation of Council Tax exemption for Scotland’s care leavers: Good practice note
Consistent and effective implementation of public policy can be challenging, and this is particularly so in relation to services and provisions for Scotland's care leavers.
In response to feedback from a wide range of stakeholders, CELCIS, in association with the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant Alliance, hosted a roundtable workshop and practice exchange discussion on 5 September 2018 for local authorities in their role as Corporate Parents, in the effective and consistent implementation of the Council Tax (Discounts) (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2018 (SSI, 2018 No.39) (the Regulations).
This workshop brought partners together to share positive practice, share solutions to issues experienced, identify actions to ensure full and consistent implementation of the Regulations, and to uphold the rights of eligible care leavers. Attendees included delegates from 13 local authorities, representatives from the Scottish Government, members of the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant Alliance, and care experienced young people.
This practice note is drawn from the discussion and outlines key considerations and a range of measures for local authorities to take as Corporate Parents to ensure consistent and effective implementation of the regulations, now established in law.
Inform briefing on care leavers and council tax exemptions
Published: 24 July 2018
This briefing updates on changes in legislation which now exempts young care leavers in Scotland from council tax.
The issue of financial hardship and the impact of poverty on care leavers is well documented. Care leavers are a particularly vulnerable group when it comes to financial hardship. Leaving home at a much earlier age that the general population, care leavers are much more likely to encounter the effects of debt and poverty, lacking the safety net of the 'bank of mum & dad' which others may take for granted.
Scottish Care Leavers Covenant Alliance: Response to Scottish Government’s Consultation on Protection of Vulnerable Groups and the Disclosure of Criminal Information
Published: 18 July 2018
In this response we highlight our belief that the current situation is not acceptable for care experienced young people. Accruing ‘convictions’ in childhood for behaviour that may be rooted in trauma, can have a life-long impact and it is essential to avoid inappropriate and disproportionate adult responses. The psychological and emotional impact of the disclosure process can serve to have a re-traumatising and stigmatising effect. This can act as a barrier to care experienced people applying for work in the first place and impede their ability to ‘move on’.
Local Government and Communities Committee
Report on Homelessness, 6th Report, 2018 (Session 5)
Published: March 2018
SCLC contributed to the consultation on Homelessness highlighting the issues faced by care experienced young people. We are pleased to see the recommendation to extend the Unsuitable Accommodation Order to include care experienced young people in this report from the Scottish Parliament.
Analysis of Consultation on The Continuing Care (Scotland) Amendment Order 2018
Published March 2018
Findings from a Scottish Government consultation on the extension of the higher age limit for eligibility for continuing care from 19 to 20 years of age from 1 April 2018. No adjustments have been requested or made to the draft order which will enable young people who turn sixteen, but have not yet reached the age of twenty while in residential, foster or kinship care, to remain in their current care setting (‘continuing care’) after they cease to be formally looked after by the local authority.
Care experience and protected characteristics
Published: March 2018
Who Cares? Scotland and the Equality and Human Rights Commission have produced a teport to consider the different ways to make care experience a protected charactersitic and the steps corporate parents can take now, without any change in law. It supports two of the SCLC guiding principles of Assumption of Entitlement and care Proofing of Policy and may be a useful resource for corporate parents
Key messages from the first SCLC conference
Published: February 2018
The Scottish Care Leavers Covenant Alliance has published a report detailing the key messages from its Walking the Walk Conference - the first national conference following the launch of the Scottish Care Leavers Covenant in 2015.
The purpose of the Conference, was to reflect on and evidence progress by Corporate Parents who have endorsed the Covenant. It focused on implementing policy, interpreting research evidence, the role of national and local leadership, and examples of innovative practice from across Scotland.
Key messages included:
• the importance of relationship-based practice
• the need for structured implementation of policy
• how research can inform practice
It was a day of big ideas as well as scrutinising what still has to be done to fulfil Scotland’s aspirations.
Claiming after care - Care leavers and the benefits system
Published: August 2017
This report by The Children's Society builds on previous work and provides evidence of the financial difficulties faced by care leavers in England. The report contains case studies and lists recommedations for the Department of Work and Pensions, JobCentre Plus and local authorities.
Care leavers and council tax
Published: June 2018
Read about the impact of the council tax on care leavers and the financial hardship they face.
From Care to Independence
Published: May 2017
From Care to Independence is a five-year research project funded by the Big Lottery Fund, and delivered by The Prince’s Trust. As part of From Care to Independence, the National Children’s Bureau (NCB) conducted research with young people and Programme Executives of the Fairbridge programme, delivered by The Prince’s Trust Between 2012 and 2017. This research is based on England.
Rights to care
Published: May 2017
A guide to continuing care and aftercare for care experienced young people.
Rights to care flowchart
Published: May 2017
A guide to working your way through the continuing care and aftercare maze and know your rights.
Care Leavers and Council Tax Exemption
Published: April 2017
A CELCIS and Scottish Care Leavers Covenant summary of council tax exemption for care leavers and the differences between English and Scottish council tax powers.
Making Connections: Supporting the identification of care leavers in the justice system
Published: March 2017
A summary paper from the Making Connections workshop which supported the implementation of the agenda for change under the Youth and Criminal Justice section of the Covenant.
Covenant newsletter - Winter 2016
Published: December 2016
Want to know what the Alliance have been doing since the launch? Or, find out what we have planned.
Identification of looked after young people and care leavers by justice agencies
Published: September 2016
This briefing by the Centre for Youth and Criminal Justice advises on who is a looked after person/carer leaver, how and why it’s important to identity them, and how they can be supported.
Agenda for Change template
Published: August 2016
This accessible resource for Corporate Parents and other organisations providing support services to care leavers supports the preparation of Corporate Parenting Plans and service delivery plans. The framework can be incorporated and integrated fully into local plans, or can be adapted to meet local circumstances and specific outcomes.
Relationships matter project
Published: April 2016
This two-year project was facilitated by Iriss and led by the Relationships Matter Collective, a group of inspirational practitioners and young people who were brave enough to challenge, and confident enough to promote, continued relationships between practitioners and young people as they leave care.
Scottish Care Leavers Covenant
Published: October 2015
The Scottish Care Leavers Covenant outlines the changes needed to give care leavers the bright and better future they deserve. It outlines the cross-sector approach to support
Scottish Care Leavers Covenant summary
Published: October 2015
An eight-page condensed version of the full Covenant document.
Residential Child Care Workers: Practice Learning Exchange
Published: October 2015
Residential child care staff from Shetland and Falkirk Councils spent time at each other's workplace in a learning exchange project, supported by CELCIS. Empowering, developing and nurturing residential child care staff this way helped staff to take ownership and responsibility in developing themselves and their services.
At relatively low-cost to the sector, this approach shared learning and residential child care staff were supported through professional networks, based on a mutual learning experience.
You can read about the challenges, learning and benefits in this evaluation of the project.
Sharing Practice to Improve Outcomes for Care Leavers
Published: July 2014
Evaluation report for the inter-authority learning exchange between Shetland Islands, Falkirk and Glasgow Councils throughcare and aftercare teams in 2014.
The report describes the planning process, in-situ experience, and post-exchange learning of participants, it also report highlights the positive learning outcomes and benefits and identifies ideas for future applications of this learning and practice exchange model to improve practice for looked after young people and care leavers.
Throughcare and Aftercare Services in Scotland’s Local Authorities: A National Study
Published: March 2014
This joint research by CELCIS and Staf establishes a picture of current throughcare and aftercare (TCAC) provision across Scotland’s local authorities and provides evidence that will inform ongoing debates about future directions and priorities for TCAC. It provides an evidence base to ensure all care leavers receive the support they need to make a successful and positive transition into adult life.
Inform: Housing Options and Care Leavers
Published: July 2015
A CELCIS Inform briefing providing an overview of information, policy and legislation and outlining the housing and accommodation options that will improve outcomes for care leavers.
Inform: Children and Young People Act (Part 10 and Part 11)
Published: May 2014
A CELCIS briefing explaining specific parts of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. This briefing examines the changes introduced to ‘Aftercare’ services. These changes are the most substantive reforms of the looked after children’s sector in many years, increasing the population eligible for ‘Aftercare’ support and introducing an obligation on local authorities to secure some care leavers in their looked after placement, up to their 21st birthday.