Cole-Hamilton: Government needs to know whether its children are dying

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP has today questioned why the SNP government does not know how many of its children have died prematurely, following a damning report which found that the promises made to care experienced people risk being broken.

Ten years ago, Nicola Sturgeon promised major changes for young people with experience in the care system by 2030. This was known as The Promise.

A new report from the Promise Oversight Board highlights that such improvements have not been “real enough, fast enough, or for enough people”.

The report also criticised the lack of information about premature deaths among care experienced people. It stated that “better linkage could help identify where support fell away and where opportunities to intervene were missed”.

Scottish Liberal Democrats have repeatedly called on the government to publish the number of care experienced people who are dying prematurely.

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said:

“In 2020, this government made a promise to Scotland’s care experienced children and young people: that they would group up loved, safe and respected.

“Because without love, what hope does a child have?

“But this week, the Oversight Board told us that too much of that Promise remains on paper, and not in peoples’ lives.

“It found: resources do not match the needs of children, that nobody can say who is responsible for what, or by when, and, that the window to deliver that Promise is fast closing.

“They were clear: the evidence does not yet give them confidence that the promise to Scotland’s care experienced children will be kept by 2030.

“Does the First Minister agree?”

He went on to say:

“No one who is care experienced should ever be left alone to come to terms with their childhood.

“These are children of the state.

“As First Minister, these are his children.

“In the last 10 days, two more care experienced people have died, before their time.

“But he has no means of knowing that.

“We don’t know how many have been failed by the system; how many end up in prison, on the streets, or die early.

“We have asked the government three times if they will track and publish this information.

“Because, Presiding Officer, what parent doesn’t know if their children are even alive?”