Reflections and recommendations on Continuing Care

The Scottish Government implemented Continuing Care through the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act in 2014. This guidance sets out that young people can remain in their placement up to the age of 21 after they cease to be looked after under a continuing care placement (CCP).

In 2018-19, 281 young people were recorded as ceasing to be looked after with a destination of Continuing Care or recorded as being in Continuing Care and eligible for aftercare, including those placed with both local authority and independent and voluntary provider (IVP) foster carers. However, these figures are likely to be underestimates of the number in Continuing Care as not all local authorities have been able to return this information.

Five years on, there have been areas of concern highlighted by membership organisations NAFP and Staf, raising some of the systemic/organisational issues and identifying a varying approach on a national level.