Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill Jackie Brock, Chief Executive

Main Points: “Make real” the rights of children and young people by placing duties on the public sector and more powers for the Children’s Commissioner Ensure every child has access to a Named Person and, where required, a Child’s Plan Increase amount of free “early learning and childcare” Ensure better permanence planning for looked after children

Rights of Children & Young People: A duty on Scottish Ministers to “keep under consideration” steps to further children’s rights and “if they consider it appropriate to do so, take any of the steps identified” A duty on Scottish Ministers to promote and raise awareness of children’s rights and report on progress A duty across the public sector to report on how the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is being furthered but stopping considerably short of full incorporation New powers for Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People to conduct investigations on behalf of individual children

GIRFEC & Named Person: An obligation across the public sector to prepare a children’s services plan including reporting how wellbeing will be promoted Duties to ensure every child has a Named Person and share information to support the NP Duties to ensure that a single Child’s Plan is in place to meet a wellbeing need and targeted intervention A duty across the public service to report on how children’s outcomes are being improved

Early Learning & Childcare: Requires minimum provision of 600 hours per annum “early learning and childcare” for 3 and 4 year olds, and looked after 2 year olds Requires local authorities to “have regard to the desirability of ensuring” flexible uptake options are offered to parents Planned implementation by Autumn term 2014

Looked After Children: Extending the right of young people leaving care to ask for help from a local authority from the age of 21 to 25 Defining Corporate Parenting and clarifying the public bodies to which the definition applies “Kinship Care Order” to support the parenting role of kinship carers through enhanced use of section 11 of 1995 Children (Scotland) Act (change from original proposal) Placing Scotland’s Adoption Register on statutory footing and making its use by adoption agencies compulsory

Next Steps: Introduced to Scottish Parliament in April 2013 with Education & Culture Committee designated as lead committee Call for Evidence expected to allow summer recess for submissions with Stage 1 debate on general principles expected this Autumn Children in Scotland to continue to work with membership and other stakeholders to help shape and improve the Bill throughout its parliamentary stages with implementation expected during 2014

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