We’re keeping Glasgow’s Promise.

In October 2016, the First Minister made a commitment that Scotland would "come together and love its most vulnerable children to give them the childhood they deserve". She announced an Independent Care Review that would gather the views of those involved to find out what needs to change. The review would listen to those with experience of living and working in and around the 'care system'.

By the time the review had finished, they’d listened to over 5,500 experiences. Over half of the voices were children and young people with experience of the 'care system', adults who had lived in care, and lots of different families.

In February 2020, the Promise was launched – Scotland’s response to the Independent Care Review. The Promise is a pledge to do things better and differently. Glasgow is committed to keeping our Promise to our children, young people and families. You can read Glasgow’s Promise in full.

There are five key foundations to the Promise: Voice, Family, People, Care and Scaffolding.

The 'Voice' foundation states that 'Children must be listened to and meaningfully and appropriately involved in decision-making about their care, with all those involved properly listening and responding to what children want and need. There must be a compassionate, caring, decision-making culture focussed on children and those they trust'.

Our Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) needed to ensure we took account of the views of children, young people and their families in decisions that affect them and how we shape our services. To capture their voices, we recently appointed four Promise Participation Workers: Chizy, Kieran, Sam and Susanne who will help us with this. The Promise Participation Workers will also be involved in the redesign of services for young people in our care who are ready to move on to more independent living, and will lead on our Corporate Parenting and Champions Board responsibilities.

Young people from our Children’s Houses were involved in interviewing the applicants as part of the recruitment process and were paid for their expertise and insight.

Chizy, Kieran, Sam and Susanne have spent the last few weeks getting to know lots of people and services in Glasgow and are keen to get going, and help us get things right for Glasgow’s children, young people and their families.  We caught up with some of the Promise Participation Workers after their hectic first weeks and were keen to hear their thoughts on what we’re doing.

Chizy, Promise Participation Worker, said: "It has been overwhelming and eye-opening, but an immensely positive experience. During my induction I have gained a better understanding of Glasgow, it’s services and third sector organisations. I also have a deepened understanding of the range of services for care experienced children and young people, and how I will play a part through a participation lens. Working with and for care experienced children, young people and their families is what brought me to this role. I believe in The Promise, the change that it will bring about for those who are care experienced and how it will reform the care system".

Kieran, Promise Participation Worker, added "My ambition as a Promise Participation Worker is to make sure every looked after child feels listened to, included and supported by all those close to them.  Also providing the right help and support for as long as that young person needs and wants it. My personal experience since joining the team has been really positive and informative. Over the last few weeks, I’ve met loads of genuinely kind, caring and passionate workers all across Glasgow who’ve all been zealous supporters of working towards the same goal: improving the experience and lives of Scotland’s care experienced children and young people. There is a lot of work required to change our care system but together united, we are more than capable of creating the change our children & young people need. I am excited to see what the future looks like for The Promise Scotland!".

Samantha, Promise Participation Worker, also stated: "I have thoroughly enjoyed going round all the services and meeting the teams, this has provided us with an opportunity to network and build relationships with the staff and gain a sound understanding of what services they provide in line with the Promise. A highlight for me so far has been meeting with the Family Group Decision Making service, they stressed the importance of keeping families together and reuniting families. They can also arrange to sit down with young people that have lived away from home for several years and who maybe don’t have a relationship with or know who their family are". 

Susanne, Promise Participation Worker, also added: "I am passionate about children and young people and am hugely motivated to impose change in the care system in Scotland. My experience in Glasgow so far has been overwhelmingly positive as there is a clear drive for change and everyone is keen to get on board with the Promise. In my role I hope to achieve fair outcomes for care experienced young people to ensure no one is at a disadvantage due to their experience in care.”

Susan Orr, our Head of Families for Children and Children’s Residential Services, believes the Promise Participation Workers will play an invaluable role in how we keep Glasgow’s Promise. Susan advised, "their recruitment is just the start of how we work alongside the families we support in shaping our services. The Promise Participation Workers bring with them a passion and commitment to seeking and listening to the voices of lived experience – particularly the quieter voices. We need to be open to hearing from them about we’re doing well in children’s services, and where we need to do better. I am confident that they will hold us to account in ensuring that we keep Glasgow’s Promise and look forward to seeing the difference that they will help us all make".

If you would like to know more about Glasgow’s Promise, please contact us at thepromise@glasgow.gov.uk. You can also find more information on our Glasgow’s Promise website.

We’ll continue to keep you updated on the work we’re doing for Glasgow’s Promise.