Rules, processes and culture

By 2030, it will be clear that the primary purpose of care is to develop nurturing, kind, compassionate, trusting and respectful relationships so that children feel safe and loved (Pg 99). Relational practice with children and families is valued (Pg 100) and every care setting facilitates a relationship-based approach. Rules and regulations that get in the way of this will have been removed and the workforce will have been trained and supported to be attune to children's physical and emotional states (Pg 72).

This means:

• It will have been acknowledged that the previous system of rules and safeguards did not serve children well. Children's safety means having real, loving, and consistent relationships, which will be prioritised over rules and processes that fail to keep children safe. (Pg 17).
• Scotland will have broadened its understanding of risk. Risk will be contextualised with the differentiation between risk associated with crisis and risk associated with other behaviours (Pg 105).
• Children will be included in a meaningful loving way within their foster family without barriers. Rules and regulations support children to be fully included with the life of their foster carers (p.77).
• There will be no structural, systemic or cultural barriers, including regulatory barriers, for children and young people to have regular, positive experiences (Pg 104). For example, staying over at a friend’s house, going on holiday or having a relationship (Pg 88).
• Every care setting will facilitate a relationship-based approach (Pg 72) and the workforce will have received appropriate support and training to work in this way alongside children and families.
• Children will not be further stigmatised, and any rules that do so  (Pg 79/ 87).
• There will have been a reassessment of professional guidelines and boundaries to make kind and loving behaviour the norm (Pg 23). All caregivers will know that their primary purpose is to develop nurturing, patient, kind, compassionate, trusting and respectful relationships so that children in their care feel loved and safe (Pg 73).
• A strong ‘national values framework’ will be in place for all of Scotland’s workforce. These values will be multidisciplinary, and fundamental for people who work with children in any capacity including all those with ongoing parenting responsibilities for young adults(Pg 93/ 99).
• The workforce will have a different conception of risk taking, where risk taking is seen as a normal part of care. This shift in mindset will be underpinned by developing the confidence of the workforce (Pg 104).
• All of Scotland’s institutions, organisations, national bodies and Local Authorities are aware of, understand and fully implement all their parenting responsibilities. (Pg 93).
• There is support for the workforce to bring their whole selves to their work, to have a strong understanding of themselves, and to act in a way that feels natural and not impeded by a professional construct (Pg 101). Scotland will support and resource the workforce to put theory into good practice by supporting and building relationships with children (page 72).
• The workforce is supported and trusted to make sensible, thoughtful, caring judgments. Sometimes carers will make decisions to not allow a child or young person to do something. This will be understood as a normal part of growing up and will not need to be explained within the language of professional risk assessments. It is understood that those decisions come out of and are based on a relationship of trust, respect and love (Pg 88).

These statements and the page numbers referenced are taken from the promise report, published when the Independent Care Review concluded in 2020.