The death of 13 year old Blake Ross, who lived in care in Edinburgh, provided the saddest of reminders of why the Scottish Government review of Scotland’s care system is overdue.
The circumstances which led up to his death will be examined in reviews by the Police watchdog and the local child protection committee. But regardless of why, he joins a miserable statistical record.
Only four percent of young people in care go to university, nearly half will have mental health problems, almost one third will become homeless - and a young person who has been in care is more likely to be dead by age 21. Duncan Dunlop, chief executive of Who Cares? Scotland revealed that Blake was the third young person from a care background known to the charity who has died since Christmas.
The statistics were rehearsed by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last week in announcing the appointment of Fiona Duncan, chief executive of the Lloyds TSB foundation to chair the review. The choice of Ms Duncan has been welcomed, but in many ways who is head o f the care review matters less than how it goes about its business and in particular the way it realises the commitment that the review will be driven by young people themselves.
Mr Dunlop believes the crux of the problem is an inability of the system to provide love for children who cannot get nurturing or protection they need in their original home. It sounds simplistic, but it is in reality profound in its potential consequences for the system.
A separate announcement has seen a rebranding of the fund set up to provide support for victims of in care childhood abuse. It will be known as Future Pathways. For those who were abused, a lack of love was often compounded by terrible betrayals. But I have spoken to many abuse victims over the years for whom the sense of not being loved has simply crippled them for life. A future path of any positive kind can be almost impossible for those who through anger, depression, through education denied, are unable to move on.
The fund has its work cut out. But so does the review, because only by transforming the care system can we ensure positive futures for children who we should not forget are often significantly damaged before they even come into state care.
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