YOUNG people leaving care are still being left homeless and at risk, in unsuitable hostels surrounded by drugs, or too afraid to sleep at night – despite a Scottish Government “promise” to ensure they are given a safe and loving home for as long as needed, The Ferret has heard.
The failures are being highlighted by a new report – due to be released this week – which calls for urgent action to be taken to prevent homelessness for care leavers.
The “progress report”, which The Ferret was given exclusive sight of, marks the fifth anniversary of then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s flagship care review – known as “The Promise”.
The Promise – aimed at improving the life chances of children in care homes, foster and other forms of state care – was launched in February 2020. It said all children in the care system must grow up “loved, safe and respected”. Its recommendations are due to be fully implemented by 2030.
But now The Promise oversight board, appointed to oversee the commitment, has made a sharp critique of the Scottish Government’s failure to address youth homelessness in its latest report, due to be published on Wednesday, February 5.
While commending progress in some other areas, the report will say that the oversight board’s direct requests for the Government to address the number of children leaving care homeless have gone unheeded.
“No reasonable explanation” has been given as to why action has not been taken, according to the report.
The chair of the review’s oversight board told The Ferret that “the promise has already been broken to some young people” and said the commitments to young people in care could not be fulfilled unless their right to a home was upheld.
In the past two years, there has been a 14% increase in care leavers under 25 being homeless or threatened with homelessness, according to the latest Scottish homeless data.
Pressure on housing is well established. In May 2024, the Scottish Government announced a national housing emergency, following similar declarations by councils in Glasgow and Edinburgh the year before.
The Scottish Government said tackling the housing emergency for everyone – including those in care – would “remain the Scottish Government’s focus for 2025”.
The row over the lack of homeless support dates back to October 2022 when the Scottish Government “paused” a 2019 agreement with local authorities which stated young people leaving care should have priority for housing support.
Both letters made the link between homelessness and the raised risk of “tragic early death” for young care leavers. Yet despite follow-up meetings, the policy has remained stubbornly on hold.
The oversight board’s latest report disputes the Government’s claim that “current action is sufficient” and reassurance that “local authorities are continuing to prioritise young care leavers”, pointing out that the homeless statistics show the situation is getting worse, not better.
“We strongly urge the Government to either reinstate or replace this provision,” the report adds. “The right to a home is fundamental to The Promise being kept.”
The report also calls for more affordable homes, particularly those suited for larger families, and for action to be taken on the number of children spending months or longer in temporary accommodation, which puts pressure on already stretched families.
Speaking to The Ferret, the board’s chair, David Anderson, acknowledged work towards resolving the issue was ongoing. Last Thursday, a Scottish Government official emailed him requesting a further meeting and claimed the Government is “confident” it will be able to “find the resources to progress further the homelessness prevention pathway for care leavers”.
He also stressed that there were examples of good and positive work, such as The National House Project in Fife, where young people are given support to transition to independent living.
But Anderson, who grew up in care, added: “On this issue, though, progress is not happening fast enough.
“What young people need is not just housing – it’s a home. We know that without safe and supportive housing, young people are at risk of being exploited. We know of young people who are so scared in the places they are staying that they would prefer to leave even though they are homeless.
“When I was 16, I was in a flat barricading myself in because I didn’t feel safe. And what we are hearing is this is still happening. Scotland is not a big country – we should be able to change this.”
He said implementing The Promise by 2031 was “still achievable” but added: “We don’t have a minute left to waste.”
The Ferret spoke to young people and youth workers who said vulnerable young people leaving care – some under 18 – are being placed in homeless hostels with adults where they are being put at risk. Emily Cutts, founder of Glasgow’s G20 Works – a youth project in a deprived housing estate in the north west of the city – said it was still “almost impossible to find suitable accommodation for vulnerable young people” due to long waiting lists.
“We have seen under-18s being placed in hostels with drug addicts and other vulnerable adults where they are in danger,” she added. “Most often these places have no safeguarding or support in place.”
One young person supported by the charity felt so unsafe that they placed a bike in front of their door and left without being able to sleep. “There are some really great services but there are simply not enough of them,” added Cutts. “People need to think, ‘what if it was my child?’”
Other charities confirmed the issues were Scotland-wide. Charity Who Cares? Scotland saw 440 over-16s from 2021 to 2024 who raised housing issues, 37% of whom were homeless. “Something isn’t working,” said Kenny Murray, the charity’s deputy director. “Housing is the foundation that young people can build their lives around. We now need to see a route map of how this is going to be addressed. Who is responsible? And how will they be held to account?”
Scottish Labour’s children and young person’s spokesperson Martin Whitfield said the “damning comments” made by the Promise oversight board “lay bare the SNP Government’s shameful betrayal of care experienced young people”.
He called on the Government to “listen to these warnings and act now”.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said that tackling the housing emergency and supporting children in temporary accommodation “will remain the Scottish Government’s focus for 2025 and work to prevent homelessness, including for care leavers and young people, is part of this response”.
