Duncan Dunlop says with only 7% of people who have been in care going straight to university from high school something had to be done
As the chief executive of Who Cares? Scotland, I welcome with delight the announcement from the first minister that every care experienced young person who has the grades will be guaranteed a place in higher education alongside a bursary of £7,625. Taking effect from the academic year 2017/18, this commitment comes on the back of the recommendations made in the final report from Dame Ruth Silver’s Commission on Widening Accesspublished on 14 March.
Who Cares? Scotland is a charity whose sole mission is to achieve equality for children and young people looked after by the state. We know that these children and young people, and their experience of care – whether that be social work involvement with their family, living with their gran or aunty instead of their mum or their dad, living away from home with foster carers or in a children’s home – can affect their futures regardless of how short or long they experience care for. 85% of Scotland's 16,000 children in care taken into care because of neglect, not because they have done anything wrong. However, sometimes this warranted intervention to keep them safe from harm means that later on in life they experience some of the poorest life outcomes in our country.
85% of Scotland's 16,000 children in care taken into care because of neglect, not because they have done anything wrong
Duncan Dunlop
With only 7% going straight to university from high school – compared to 39% of their peers – it is clear that education outcomes need to be better. It’s not that these young people aren’t capable or don’t have dreams about what they want to do when they grow up; it’s that somewhere along the way in their care experience, thoughts about their future are often outweighed by thoughts about their present.
Importantly, with this announcement, the Scottish Government has continued to listen to the views of care experienced young people and Dame Ruth Silver took on board these views when finalising the recommendations for the report.
The cross-party support for this is also admirable with Kezia Dugdale writing an open letter to the first minister following the report’s publication showing her party’s commitment to put politics aside for the benefit of these young people. Now we must work together with the next Scottish Government to get this implemented for 2017. This will include collaboration with the Student Awards Agency for Scotland (SAAS) who would administer the bursary; and all those workers, carers and agencies around the care experienced young person whose role it is to help them achieve their dreams and ambitions for their future. I know that not having to worry about amounting huge levels of debt will go a long way to helping them realise their dreams. I call on everyone in Scotland to do what they can to champion and care for these young people. These are Scotland’s children and they are part of Scotland’s future.
Duncan Dunlop is chief executive of Who Cares? Scotland.
