Friday October 2nd 2026
Fiona Duncan
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
Scottish Borders Council is fulfilling a “Promise” it made to vulnerable children in the region six years ago.
The local authority in its role as a ‘corporate parent’ aligned itself with Scotland’s Independent Care Review, which published its findings in 2020.
It outlined what the nation must do to transform care for vulnerable children and families by 2030.
The Promise was that “all Scotland’s children and young people will grow up loved, safe and respected so they can realise their full potential”.
In the Borders a dedicated Promise Team has been established, and a Champions Board approach has grown to offer more ways for care experienced young people to connect and influence change, and clearer partnership and governance arrangements have strengthened shared responsibility.
Children and young people are increasingly shaping services and decisions, while greater emphasis on rights, relationships, advocacy and trauma-informed practice is helping to embed the promise across local planning and everyday practice.
Organisations in the Scottish Borders came together this week to discuss the progress made.
The meeting saw local authority senior teams, elected members, corporate parents and members of the workforce joined by Fiona Duncan, the national independent strategic advisor of the Promise, who is paying fact-finding visits to all 32 local authorities.
Councillor Pirone, SBC’s Executive Member for Education, Youth Development and Lifelong Learning, said: “Keeping the Promise means making sure every child and young person in the Scottish Borders grows up loved, safe, respected and able to fulfil their potential.
“This meeting gave us an important opportunity to reflect on progress, hear directly from those working with children, young people and families, and identify where we must go further.
“As corporate parents, we have a shared responsibility to remove barriers, strengthen support and ensure the Promise continues to shape the decisions we make every day.”
The group discussed what is working well, and what is proving harder to achieve in keeping the Promise; that all of Scotland’s children and young people will grow up loved, safe and respected, so that they will realise their full potential.
While progress continues in the region, some wider challenges can make it harder to keep the Promise, including workforce and funding pressures, rurality and transport, and access to the right support at the right time.
Partners are committed to working together to address these barriers, learn from what children, young people and families say and make sure their experiences lead to meaningful and lasting change.
Hannah Hawthorn, Promise Lead Officer at SBC, said: “I’m really proud of the progress we have made to keep The Promise in the Scottish Borders, and of the commitment shown by children, young people, families and partners across our communities.
“We have come a long way, but there is still a great deal to do. We need to keep learning from children, young people and families, build on what is working and be honest about where change still needs to happen.
“Keeping the Promise is a shared responsibility. No one service or organisation can achieve it alone. It requires all of us to play our part so that every child and young person grows up loved, safe and respected, with the relationships, opportunities and support they need to thrive.”
Dr Sohail Bhatti, Director of Public Health at NHS Borders, said: “It was great for us engaged in delivering the Promise to meet with Fiona. She has galvanised us to redouble our efforts.
“Childhood is when health inequalities begin, so we can’t address these without the Promise and the partners who deliver and engage in it.”
Ms Duncan 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.”
For more information about the work to keep the Promise in the Scottish Borders, please contact the Promise Team at ChampsBoard@scotborders.gov.uk.
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