Equality for care experienced children, young people and adults

SCRA’s Principal Reporter/Chief Executive Officer, Neil Hunter has announced that SCRA is backing the campaign to treat care experience as a protected characteristic for children, young people and adults.

The campaign, which is being led by the charity Who Cares? Scotland, aims to eliminate discrimination and prejudice towards care experienced children, young people and adults.

The proposal was put forward by SCRA’s Equalities Network. Karen Wallace, who is SCRA’s lead on Equalities and Inclusion explained: “Extensive research indicates that care experienced people, particularly young people, are disadvantaged at multiple levels in society, including in relation to education, access to support services, and employment opportunities, all of which impact on health and wellbeing.

“SCRA believes that children, young people and adults with care experience should be afforded protected characteristic status, and we are making a public commitment to fully support Who Cares? Scotland’s campaign. SCRA is fully committed to its duties as a Corporate Parent, however, we will go beyond the minimum requirements of our statutory responsibilities to promote the protection and empowerment of care experienced children, young people and adults in Scotland.”

As part of this commitment, this will mean:

• Recognising and actively working to eliminate discrimination and prejudice towards care- experienced children, young people and adults.
• Promoting the rights and equality of care experienced children, young people and adults.
• Providing equal opportunities within SCRA for care experienced young people and adults.
• Reducing and challenging the prejudice, inequality and stigma which care experienced children, young people and adults can experience.

In recognition of what this commitment means, SCRA has adopted the following Statement of Intent:

We will visibly and actively support Who Cares? Scotland with their commitment to a change in legislation.

We will inform and influence staff, partner agencies and decision makers at local and national level to support Who Cares? Scotland in their strategic objectives to encourage changes to legislation.

We will treat children, young people and adults with experience of care as having protected characteristic status.

We will review our policies and practice and make any necessary changes to ensure a culture of valuing diversity, promoting equality and recognising care experience as a protected characteristic.

We will provide high quality learning, development and employment opportunities for care experienced young people and adults.

If you have any questions/comments, please get in touch via equalities@scra.gsi.gov.uk