Scotland’s Good Practice in Permanence Guides have officially been published.
The Association for Fostering, Kinship & Adoption (AFKA) Scotland are delighted to share three Permanence Guides to support you in practice. The easily accessible and useable guides promote, support and safeguard the wellbeing of children and young people moving towards permanent family settings of Kinship Care, Foster Care and Adoption.
The three guides are:
- Building and Nurturing Connections
- Supporting Birth Families and;
- Supporting Families Providing Permanent Care.
The guides provide evidence informed practice guidance from early intervention, through permanence processes, obtaining a permanent order and supporting families beyond the order.
The guides emphasise the value and importance of sibling and sibling-like relationships for children and young people. They provide guidance for practitioners involved in the permanence process to support the early identification of important relationships for children, including specifically sibling and sibling-like relationships, and how to incorporate assessment, review, and support of these relationships into permanence planning and support. Sections include ‘Local authorities’ duties in respect of siblings’, ‘Plans for sibling contact when living apart’, and ‘Keeping in touch with siblings and sibling-like relationships’, amongst many others.
After 2 years in the making, and with the support of Scottish Government, we are delighted to announce that these guides are now available and can be viewed and downloaded via the AFKA website.
Natalie Don-Innes MSP, Minister for Children, Young People and the Promise, said:
“The Promise is clear that all children and young people in Scotland should receive the love, care and support to enable them to live happy and fulfilled lives. When children cannot remain at home, Scotland’s approach to permanence emphasises that kinship care, foster care and adoption all play vital and valued roles. As Minister for Children, Young People and the Promise, I welcome the publication of AFKA Scotland’s three Good Practice in Permanence Guides, developed collaboratively with the sector. These Guides offer clear, practical support for practitioners working with children and young people who need permanence, and I am grateful to AFKA Scotland and all those involved in developing them.”
The Guides can be accessed via the AFKA Scotland website, and we encourage you to share these guides with your colleagues.
