Barnardo’s Scotland welcomes that the Scottish Government has brought forward proposals for a Children’s Care and Justice Bill in this parliamentary term (2021- 2026). We view this forthcoming piece of legislation as a key opportunity to influence the delivery of The Promise that was made to children, young people and families at the outcome of the Independent Care Review to reform the care system in Scotland so that it is one where all children can grow up loved, safe and able to fulfil their potential.
We have consulted with frontline service managers in Barnardo’s Scotland via internal focus groups to gather views on the policy proposals for the Care and Justice Bill and we have answered only the specific questions where we have relevant expertise and where we believe we can add value to the Scottish Government’s policy considerations.
We believe the proposed Children’s Care and Justice Bill must be set clearly in the context of existing policy work that is already underway by the Scottish Government and that Barnardo’s Scotland is already engaged in. We do not want to lose sight of the relevance of this consultation to other streams of work - including the delivery of the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund, the development of Bairns Hoose, the ongoing re-design of the children’s hearing system in light of The Promise and incorporation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law.