Vision statement ten: Care experienced adults must have a right to access to supportive, caring services for as long as they require. Those services and the people who work in them must have a primary focus on the development and maintenance of supportive relationships that help people access what they need to thrive.
Organisational Progress
What is happening
The evidence presented here reflects what was available and most relevant at this stage of the work, and is more limited than in some other Vision Statements. Much of the evidence relating to experiences of care and organisational learning about the 'care system' focuses on childhood and the early stages of adulthood. Building a more detailed and dedicated understanding of care experienced adults’ experiences and what organisations are learning about supporting them is an important area for future development.
This section brings together what the reviewed evidence shows about how organisations are beginning to understand and respond to the needs of care experienced adults. It draws on inspection findings, workforce learning and lived experience accounts where these exist, while recognising that the evidence base in this Vision Statement is less developed and less consistent than in other areas. The focus is on describing what is happening in practice, what organisations are learning about change, and where patterns of access, continuity and relationship remain unresolved and require continued attention.
Click on the take me to navigation pane and jump to different sections here, including sources. To see what changes Scotland is making and still has to make for the promise to be kept, click on the moving on and lifelong support route map in Plan 24-30. See more about the work of change across Scotland here.
There is ongoing work to improve how adults access their records and understand the information held about them. Organisations are reviewing how records are stored, explained and released, and are developing clearer processes for adults who want to understand their history. Some services are exploring more trauma-informed ways of supporting people before, during and after they receive their information. There is also work underway to strengthen rights awareness, including clearer communication about the reasons for redaction and how decisions can be challenged.
There is ongoing work to improve coordination between health, housing, financial and community services. Organisations are focusing on clearer pathways into adult health and mental health support and are addressing system fragmentation that leaves people repeating their story to multiple professionals. There is also work to strengthen responses to housing instability, ensure people receive the financial support they are entitled to, and reduce the risk of issues escalating into crisis.
There is ongoing work to embed trauma-informed and relationship-based practice across services that support people throughout their lives. Organisations are adopting approaches that emphasise psychological safety, consistency and clear communication. This includes staff training, reflective practice and efforts to reduce stigma in interactions with adults. Some services are also working to strengthen continuity across life stages so that adults experience fewer abrupt changes in support.
What is being learned about change
This section draws together learning from the materials reviewed about how change is being understood and shaped in practice. It reflects what is emerging across accounts of work underway, rather than evaluating effectiveness or setting direction. The focus is on identifying patterns in how approaches are being adapted, what appears to make a difference to experience, and where learning continues to develop.
The evidence suggests that adults benefit when record systems are consistent and when staff explain processes in clear, supportive ways. Across the materials reviewed, organisations are learning that poor information quality, gaps in records and limited explanation can cause distress and confusion for adults seeking to understand their past. There is also learning about the importance of preparing people for what they may read, and of providing follow-up support when needed.
Key elements of success
- Clear information about rights and processes.
- Support to understand redaction and missing material.
- Consistent approaches to record keeping and release.
- Time and space to prepare for and reflect on what is read.
Examples
- Reviewing record-handling processes so adults receive clearer, more complete information.
- Offering preparatory conversations before releasing sensitive material.
- Providing follow-up support to help adults understand gaps, redaction and terminology.
- Developing clearer written explanations about rights to request, challenge or appeal decisions.
- Simplifying contact routes so adults know who to speak to if something is missing or unclear.
What to stop and what to change
- Assumptions that adults will manage the process alone.
- Assuming written guidance without relational support is enough.
The accounts show that adults experience services as disconnected, with gaps in communication leading to delays or missed support. Organisations are learning that clearer coordination, shared information and proactive communication help adults feel safer and more able to engage. The evidence also highlights that early, joined-up responses can prevent difficulties in one area, such as housing or finances, from increasing pressure in others.
Key elements of success
- Coordinated communication between services.
- Clear pathways into health and mental health support.
- Support that recognises linked issues across life domains.
- Early responses that prevent escalation.
Examples
- Creating clearer referral pathways so adults can move from assessment to support without repeating their story.
- Joining up health, housing and financial advice at earlier stages to prevent crisis.
- Aligning communication across services to reduce delays and missed appointments.
- Coordinating responses when issues in one area are affecting health or wellbeing.
- Identifying a single contact point so adults have someone who helps them make sense of different services.
What to stop and what to change
- Fragmented approaches where adults must navigate each service separately.
- Making it necessary for people to repeat their story multiple times.
Across the materials reviewed, organisations are learning that trauma-informed and relational approaches help adults feel more able to seek support and stay engaged with services. The evidence shows that consistent relationships, clear explanations and non-judgemental communication reduce anxiety and prevent escalation. There is also learning about the need to address stigma, ensuring care experience is not treated as a risk factor in itself.
Key elements of success
- Stable and consistent relationships.
- Clear, respectful communication.
- Understanding of trauma and its lifelong impact.
- Approaches that reduce stigma.
Examples
- Using trauma-informed communication to explain decisions and next steps clearly.
- Giving adults regular contact with the same workers to reduce anxiety and build trust.
- Creating reflective spaces where staff can develop their relational practice.
- Reviewing policies to ensure care experience is not treated as a risk factor.
- Adapting appointment structures so adults have time to process information and ask questions.
What to stop and what to change
- Approaches that rely on procedural compliance without building trust.
- Practices that treat care experience as a deficit.
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.
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
Aberdeen City Council, Champions Board of West Dunbartonshire Council, The City of Edinburgh Council, Future Pathways, Social Work Scotland, and Who Cares? Scotland. Accessing Records in Scotland: What People with Care Experience Tell Us about the Right of Access. Social Work Scotland, 2024. https://socialworkscotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/RTA-LONGFORM-REPORT-15-12-23-1.pdf.
Care Inspectorate. “Children’s Rights, Care Experience and Corporate Parenting.” https://www.careinspectorate.com/index.php/corporate-parenting.
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.
Dr Alex McTier, Mihaela Manole, Jane Scott, et al. Children’s Services Reform Research: Scotland’s Children’s Services Landscape: The Views and Experiences of the Children’s Services Workforce. CELCIS, 2023. https://www.celcis.org/knowledge-bank/search-bank/childrens-services-reform-research-scotlands-childrens-services-landscape-views-and-experiences-childrens-services-workforce.
Ottaway, Heather, Alexander McTier, Mihaela Manole, et al. Children’s Services Reform Research: Learning and Implications for Scotland. CELCIS, 2023. https://www.celcis.org/knowledge-bank/search-bank/childrens-services-reform-research-concluding-report.
Update on Progress: #KeepingThePromise PHS Contribution February 2024. Public Health Scotland, 2024.
Update on Progress: Correspondence to Fiona Duncan- The promise. Police Scotland, 2024.
Update on Progress: Email Response from the Scottish Police Authority. The Scottish Police Authority, 2024.
Update on Progress: Update on the promise Plan. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, 2024.