Closed petition PE1958: Extend aftercare for previously looked after young people, and remove the continuing care age cap.
Calling on the Scottish Parliament to urge the Scottish Government to:
Extend aftercare provision in Scotland to ‘previously looked after’ young people who left care before their 16th birthday, on the basis of individual need;
Extend continuing care throughout Care Experienced people’s lives, on the basis of individual need; and
Ensure Care Experienced people are able to enjoy lifelong rights and achieve equality with non-Care Experienced people. This includes ensuring that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the findings of The Promise are fully implemented in Scotland.
Previous action taken
We have previously contacted:
Bill Kidd MSP and Carol Monaghan MP
The previous Minister for Children and Young People, Maree Todd
First Minister.
They and their teams directed me to The Promise or 1000 Voices project.
Background information
When we ensure everyone in our community has access to the support they need, if and when they need it, everyone benefits. Some Care Experienced people in Scotland today are finding services inaccessible due to arbitrary criteria relating to their age and when they left care. They are often left to navigate difficult issues without support that many of their Care Experienced peers are entitled to. We can fix this by improving legislation to include all Care Experienced people who need support.
I have numerous examples of 'previously looked after' peers not being given access to the same support I have. My own support ended at the age of 24, but care hasn't left me, it has lifelong implications.
I have also gathered evidence from Who Cares? Scotland's advocacy, Helpline and reports, as well as CELSIS' Continuing Care report and Clan Child Law's blog.
Without support to access our rights, we can be left facing stormy waters with no lifeline.
This petition was considered by the Scottish Parliament
533 signatures