Vision statement two: Scotland must limit the number of moves that children experience and support carers to continue to care
Experience by Vision Statement 2: Carers & Stability
What children and young people say
This section presents the evidence through an experience lens, focusing on how children and young people describe stability, change and care in their everyday lives. This was done using the included materials, available since 2020. Click on the take me to navigation pane and jump to different sections here, including sources.
The materials reviewed show that stability is closely tied to consistent, caring relationships and predictable routines. Children and young people described feeling more secure when the adults who care for them are able to stay involved, understand them well and receive the support they need to keep caring, even when things are difficult.
Across the accounts, frequent moves and changes in carers or trusted adults are described as unsettling and emotionally disruptive. Children and young people notice when changes happen suddenly, without explanation or involvement, and when important relationships fall away before they feel ready. Schools are often described as a source of steadiness when home life is changing, although instability can also make learning and relationships at school harder. When moves cannot be avoided, children and young people describe feeling safer when adults communicate clearly, involve them in decisions and help maintain continuity in relationships and routines.
To see what changes Scotland is making and still has to make for the promise to be kept, click on the decision making, stability and where children live route maps in Plan 24-30. See more about the work of change across Scotland here.
- My carers are kind, patient and take time to understand who I am.
- I have familiar routines and people I know and trust around me.
- I can try new things knowing someone steady is there to support me.
- The adults who care for me get the help they need to keep caring.
- My carers stick with me, even when things are hard.
Children and young people linked feelings of safety to carers who were emotionally available, consistent and able to offer steady care over time. Familiar routines and predictable relationships helped create a sense of calm and reassurance. Knowing that carers were supported to continue caring, particularly during challenging periods, strengthened trust and reduced worry about sudden change. The evidence also shows how quickly this sense of safety could be disrupted when relationships broke down or living situations changed unexpectedly.
- I have to move homes and lose connection with people, places and routines that matter.
- A trusted adult leaves and I have to start again with someone new.
- Adults do not treat me well or make me feel safe.
- Decisions are made about my life without my involvement or understanding.
- I am not able to be honest about how I feel.
- I am expected to move on before I feel ready and support falls away.
- I do not have someone I trust to help me understand what is changing.
The accounts described anxiety building when change felts frequent, unpredictable or poorly explained. Repeated moves, loss of trusted relationships and abrupt endings to support left children and young people unsure what to expect next. Not being included in decisions or given time to prepare for change intensified these feelings. When support ended suddenly, or when children felt treated differently from others their age, anxiety deepened and feelings of isolation could emerge.
- Carers show they care through everyday actions and affection
- Adults notice what matters to me and remember small details about my life.
- My achievements are recognised and celebrated.
- I am included in family decisions and listened to.
- Carers stay alongside me through difficult moments.
Belonging was described as something that developed gradually through everyday interactions where children felt known, valued and emotionally connected. Small, consistent acts of care and shared pride in achievements helped children and young people feel recognised. Being included in decisions and having carers who remained present during challenging times reinforced their sense of place and importance within the family.
- The adults around me keep changing.
- I do not know how long I will be able to stay where I am.
- Relationships end without warning or explanation.
- Plans change suddenly and I am not prepared.
- There is no clear adult helping me make sense of what is happening.
Children and young people described feeling unsettled when change was constant and communication limited. Uncertainty about how long they would live somewhere, combined with changing adults and unclear plans, made it difficult to relax or feel secure. The materials reviewed showed that a lack of continuity in relationships could prevent children and young people from feeling grounded, even when their basic needs were being met.
- I am worried about moving again.
- My life outside school feels unsettled.
- I do not feel I belong anywhere.
- I am unsure where I will be living.
- School does not understand what is happening in my life.
- I cannot get extra help when things are changing.
Across the evidence, instability at home was closely linked to difficulties at school. Anxiety about moves, changing adults and uncertainty about living arrangements made it harder to concentrate and build relationships. When schools were unaware of what was happening, or when additional support was not available during periods of change, stress could increase. At the same time, schools were often described as one of the few steady environments available, with routines and trusted adults that help children and young people manage wider instability.
What this tells Scotland
This section draws together what the evidence shows about how experiences of education are felt by care experienced children and young people, and how they shape safety, belonging, engagement and hope. It is intended to be informative, helping to show why these experiences matter and why they should inform what happens next. The focus is on naming impact and consequence as described in the evidence, drawing attention to patterns that remain unresolved and where continued attention is needed.
Children and young people experience stability through consistent, caring relationships rather than simply staying in one place. Feeling safe depends on carers being able to stay involved, understand them and offer steady care over time.
Frequent moves, changing adults and sudden endings to support are described as deeply unsettling. Anxiety increases when children and young people are not involved in decisions or helped to understand what is happening.
Trust grows when carers and other adults remain present through difficult periods. When relationships end abruptly or support falls away too quickly, children and young people can feel abandoned or unsure where to turn.
Feeling that they belong is shaped by small, everyday actions that show care, attention and commitment. Being noticed, listened to and included helps children and young people feel valued and secure.
Uncertainty about home life can make it harder to focus, form friendships and engage at school. When schools understand what is happening and offer consistent support, they can provide an important source of steadiness.
When change cannot be avoided, children and young people feel safer when they are prepared, involved and supported to maintain important relationships and routines.
The evidence shows that children’s stability is closely linked to whether carers receive timely, sustained support. When carers are supported to keep caring, children and young people are more likely to feel safe, settled and able to trust the adults around them.
Sources Referenced
The purpose of the below citations and summaries is to ensure that sources used are clear and accessible. Web links to the sources are provided, where possible.
Document summaries are provided for any document where analysis produced more than ten ‘coded segments’. ‘Coded segments’ refer to portions of a document that analysts identified and labelled as relevant to the key themes for each Vision Statement.
All documents that have informed the development of the Vision Statement, even if they had fewer than 10 coded segments, are cited in the ‘Additional Sources’ box below.
This Care Inspectorate report looks at how children and young people are cared for in secure care and what needs to improve to ensure their rights are respected, including whether new rules made by the Scottish Government are helping young people and staff.
Approximately 200 people participated in the study, including young people, family members, professionals and Local Authority representatives. The journeys of 30 young people were also tracked over a one-year period.
The Care Inspectorate found that progress has been made in meeting the aims of the secure care Pathway and Standards, but significant gaps remain across the full journey into, through and out of secure care. The new rules have had the strongest impact for those in secure care, where most young people experienced improved safety, felt listened to, had their rights upheld, and benefited from specialist support and education. Some positive preventative effects were noted—where intensive, relationship-based community support and clear risk-planning processes helped prevent admission.
However, the greatest weaknesses were found after young people leave secure care. Many experienced a sharp drop in support, struggled to access health and wellbeing services, lost educational progress, and faced homelessness or serious safety risks, leading to re-admissions. Ongoing problems included unequal access to community resources, inconsistent understanding of secure care’s therapeutic purpose, lack of stable relationships, and variation in restrictive practices.
Secure Care Pathway Review. Care Inspectorate, 2023. https://www.careinspectorate.com/images/documents/7293/Secure%20care%20pathway%20review%202023.pdf.
This report was written by a team of researchers from the University of Stirling, Lancaster University, and the Association for Fostering, Kinship and Adoption (AFKA) Scotland. It was funded by the Nuffield Foundation and an anonymous donor.
The report was written to understand how children who needed care in Scotland are doing as they grow up. It looks at what helps them feel safe and settled, and what makes a difference to their lives. The main goal is to share what was learned to help improve rules and practices for children, their families, and the people who look after them. It builds on an earlier study (Phase 1) that looked at these children when they were younger.
The study followed 1,836 children who needed care when they were five years old or younger in 2012-13. It explores where these children are living ten years later, how well they are doing, and what connections they have with important people in their lives. The report uses different kinds of information, including official records, surveys, and interviews with children, their carers and birth parents, to get a full picture of their experiences.
Whincup, Helen, Linda Cusworth, Maggie Grant, et al. Permanently Progressing? Building Secure Futures for Children: Phase 2 Middle Childhood. Key-Findings from Phase 2: final report. University of Stirling, 2024. https://permanentlyprogressing.stir.ac.uk/key-findings-from-phase-2-final-report-and-accessible-summaries/.
This document reports on survey findings from 286 foster carers and 18 fostering services in Scotland. The report highlights growing pressures in the care ‘system’, which are compounded by the cost-of-living crisis and changes in the foster carer population.
The proportion of foster carers who rated their support as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ had reduced over the three-year period (2021-2024). This included ratings in relation to the provision of out-of-hours support and having a consistent social worker, although support from Supervising Social Workers (SSWs) was rated the most highly compared with other forms of support. Many foster carers feel undervalued, unclear about which day-to-day decisions they can make, and struggle with insufficient financial support, despite the introduction of the Scottish Recommended Allowance. However, there are also growing barriers to recruitment, including these financial concerns, lack of space, and public perceptions.
The report also highlights challenges in matching children with suitable carers, particularly ensuring children remain in their local communities. Compounding this, there is an urgent need for around 350 more foster families in Scotland, as the number of foster carers is falling faster than the number of children in care. The foster carer population is also ageing and lacks ethnic diversity, raising concerns about future sustainability.
The report concludes with recommendations for the Scottish Government, placing authorities, and fostering services to improve recruitment, retention, support, and outcomes for children and foster carers.
Ellis, Sioned, and Natalie Williams. State of the Nation’s Foster Care: Spotlight on Scotland Report 2024. The Fostering Network, 2025. https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/policy-and-campaigns/state-of-the-nations/state-of-the-nations-foster-care-2024/.
Who Cares? Scotland—a national independent membership organisation for care experienced people, dedicated to supporting, empowering and amplifying the voices of Scotland’s care community—provided targeted analysis of their existing evidence for The Promise Story of Progress, sharing material that mapped to the relevant vision statements and contributed insight into how their internal data, participation activity, and qualitative evidence could inform the experiential strand of the Promise Story of Progress.
Their reports reflected advocacy work carried out between 1st January 2020 and 30th June 2025, during which time Who Cares? Scotland advocacy workers supported around 4,800 individuals. Although the report findings do not represent the experience of every care experienced individual in Scotland, they highlight issues that need continued attention as Scotland works to understand what is changing and what still needs to be addressed.
An anonymised and abridged collation of these reports is available at: Who Cares? Scotland. The Promise Story of Progress: Vision Statement advocacy reports by Who Cares? Scotland (abridged). The Promise Scotland, 2025. https://www.plan2430.scot/media/r0jiy2pl/2025-12-17-the-promise-story-of-progress-vision-statement-advocacy-reports-by-who-cares-scotland_abridged.pdf
Abell, Dawn, and Heather Ottaway. Staying Together and Connected: Getting It Right for Sisters and Brothers - National Implementation Group Final Report. Final Report. Scottish Government, 2023. https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/independent-report/2023/06/siblings-staying-together-connected-national-implementation-group-executive-summary-report/documents/staying-together-connected-national-implementation-group-final-report/staying-together-connected-national-implementation-group-final-report/govscot%3Adocument/staying-together-connected-national-implementation-group-final-report.pdf.
Disabled Children and Young People’s Experiences of Social Work Services: A Thematic Review. Care Inspectorate, 2024. https://www.careinspectorate.com/images/documents/7714/Thematic%20review%20of%20services%20for%20disabled%20CYP.pdf.
Ellis, Sioned, and Natalie Williams. State of the Nation’s Foster Care: Spotlight on Scotland Report 2024. The Fostering Network, 2025. https://www.thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/policy-and-campaigns/state-of-the-nations/state-of-the-nations-foster-care-2024/.
Evaluation of the Hub for Success. The Hub for Success, 2024. https://hubforsuccess.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/HfS-Evaluation-2024-FINAL.pdf.
Guinchard, Sydney. “Experiences of Parents in ‘The Village,’ an Online Support Network for Care- Experienced Parents: A Thematic Analysis.” Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care 23, no. 2 (2024).
Reimagining Secure Care - Final Report: A Vision for the Reimagined/Future World. Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ), 2024. https://www.cycj.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Reimagining-Secure-Care-Final-Report.pdf.
Roesch-Marsh, Autumn, Marissa Roxburgh, Thomas Bartlett, and Donna Nicholas. ‘The Protective Power of Friendship, Advocacy and Activism: A Short Report on the Experiences of Who Cares? Members and Allies’. Child Abuse Review 32, no. 3 (2023). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/car.2823?msockid=33377bbcb380697b3a776e0fb28c68ac.
Secure Care Pathway Review. Care Inspectorate, 2023. https://www.careinspectorate.com/images/documents/7293/Secure%20care%20pathway%20review%202023.pdf.
Social Marketing Gateway (SMG). Glasgow People Achieving Change (PAC) Mental Health Research: Final Report February 2022. Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (GCHSCP), 2022. https://glasgowcity.hscp.scot/publication/glasgow-pac-mental-health-research-2022.
Social Value Lab. Evaluation of Tayside Family Financial Wellbeing Project: A Report for Aberlour Children’s Charity. Aberlour, 2024. https://www.aberlour.org.uk/publications/aberlour-family-financial-wellbeing-tayside-pilot-evaluation.
Social Value Lab. Evaluation of the Falkirk Intensive Perinatal Support Service. Aberlour, 2024. https://www.aberlour.org.uk/publications/intensive-perinatal-evaluation-2024.
Social Value Lab. Helping to Keep the promise That Scotland Must Strive to Become a Nation That Does Not Restrain Its Children: Evaluation of The Promise Rethinking Restraint Pilot Report for Aberlour Childcare Trust and Kibble. Aberlour; Kibble, 2023. https://web-backend.aberlour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/The-Promise-Report-Final-V3.pdf.
The Lines Between. Evaluation of Wee BREATHERS. Final Report. Scottish Attachment in Action, 2025. https://scottishattachmentinaction.org/wee-breathers-2/.
The Lines Between. Evaluation of Wee BREATHERS. Final Report. Scottish Attachment in Action, 2025. https://scottishattachmentinaction.org/wee-breathers-2/.
Whincup, Helen, Linda Cusworth, Maggie Grant, et al. Permanently Progressing? Building Secure Futures for Children: Phase 2 Middle Childhood. Key-Findings from Phase 2: final report. University of Stirling, 2024. https://permanentlyprogressing.stir.ac.uk/key-findings-from-phase-2-final-report-and-accessible-summaries/.
Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF) Programme Year 2 Process and Impact Evaluation Full Report. Scottish Government, 2025. https://www.gov.scot/publications/whole-family-wellbeing-funding-wfwf-programme-year-2-process-impact-evaluation-full-report/.
Whole Family Wellbeing Funding Programme East Lothian Collaborative Partnership Summary of Learning. Children and Young People’s Improvement Collaborative (CYPIC), 2025. https://cypic.co.uk/focus/family-support/.