In the final days before parliament dissolved in Scotland, a hopeful and significant piece of legislation passed, securing rights for care experienced children across Scotland. The legislation marks an important step forward in recognising their needs, strengthening support, and addressing long-standing inequalities within the care system.
God’s strongest words are against those who exploit the vulnerable, especially children. He is the advocate and protector of the vulnerable and marginalised, and we ought to reflect Him. “Woe to those who make unjust laws… to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed.” (Isaiah 10:1 – 2)
No government can replace a family. But when the state becomes responsible for children who cannot live safely at home, it must act with the consistency, protection and perseverance that every good parent seeks to show. As Christ’s hands and feet, we must care about them, defend them, speak up for them when they cannot speak up for themselves and not let them be abandoned in a country that has the means to serve them.
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” (James 1:27)
What Christians need to know about The Children (Care and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill.
This bill exists because Scotland’s care system has not yet fully delivered on the vision of The Promise, that every child should grow up loved, safe and respected. Many care-experienced children and adults still struggle to have their voices heard, and access to support can depend on technical definitions rather than genuine need. Under current law, some young people lose guaranteed aftercare support simply because of the age they left care. This creates a cliff edge that fails to recognise a simple reality: no one becomes independent overnight at 18, or even at 26. The bill seeks to ensure that support is based on need rather than arbitrary age thresholds.
There are also concerns about the role of profit in children’s residential care. Nearly half of Scotland’s children’s homes are privately run, and the Competition and Markets Authority has reported significant annual profit per placement. Many believe that public money intended to care for vulnerable children should not generate excessive financial return. The bill would give ministers powers to limit excessive profit and move fostering provision towards a not-for-profit principle.
Kinship care, where children live with relatives or close family friends, accounts for around 35% of children in care in Scotland. These carers often step in at great personal cost, reducing working hours and taking on full parental responsibility. Yet they frequently receive less financial and practical support than other forms of care. There is growing cross-party recognition that this imbalance needs to be addressed.
Children’s services are also fragmented across local authorities, NHS boards and integration bodies, which can result in gaps and inconsistency. The bill strengthens duties of these bodies to work together more effectively in planning and delivering support.
At its heart, this legislation raises a moral question about how we treat vulnerable children. Are systems structured around their wellbeing, or around administrative convenience and financial return? For Christians seeking to engage or pray into this issue, the focus is clear: that children in care would be heard, protected and loved; that financial incentives would never outweigh their wellbeing; that kinship carers would be properly supported; and that policymakers would act with wisdom, integrity and compassion.
We are believing for
A Scotland where children are, and feel, loved, safe and respected.
A Scotland where it is unacceptable to profit from vulnerable children.
A Scotland where kinship carers are supported and valued.
A Scotland where children feel they have people they can go to, even when they are no longer young.
A church who increasingly support these children, whether it’s financially or through becoming workers, carers or supporters themselves.
“Hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not have, we wait for it patiently.” (Romans 8:24 – 25)
