Corporate Parenting Vision and Plan published - News

Public Health Scotland (PHS) has published its second Corporate Parenting and Vision Plan set to cover 2025 to 2028. This follows the implementation of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, which introduced new duties and responsibilities for Scottish public bodies defined as corporate parents.

Under the Act, corporate parenting is defined as the formal and local partnerships between all services responsible for working together to meet the needs of looked after children, young people and care leavers. PHS, as a named public body under The Act, holds a duty as a corporate parent. Although PHS does not directly provide services or support to children and young people, it is required to undertake a general assessment of the wellbeing needs of the care-experienced population.

Corporate parenting is not just a legal duty, but a moral one. It fosters a culture that treats care-experienced children, young people and adults with the love, respect, dedication, opportunities and long-term support that they deserve. The ultimate goal is to create a Scotland where every care-experienced individual thrives.

PHS’s mission is to work towards a Scotland where everybody thrives. Sadly, many care-experienced young people have not had this opportunity historically. That is why PHS has committed to go beyond legal requirements in supporting care-experienced children and young people. We will do this by bringing our Corporate Parenting and Vision Plan into broader work to contribute to the delivery of #KeepingThe Promise, ensuring Scotland’s care-experienced children and young people grow up loved, safe and respected.

The Promise is a pledge that Scotland’s children and young people will grow up loved, safe and respected. To fulfil this promise, Scotland implement the changes demanded by its Independent Care Review in full. The review, built on the voices of children and young people, was published in 2020, and Scotland's then First Minister vowed that the country would #KeepThePromise.

Ali Macdonald, Service Manager at PHS said:

“As Scotland’s Public Health agency, we care about the health and wellbeing of all children living in Scotland, and we share a responsibility to help them get off to a good start in life. We know that what happens during the earliest years of life lays the foundations for future learning, health and wellbeing. When we do not have the right building blocks in childhood, this can impact our physical and mental health, not just as a child but also as an adult.

“All Scotland’s children should be loved and cared for, live in a home and a neighbourhood that is safe and healthy and have access to things that promote good health. However, we know that children who are care-experienced are less likely to have these building blocks in place. That is why as an organisation we care about children and adults who are care-experienced, and why our role as a corporate parent and our responsibilities under The Promise matter to us.”

Read the PHS Corporate Parenting and Vision Plan.