Efforts to improve the quality of life for care experienced children and young people in Dundee have been hailed as council chiefs aim to launch new three-year support plan.
A report due to go before the children and families service committee on Monday shows attainment levels for looked after children in the city have increased as a result of the council’s corporate parenting plan.
The plans, introduced in 2017, aim to ensure children in care and those leaving the system have the same opportunities as other young people in Dundee.
Youngsters are now more likely to engage and perform better in school – while exclusion rates have dropped compared to three years ago.
The number of vulnerable school leavers going onto positive destinations, such as further education or employment, has increased from 86.7% in 2017-18. to 87.5% in 2018-19.
We have all come a long way in the last three years, but I know that much more needs to be done for some of the most vulnerable children and young people in Dundee.”
Attainment levels have also increased for looked after youngsters in the city. In 2017-18, just 19.5% of S5 pupils gained SCQF Level 5 in literacy and numeracy compared to a “marked increase” to 27% in 2019-18.
Councillors will hear details next week on plans to launch a new three-year strategy to continue supporting vulnerable youngsters.
The plan will consider recommendations from the Independent Care Review, published in February, which urged the Scottish Government to consider the needs of care-experienced young people.
Depute children and families services convener Councillor Roisin Smith said: “The corporate parenting plan has made a real impact over the last three years and we are seeing more positive outcomes for young people.
“We can never be complacent and that is why the voices of these young people are always at the centre of the work that the council and its partners undertake.
“Learning is being taken on board all the time and I am keen that the recommendations of the Independent Care Review can make our next plan even stronger.
“We have all come a long way in the last three years, but I know that much more needs to be done for some of the most vulnerable children and young people in Dundee.
“The city has dedicated individuals and teams who are working hard to ensure that these young people can overcome the obstacles they face in their lives and can make a positive contribution to society.”
