Another SNP Government “Promise” not kept
Back in 2020 the former First Minister launched the “Promise” which vowed to make the care of vulnerable young people an SNP Government priority.
A special taskforce directorate was recruited and setup comprising, The “Promise” Scotland control body. The “Promise” Partnership Fund. The “Promise” Whole Family Wellbeing team. The “Promise” Foster and Kinship Carers Team and other subsidary “Promise” support teams.
5 Years later very little of substance is in place and working due to a lack of ministerial interest and effective leadership and the frittering away of £235m on staff salaries, associated costs, commissioning of many progress (lack of) reports and other expenditure.
An oversight board reviewed the development and discovered that progress has been desisory due to “unforseen events” and “systemic delays”, and there was no chance a completion deadline of 2030 would be met and vulnerable young people will continue to be at unnecessary risk.
Sturgeon, who was in charge of the Scottish Government for the majority of the time the policy has been in place commented:
“On the fifth anniversary of my vow everyone has to be “brutally honest” about the progress the SNP Executive had made, which is not good enough. In order to deliver the “Promise”, there must be an increase in the scale and pace of change. Continuing without improvement is not good enough. We should rightly celebrate any steps forward that have been achieved but we must also be brutally honest about the areas where progress is needed. A promise is not kept until it is delivered. We all need to raise our game. Politicians, Councils, Government. We must show the leadership that all of the children and young people in Scotland deserve.”
What is the promise?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4T9wwgGynY
The Promise Scotland Podcast Episode 2: Young people and Hearings System redesign
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37n9rnutJWc
The Promise Scotland Podcast Episode 3: Hearings System Working Group conclusions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3o8Fq2WcIdQ
The Promise Scotland Podcast Episode 4: Working Together for Whole Family Support
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxvEKy_FEcw
Shameful’ failure to improve lives since The Promise care vow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBLZKuY7eK4
Comment:
£235m spent and nothing of note achieved. The final bill, should the project be delivered by 2030, will be around £750m with an attaching unspecified annual revenue commitment. The incompetence of the SNP Government ministers is staggering bad. Others could surely do much better.
caltonjock 