From better school attendance and attainment to stronger family support and giving young people a greater say, partners across Argyll and Bute are working together to deliver The Promise, helping care-experienced children and young people grow up loved, safe and supported to thrive.
This progress was celebrated at The Promise in Action in Argyll and Bute event at Oban High School on 12 November, which brought together care-experienced young people, council services and partner organisations to share learning, recognise achievements and identify how they can build on this work together.
Fiona Duncan, Independent Strategic Adviser to The Promise Scotland, joined the event as part of visits to all 32 Scottish local authority areas to hear more about achievements towards keeping The Promise by 2030.
Throughout the day, participants shared what is working well, considered where challenges remain and explored actions to help improve experiences and outcomes for care-experienced children, young people and families.
Across Argyll and Bute, partnership working is already making a difference. The council’s dedicated Care Experience Education Team, which includes a Virtual Head Teacher and four Health and Wellbeing Family Liaison Officers, works closely with young people, schools, families and partner agencies to improve attendance, engagement, attainment and wellbeing.
The impact of this collaborative approach can be seen in improving outcomes. School attendance among care-experienced pupils reached its highest level in five years and, for the second consecutive year, no care-experienced child or young person was excluded from school.
Attainment also improved in 2024-25, with the National 5 A-C pass rate increasing from 48% to 62% and the Higher A-C pass rate rising from 33% to 72%.
Argyll and Bute Council was also among the first local authorities to deliver Education Scotland’s I Promise Award, while its Chief Officers Group became the first local authority senior leadership team in Scotland to receive the We Promise Award. These achievements reflect the shared commitment across services to embed The Promise in everyday practice and decision-making.
Young people themselves are playing an increasingly important role in shaping that work. The recently launched Argyll and Bute Champs Board provides a dedicated, supportive space where care-experienced young people can share their views, take part in projects and influence decisions about the services and support that affect them.
The Champs Board will also strengthen young people’s voice within the Corporate Parenting Board, helping partners respond collectively to what young people say and turn their feedback into meaningful action.
Councillor Kieron Green, Argyll and Bute Council's Policy Lead for Education, said:
"Keeping The Promise means listening to care-experienced children and young people and, crucially, turning what they tell us into meaningful action.
"This event gave us an important opportunity to bring young people, partners and services together, reflect honestly on the progress we have made and look at where we can do more.
"We already have strong examples of positive work across Argyll and Bute, from our dedicated education support and partnership working to the new Champs Board, which gives young people a stronger voice in shaping the services that affect them.
"We know there is still more to do. By continuing to listen, learn and work together, we can improve support and opportunities and make a lasting difference for care-experienced children, young people and families across Argyll and Bute."
Fiona Duncan's visit to Argyll and Bute formed part of a programme of visits across Scotland, helping ensure that local experiences and learning contribute to national work to keep The Promise by 2030.
Speaking about The Promise, Fiona said:
“I know that there are thousands of people out there working hard every day to keep the promise. But I also know that this can be against a difficult backdrop of slow structural and system change. Being able to hear from them, learn from them, and share that is so important.
“We are over halfway to when the promise must be kept, there is not a minute to waste in creating change, so it’s vital that good practice can be replicated, and barriers can be understood and overcome.”
Evan Beswick, Chief Officer of Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership:
The Promise is such an important element of the work that the HSCP and our partners are doing across Argyll and Bute. I was therefore really delighted to be able to attend the event at Oban High School today to meet care experienced young people and listen to them about their concerns and experiences and what they need from the HSCP and our partners. The Promise has already been embedded in the delivery of many of the health and social care services that we provide across the Partnership area but I know there is still work to be done and we will continue to work closely with, and listen to, those children and young people who have experience of the care system.
