New Bill will aid children and young people

The Government has published details of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill.

The Bill proposes a range of measures, which include:

• Looked after two year olds and those with a kinship care order will receive the same entitlement as three and four year olds
• A named person for every child and young person from birth to safeguard and support their wellbeing, working with other bodies as required
• Providing kinship carers with more support from local authorities to increase family stability.

Minister for Children and Young People Aileen Campbell also announced an extra £10 million on top of the £20 million third sector fund to be shared between 45 organisations working closely with children, young people and families, as part of wider investment in prevention and early intervention. This lifts the total budget for the fund to £30 million over two years, an increase on the funding available over the previous two years.

A 12 week consultation on the Bill was launched in July 2012 and was accompanied by extensive stakeholder communication, including national engagement events with over 800 stakeholders and activities with nearly 2,400 children and young people.

The Children and Young People (Scotland) Bill will also increase the powers of Scotland’s Commissioner for Children and Young People as well as improving support for kinship carers, families and care leavers