Family Rights Group affirms commitment to the Promise

Following the first anniversary of the Independent Care Review in Scotland, Family Rights Group affirms its commitment to keeping the Promise and delivering on system change to help more children live safely and thrive within their family and community.

Cathy Ashley, Chief Executive, Family Rights Group said:

“It is our mission at Family Rights Group to help children live safely and thrive within their family and community.

“A year ago the independent Care Review published the Promise – its recommendations for transforming how Scotland cares for its children and young people. The review didn’t just set out to fix a broken system. It recognised that for lives and futures to change, Scotland must change the way it supports families to stay together and for children to reach their full potential. It’s an ambition we all have a stake in and at Family Rights Group we are wholeheartedly committed to doing everything we can to #KeepthePromise.

“Too often the care system breaks relationships for children. Our Lifelong Links approach, being implemented in Edinburgh, Glasgow, West Lothian, Perth and Kinross, and Falkirk, supports children and young people with care experience to build positive relationships and a positive network of people to turn to in child and adulthood. As the Promise states, ‘Scotland must create an approach to care where maintaining, sustaining and protecting loving relationships is possible and much more probable’. We’re working to ensure Lifelong Links is offered to more children and young people in care across Scotland. We’re grateful to The KPMG Foundation, The Robertson Trust, The Esmee Fairburn Foundation and RS Macdonald Charitable Trust for supporting this work.

“The Promise recognises the importance of family group decision making and mediation, and calls for it to become commonplace. Family Rights Group introduced the family group conference model to the UK, it’s an essential part of Lifelong Links, and we continue to promote its use through the Scottish Family Group Decision Making Network. In all of our work, we campaign for the voices of children and families to be central to decision making, at an individual and a strategic level, including through the work of our parents’ and kinship carers’ panels.”