The Scottish Government is currently seeking your views on the need for a universal and inclusive definition of ‘care experience’ and what the potential impacts of this could be.
The Promise tells us that while it is not a legal term, ‘care experience’ is a term that has a special and different meaning for many of the people who identify with it. This includes infants, children and young people, and adults who may choose to identify as ‘care experienced’. Reasons for this could include that they feel it describes the situation that they have grown up in, or that this describes an understanding of their personal identity. However, not everyone who could identify as ‘care experienced’ will choose to do so for a number of reasons, including that for some people it may feel like a stigmatising term.
The Promise also tells us that a universal definition of ‘care experience’ will help to normalise care as more people can understand and relate to it. In Scotland, there are a number of rights and entitlements that are designed to support people with experience of care as children, young people and adults. The Promise explains that there must be a more universal, commonly understood definition so that everyone can understand these rights and entitlements fully.
In response to its commitment to keep The Promise, The Scottish Government’s Keeping the Promise Implementation Plan sets out the cross-Government actions and policies that will be taken to bring about the transformational change required to keep the Promise by 2030. This includes a commitment to work with partners across Scotland, including The Promise Scotland, to develop a universal and inclusive definition of ‘care experience’ so that more people can understand and identify with it.
This consultation is part of a wider package of consultation and engagement taking place in 2024 on areas of work being progressed to keep the Promise.
How to respond:
The consultation will run for 12 weeks and will remain open for responses until 8 January 2025.
In order to respond, please use the Scottish Government’s consultation hub Citizen Space, which can be accessed online Developing a Universal Definition of ‘Care Experience’. There are no restrictions on who can respond to the consultation.
A series of in-person and online events will be held to provide the opportunity for you to share your views as part of a wider discussion. Further information on upcoming events and how to be part of these will be shared at a later date. Keep an eye out on the ScotGov website for this.
If you are unable to or choose not to respond using the consultation hub, please complete the Respondent Information Form included in this document and send your responses and consultation questions to keepingthepromiseconsultations@gov.scot
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