Rules, processes and culture

Scotland in 2024

There has been progress in reducing stigma through language and practices, with many local authorities making changes. Efforts for racial equality are also moving forward, and steps are being taken to diversify boards and promote inclusivity in the care system.

While improvements are being made in addressing racial inequality and enhancing reflective practices, alignment with updated child protection guidelines is still needed.

Challenges remain in maintaining consistent relationships with children, young people, families, care experienced adults, and the workforce supporting them. These challenges stem from service restructuring, inconsistent service availability, and recruitment and retention issues. A more unified approach is needed to support these ongoing relationships.

Where does Scotland need to be by 2030?

By 2030, it will be clear that the primary purpose of care is to develop nurturing, kind, compassionate, trusting and respectful relationships so that children feel safe and loved (Pg 99). Relational practice with children and families is valued (Pg 100) and every care setting facilitates a relationship-based approach. Rules and regulations that get in the way of this will have been removed and the workforce will have been trained and supported to be attune to children's physical and emotional states (Pg 72).

This means that:

Rules & Safeguards

It will have been acknowledged that the previous system of rules and safeguards did not serve children well. Children's safety means having real, loving, and consistent relationships, which will be prioritised over rules and processes that fail to keep children safe. (Pg 17).
Scotland will have broadened its understanding of risk. Risk will be contextualised with the differentiation between risk associated with crisis and risk associated with other behaviours (Pg 105).
Children will be included in a meaningful loving way within their foster family without barriers. Rules and regulations support children to be fully included with the life of their foster carers (p.77).
There will be no structural, systemic or cultural barriers, including regulatory barriers, for children and young people to have regular, positive experiences (Pg 104).
Every care setting will facilitate a relationship-based approach (Pg 72)
Children will not be further stigmatised (Pg 79/ 87).
There will have been a reassessment of professional guidelines and boundaries to make kind and loving behaviour the norm (Pg 23).
A strong ‘national values framework’ will be in place for all of Scotland’s workforce. (Pg 93/ 99).
The workforce will have a different conception of risk taking, where risk taking is seen as a normal part of care. (Pg 104).
All of Scotland’s institutions, organisations, national bodies and Local Authorities are aware of, understand and fully implement all their parenting responsibilities. (Pg 93).
There is support for the workforce to bring their whole selves to their work, to have a strong understanding of themselves, and to act in a way that feels natural and not impeded by a professional construct (Pg 101).
The workforce is supported and trusted to make sensible, thoughtful, caring judgments. Sometimes carers will make decisions to not allow a child or young person to do something. This will be understood as a normal part of growing up and will not need to be explained within the language of professional risk assessments. It is understood that those decisions come out of and are based on a relationship of trust, respect and love (Pg 88).

These statements and the page numbers referenced are taken from the promise report, published when the Independent Care Review concluded in 2020.

The route map to get there

The focus must be on Scotland’s care workforce crisis. There aren’t enough staff to provide care, let alone drive reform. To make progress, efforts must first reduce the impact of this crisis and work towards a solution.

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)

SSSC will publish the refreshed Common Core, providing a national framework of the values, knowledge and skills expected of everyone working with children and young people.

A meeting took place to discuss the next steps in August 2024. Discussed was:

"The routemap for the children, young people and families outcomes Framework helps to place the aims of the workforce development group within the broader context of the actions that need to be taken to improve children and families’ wellbeing. The outcomes framework is firmly based on the Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC) model of practice and the routemap includes an outcome that “the workforce is equipped to confidently and competently deliver high quality, rights and relationship-based trauma-informed practice.”

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)

SSSC and The Promise Scotland will work together on a myth-busting campaign on workforce regulation and standards of practice, which supports the shift towards relationship-based practice and the development of ongoing and consistent relationships.

The actions outlined in the Voice foundation are fully embedded at every stage to progress actions on Rules, processes and culture.

*Routemap last updated May 2025

What is helping?

The Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)

The SSSC revised codes of practice to ensure consistency with the skills and practice requirements of the promise, focused on relationships, staff wellbeing and trauma-informed practice.

Framing Toolkit

Each and Every Child have developed a Framing Toolkit - a step-by-step guide which will help anyone talking about care experience and the 'care system' with the aim of tackling stigma and discrimination, building public understanding and directing people to solutions that will improve the lives of children, young people, families and care experienced adults across Scotland.

Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS)

CELCIS's Children's Services Reform Research found that shared vision, culture and priorities often exists amongst practitioners working in different services, which can help reduce barriers and stigma and improve the experience of the support delivered.
Much of this was attributed to shared overarching policy and practice such as the promise and Getting it right for every child (GIRFEC), however, it was recognised that work was needed to ensure everyone working with children, young people and families understands their role within these.