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Route map: Rules, processes and culture

This route map was last updated in December 2025 with all information that is known about work underway and still required. It is not yet fully populated and work continues to identify what still needs to happen. Route maps are shared planning tools to support delivery of the promise and as progress is made and the rest of the route becomes clearer, this route map will continue to be updated. 

Where is Scotland now?

Practice is being strengthened through the development of a shared national values framework, providing a consistent foundation for decision making grounded in kindness, empathy and care. Early work is underway to align policies, standards and improvement activity across government and partners, with a focus on ensuring organisational processes support relational practice rather than procedural compliance. Next steps focus on embedding the values framework more consistently, clarifying expectations, and strengthening leadership and accountability for cultural change. Sustained collaboration with national and local partners is essential to support alignment, avoid duplication, and ensure effective, sustainable implementation alongside wider route map priorities.

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Rules, processes and culture

Where does Scotland need to be by 2030?

All of the promise's calls to action have been grouped into delivery-focused outcomes that make clear what Scotland must deliver to keep the promise. The route map then identifies who must take responsibility for action by when for each outcome. This means the outcomes are fully aligned to what children, young people, and care experienced adults said must happen and the actions required are in a format that supports delivery, accountability, and monitoring. 

The outcomes in Rules, Processes, and Culture are: 

  • A strong national values framework guides everyone working with or caring for children, young people, families, and care experienced adults. All organisations and Local Authorities understand and act on their collective parenting responsibilities, ensuring that workforce culture reflects kindness, empathy, and care.
  • The system of rules and safeguards is reoriented around love and consistent relationships. Professional guidelines and boundaries support, not constrain, caring behaviour. Members of the workforce are trusted and supported to bring their whole selves to their roles and to act with compassion and good judgment.
  • Scotland's understanding of risk is broad and distinguishes between crisis risk and everyday relational risk. Risk-taking is recognised as a normal part of care, and professional judgment rooted in trust, respect and love replace excessive proceduralism.
  • Rules and processes do not prevent children, young people, and families from living ordinary, fulfilling lives unnecessarily. Regardless of where children and young people live, they are fully included in family life and community activities, supported by proportionate regulation and trust.
  • Scotland actively works to ensure that children, young people, and adults with care experience are not stigmatised. Every care setting and public service fosters a culture of belonging, recognising care as an expression of love, not difference.
Where does Scotland need to be by 2030?

The route map to get there

Early work initiated across government and workforce agencies to embed the promise values - love, care, respect and empathy - within leadership, social work and education frameworks.

Publication of Supporting Scotland’s Children – Core Knowledge and Values (SSSC, 2025) provides an initial foundation for embedding these values across the workforce.

Corporate Parenting (Scotland) Review and The Promise Implementation Plan reaffirm collective parenting responsibilities across all public bodies.

Co-design a national values framework with children, young people, families and workforce representatives; align with the promise, human rights principles, and the language, knowledge and skills of the National Trauma Transformation Programme.

There will be a national awareness campaign on corporate parenting responsibilities, run across all relevant organisations and embedded into Scottish Government sponsor arrangements. In turn, organisations ensure parenting responsibilities are embedded in strategic plans and workforce objectives.

Launch national values framework and embed within professional standards, leadership programmes, and workforce development plans.

Local authorities and national agencies publish implementation plans showing integration of values framework into recruitment, appraisal, and regulation.

Independent evaluation of organisational progress; learning shared nationally.

Full implementation and monitoring of adherence to framework through inspection, regulation and workforce planning systems.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

Who needs to work on this:

Scottish Government, COSLA, SSSC, NHS Education for Scotland, Social Work Scotland, Care Inspectorate, Local Authorities

Other route maps this links to:

Leadership

Workforce support

Rules, processes and culture

Governance

Relationships

To see which calls to action from the promise sit under this outcome, click here.

SSSC’s revised Codes of Practice for Social Service Workers and Employers came into effect in May 2024, embedding the principles of the promise through a strengthened focus on kindness, compassion and involvement in decision-making.

Supporting Scotland’s Children: Core Knowledge and Values resource launched in October 2025, replacing the 2012 Common Core and reinforcing a national shift toward values-led, relational practice.

Care Inspectorate’s Quality Frameworks (2023–25) promote person-centred and relationship-based care. Ongoing development aligns with the promise and trauma-informed practice standards.

SSSC’s Care Experience and Children’s Rights Plan (2024–26) sets out objectives to empower employees, embed trauma-informed practice, and support a confident workforce. 

SSSC continues implementation of the Care Experience and Children’s Rights Plan (2024–2026), progressing actions to: (1) empower employees and stakeholders; (2) embed trauma-informed practice; and (3) support a competent and well workforce, strengthening delivery of the promise across social services.

Revised SSSC Codes of Practice and the Supporting Scotland’s Children – Core Knowledge and Values resource disseminated across the children’s workforce.

Reflective learning programmes initiated to strengthen relational safety and compassionate judgement in practice.

National guidance developed on relationship-based safeguarding and supervision to support consistent relational practice.

Relational practice standards integrated into inspection and regulation frameworks to ensure system-wide alignment. Pilot relationship-based inspection focus in selected settings (residential, foster, kinship).

Begin review of professional guidance and boundaries, focusing on barriers to relational and loving behaviour. Where gaps are identified, co-produce updated national professional guidance incorporating relational care and self-reflection standards.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

Who needs to work on this:

SSSC, Scottish Government, Care Inspectorate, COSLA, Local Authorities, NHS Education for Scotland, providers, Social Work Scotland

Other route maps this links to:

Leadership

Workforce support

Governance

Relationships

Decision making

Scrutiny and inspection

To see which calls to action from the promise sit under this outcome, click here.

Work is underway to ensure that all those working with children, young people and families have access to reflective supervision. This should promote reflective practice and seeing beyond the presenting issue of risk, leading to more accurate assessments of need and lead to appropriate change interventions.

The SSSC’s Care Experience and Children’s Rights Plan (2024–26) commits to supporting a competent and confident workforce capable of relational and reflective practice.

The SSSC Codes of Practice (2024) and Supporting Scotland’s Children: Core Knowledge and Values (2025) emphasise compassion and relational judgment.

A National Leadership Group GIRFEC Subgroup has been established to increase workforce confidence in implementing the GIRFEC approach. Two new e-learning modules have been launched by NES in 2025.

The Children’s Rights Skills and Knowledge Framework and associated training plan has been developed by Together. These resources are intended to provide support to the workforce in achieving greater confidence in the implementation of the GIRFEC approach.

Review current frameworks for assessing risk and need within GIRFEC; develop guidance on distinguishing crisis risk from developmental or relational risk; pilot contextual risk assessment and reflective supervision models in local authorities.

The ‘Codes, Rights and Keeping the Promise’ learning resource is being further developed by the Care Inspectorate and the SSSC. The updated resource will include case studies that showcase good practice across the sector, as well as a new FAQ section designed to provide clear, practical answers from the regulators and address common misconceptions. The enhanced resource is scheduled for publication in 2026.

Deliver workforce development workshops on self-awareness and authenticity in professional roles; integrate relational supervision and reflective spaces into workforce standards and leadership programmes.

Develop and promote guidance on trusting professional judgment and proportionate documentation within child and family services; incorporate examples of relational decision-making into training and case supervision.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

Who needs to work on this:

Scottish Government, COSLA, Local Authorities, Social Work Scotland, NHS Education for Scotland, SSSC, Care Inspectorate

Other route maps this links to:

Decision making

Workforce support

Leadership

Governance

To see which calls to action from the promise sit under this outcome, click here.

The National Care Standards for Foster Care and Family Placement Services were first published in 2011. Between October 2024 and February 2025, the Scottish Government led a consultation on the Future of Foster Care. This provides an opportunity to align revised National Care Standards with the promise principles — ensuring proportionate, relationship-based regulation that supports inclusion and belonging. The analysis of the responses was published in October 2025.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act received Royal Assent in January 2024, with most provisions coming into force on 16 July 2024. Incorporation of the UNCRC strengthens protection of children’s rights, ensuring that children with care experience have parity with their peers in having their rights recognised and upheld. Further work is required to be initiated to ensure services and supports reflect the experiences and needs of children and families, helping to ensure that an experience of care does not limit opportunities for regular, positive experiences throughout childhood and development.

Develop United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child implementation guidance for local authorities and providers, ensuring that care experience does not limit participation in everyday life.

Align inspection, commissioning, and workforce frameworks to reflect United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the promise.

Pilot proportionate inspection and implementation guidance with fostering agencies and local authorities.

Evaluate how United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child incorporation has influenced the lived experiences of care-experienced children and young people.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

Who needs to work on this:

Scottish Government, Care Inspectorate, COSLA, Local Authorities, Scotland Excel, Fostering Network Scotland, CELCIS

Other route maps this links to:

Relationships

Where children live

Governance

Scrutiny and inspection

Rights and Restraint

To see which calls to action from the promise sit under this outcome, click here.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act receives Royal Assent in January 2024, with most provisions coming into force on 16 July 2024. Incorporation of the UNCRC strengthens protection of children’s rights, ensuring that children with care experience have parity with their peers in having their rights recognised and upheld.

Further work initiated to ensure services and supports reflect the experiences and needs of children and families, helping to ensure that an experience of care does not limit opportunities for regular, positive experiences throughout childhood and development.

Establish a national campaign, co-designed with care-experienced children and young people, focusing on public awareness and challenging stigma. 

Embed anti-stigma and belonging principles in education, health, and public service frameworks, develop tools for organisations to measure belonging and inclusion.

Evaluate changes in public attitudes, workforce culture, and media representation of care experience; publish learning and guidance for continuous improvement.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

There are no milestones identified for this year yet. Once progress is made in earlier years, the work required in this year will be clearer and milestones will be added here.

Who needs to work on this:

Scottish Government, The Promise Scotland, CELCIS, Who Cares? Scotland, Local Authorities

Other route maps this links to:

Documenting decisions

Listening

Participation and engagement

Relationships

Leadership

Rights and Restraint

Governance

To see which calls to action from the promise sit under this outcome, click here.

What matters to children, families, and care experienced adults

If my information is shared, it is done with sensitivity, respect, and clear explanations that I understand.

The people who support me have everything they need to do their job well.

I don’t miss out on good, healthy, and fun childhood things when the people who support me think about, and plan for, my safety.

The places I go, and the rules I have to follow, help me to feel safe, confident, and understood.

Find out more about what matters here

Foundations