Appendix 1 - Action Plan 2025-2030 Annual Update
Perth and Kinross Council · 27 May 2026
Back to Learning and Families Committee — 27 May 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
Appendix 1 Corporate Parenting Plan 2025 - 2030 Action Plan 2025-2030 Annual Update The actions are divided into the five foundations of The Promise and are based on consultations and feedback from services. VOICE Children must be listened to and meaningfully and appropriately involved in decision-making about their care, with all those involved properly listening and responding to what children want and need. There must be a compassionate, caring, decision-making culture focussed on children and those they trust. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequency Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 Children and Young People will be meaningfully involved in all decisions around them and their care. 1 Develop linkages between locality Champions Boards and decision makers to ensure opportunity to influence policy. January 2027 How many meetings per year occurred Annually Services for Young People HM LR 10 corporate parents including Councillors attended session with youth workers highlighting Corporate Parenting, and the forthcoming Bill. Information shared with full council and all Councillors are going to make pledges. Councillor visits to Champs boards have taken place and more have been planned with Councillors taking action around issues affecting young people. Dates have been arranged for Strategic Lead for Education to visit Champ’s Boards. 2 Complete an Audit of all meetings concerning children and young people to October 2025 Audit to take place and young Annually Review Team LM The Review Team have completed an Audit of Children and Young People’s participation in Looked After Review Meetings over a 3-month
Page 2
VOICE Children must be listened to and meaningfully and appropriately involved in decision-making about their care, with all those involved properly listening and responding to what children want and need. There must be a compassionate, caring, decision-making culture focussed on children and those they trust. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequency Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 ensure opportunities are given for their voice to be heard. people to be consulted period. This Audit will be completed annually over a quarterly period. The Audit Tool can be adapted to measure Young People’s participation in different meetings and forums. Currently we are consulting with YP through Champs Board to gather views on changing the name of Looked After Review Meetings. We notify Independent Advocacy Perth and Kinross (IPAK) of all YP over 5 years who become Looked After or have a CPPM arranged. IPAK then connect with the child’s SW and contact with the family. 3 Review all paperwork submitted to formal meetings in Education and Social work to ensure that this is child friendly and Jan 2027 Audit to take place and young people to be consulted Annually Review Team LM/SW/EW The Person-Centred Case Recording Working Group is looking at language. The review team are mindful of writing directly to some young people i.e. leaving care reviews or where they have attended to give and seek feedback.
Page 3
VOICE Children must be listened to and meaningfully and appropriately involved in decision-making about their care, with all those involved properly listening and responding to what children want and need. There must be a compassionate, caring, decision-making culture focussed on children and those they trust. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequency Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 easily understood and decisions are well documented. Unfortunately, due to capacity we are not yet able to do this for all YP. The review team have revised letters sent to YP and Families inviting them to reviews and are working with the communication on other accessible information on reviews. Also, we are commencing gaining feedback on reviews 4 Support the development of independent Advocacy opportunities for children and young people of all ages by expanding service to children under 8. January 2027 Number of children and young people accessing advocacy and ages Quarterly Independent Advocacy Perth and Kinross JH SF This past year Independent Advocacy Perth and Kinross has supported 218 children and young people (CYP). 38 of those were under 8. 13 of the 218 CYP referrals were supported with children’s hearings only. All other 205 CYP have been supported to hearings and additional meetings such as LACs and CPPMs. This is thanks to the funding from both Scottish Government and PKC that enables IAPK to support a young person throughout their corporate parenting journey. A provision the
Page 4
VOICE Children must be listened to and meaningfully and appropriately involved in decision-making about their care, with all those involved properly listening and responding to what children want and need. There must be a compassionate, caring, decision-making culture focussed on children and those they trust. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequency Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 Government are keen to replicate and roll out across Scotland. 5 Agree a partnership definition of Care Experience which reflects national practice and legislation to ensure that those children and young people gain all their entitlements. January 2027 Clear definition for all to use Annually Promise Delivery Group LR The definition of care experience is contained within the new CCECSP Act which has newly been published. This will be agreed at the next Corporate Parenting Sub-group and shared within the partnership. 6 Agree language to be used in partnership to provide consistency in all matters that affect care experienced Children and Young People. January 2027 Agreement reached Annually Promise Delivery Group and Champions Boards HM PM Review Officers have attended a course on language which will be used to underpin the methodology in the case recording working group. Work is ongoing to agree this across the partnership Youth Work Modern apprentice delivering language session to Skills development Scotland. Youth Workers are to advise on PKC Language Charter in collaboration with champs
Page 5
VOICE Children must be listened to and meaningfully and appropriately involved in decision-making about their care, with all those involved properly listening and responding to what children want and need. There must be a compassionate, caring, decision-making culture focussed on children and those they trust. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequency Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 7 Develop information to ensure that Children and Young People know what is being shared and by whom. January 2027 Information available Annually Promise Delivery Group and Champions Boards DM SW HM Work is ongoing to progress this. 8 Deliver talking mats training to all Education staff. June 27 Number of practitioners trained Annually Education and Learning EW 10% of Primary Schools have a trained practitioner (7/69 schools) 54% of Secondary Schools have a trained practitioner (6/11 schools) There are 166 members for our EDMS Talking Mats Site across all education sectors. Training for practitioners in Intensive Support Provisions (ISPs) across Primary and Secondary Schools has been prioritised. We have practitioners in our peripatetic EAL team and outreach team trained which makes this service available to more establishments. 9 Introduce robust system of feedback from Corporate Parenting sub-group to the champions JAN 2027 System in place Annually Promise Delivery Group TBC Quarterly meetings and returns in place so information can be shared with Champs as and when required.
Page 6
VOICE Children must be listened to and meaningfully and appropriately involved in decision-making about their care, with all those involved properly listening and responding to what children want and need. There must be a compassionate, caring, decision-making culture focussed on children and those they trust. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequency Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 boards about issues that are raised. 10 Establish routine opportunities for Corporate Parents to meet with young people. JAN 2027 Calendar of opportunities Annually Promise Delivery Group and Champions Boards HM 10 Corporate Parents including Councillors attended session with youth workers highlighting corporate parenting, and the forthcoming Bill. Councillor visits to champ's boards have taken place and more have been planned with Councillors acting on issues affecting young people. FAMILY Where children are safe in their families and feel loved they must stay – and families must be given support together to nurture that love and overcome the difficulties which get in the way. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 Children and Young People will remain within their birth family as long as it is safe to do so. Families will be provided with the 1 Investment in universal supports through Whole Family Wellbeing Fund.to target those in most need. Data number of families supported. March 2027 Data collected through Whole Family Wellbeing oversight group re Annually Whole Family Wellbeing oversight group CM 69 families attended programmes delivered by the parent and family team. During the first two quarters of the financial year (April to September) a total of 30 new families received one to one support from the service (in addition to 7 families who were still
Page 7
FAMILY Where children are safe in their families and feel loved they must stay – and families must be given support together to nurture that love and overcome the difficulties which get in the way. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 support they need for as long as they need it. and reduction of open Social Work Involvements will show progress. number of families receiving a service open to the service from the period Jan – April) by Families Empowering Communities In addition to one to one support, 54 families attended universal community events (61 adults and 98 children), and a further 42 families regularly engage with thematic groups (e.g. wellbeing groups, dad’s only groups and family play groups) that develop peer support. (NB some of these may be the same families) During the reporting period, 66 children were referred into the COPE service, with the majority (43%) being referred by the Child Protection and Duty Team. Overall, a total of 103 families were provided with support during April to September 2025 by Aberlour. 2 Develop support for pregnant woman who have previously lost children to care. January 2027 Support in place Annually Children and Families Social Work SW Birch project has begun working and impact will be monitored We are looking at developing further longer-term support through Families Empowering Communities and hope to visit a couple of projects for learning before developing our own service.
Page 8
FAMILY Where children are safe in their families and feel loved they must stay – and families must be given support together to nurture that love and overcome the difficulties which get in the way. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 3 Through partnership working increasing attendance and attainment of care experienced children and young people. January 2027 Collect attendance data Collect attainment data Quarterly Annually Education and Learning EW AK LR CE Tracking has been established with monthly data taken and a quarterly report is prepared for the RAB CE subgroup. Fall in attendance data for CYP Looked After at Home, which resulting in an Attendance focus to review planning for CYP Looked After at Home. 33 CYP had attendance below 90%. Findings from this focus are being taken forward to improve attendance. PIL(E) Scaffolding - Development sessions with Youth Workers around understanding the Staged Framework for Attendance in schools and assessments to support identifying barriers for attendance and participation. Attending Social Work Team Meetings to highlight new CE Guidance for Education and Inclusion resources including the Staged Framework for Attendance in schools and assessments to support identifying barriers for attendance and participation. Emphasising the requirement for clearly defined joint outcomes in Education Children’s Young People’s Plans (CYPPs).
Page 9
FAMILY Where children are safe in their families and feel loved they must stay – and families must be given support together to nurture that love and overcome the difficulties which get in the way. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 Reviewing Education CYPPs on an individual basis to ensure a joint understanding of ASN have been identified and are planned for. Focus on CY Looked After at Home. February 2026: Average attendance across primary and secondary from children Looked After at Home (LAC) has improved slightly, in line with slight increase in CYP who are not Care Experienced. There is a persistent gap that remains between these groups, particularly those who are LAC. 4 Publicise and support families to access Welfare Rights Team to ensure income maximisation. January 2027 Welfare rights referrals Annually Promise delivery group ALL Teams supporting families are directed towards welfare rights if required. More publicity is planned 5 Develop information and support to Adoptive families and Kinship carers not currently known to Social Work. January 2027 Support in place Annually Looked After Services DM Funding to support the delivery of support to kinship carers via Tayside Council on Alcohol to deliver in Letham has been made available. If this is successful further programmes will be rolled out. Support to Adoptive parents is available through the Adoption team.
Page 10
FAMILY Where children are safe in their families and feel loved they must stay – and families must be given support together to nurture that love and overcome the difficulties which get in the way. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 We are seeking feedback as to development of this support 6 Review supports for children who are in care and living with their parents to ensure they are receiving the right supports. June 2027 Review of all supports Annually Promise Delivery Group SW This group of children and young people have attracted a focus over past several months. We are developing a particular support around those whose attendance is below 85%. This involves Youth Workers and two new workers who will dedicate support in the home, find out what issues are and ensure there are supports to meet need. This pilot project will give insight into supports required. 7 Further develop the multi-agency screening hub (MASH) to ensure the right support is reaching families before risks escalate. June 2027 Audit of referrals and outcomes Annually Fieldwork services SW BC This is being monitored to ensure the right supports are in place. Impact will be measured with the number of families that are being re-referred. 221 families were referred in the past year with supports being provided through early intervention.
Page 11
CARE Where living with their family is not possible, children must stay with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so and belong to a loving home, staying there for as long as needed. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 1 Increase the number of children and young people who are in care and living with the siblings they lived with prior to accommodation. January 2027 Number of brothers and sister who are living together in care Quarterly Looked After Services ALL Data is being developed with mosaic to measure the number of brothers and sisters who were living together prior to accommodation who are still living together. CREST continue to promote the use of Family Group Decision Making and the Connections toolkit. Facilitate discussions on connections/family relationships in review meetings 2 Reduce those children and young people who are living in external foster and residential placements by recruitment and retention of Foster Carers and Kinship Carers. January 2027 Number of children and young people living in external placement s fostering and residential Quarterly Services for Children and Families Social Work LR As of end of Jan 2026, we have 13 Children in residential care and 14 in purchased foster placements. We continue to meet our need for foster care within our own resources and the last foster care placement purchased was in January 2023. Recruitment has continued to be a challenge, but we have had some success. Our growth in kinship care and the support offered has been a significant contribution to the lowering of the foster care numbers. Of the 13 in residential care, we have a further 2 to transition out, one is waiting on an adult care support
Page 12
CARE Where living with their family is not possible, children must stay with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so and belong to a loving home, staying there for as long as needed. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 package and the other is waiting for his tenancy to be allocated. We unfortunately have seen one new placement and another about to be made this year for primary age children who have significant needs. We are monitoring this situation to ensure this doesn’t become a trend. 3 Increase capacity of Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) team to ensure all children and young people who are new into care have the opportunity to have the process. January 2027 Number of FGDM processes undertake n Quarterly Services for Children and Families Social Work LM LR Capacity has not been increased yet but is under review 4 Strengthen support for care leavers through appropriate housing support. January 2027 Number of tenancies sustained and number of young people who are deemed homeless Annually Youth Housing Support Group BH The Youth Housing Support Group have been meeting regularly and is working well. The group is allowing for planned transitions into tenancies for young people who are leaving care resulting in no emergencies in the past year. Bringing the resources together has helped develop a sense of collaboration, sharing of skills and matching based on need.
Page 13
CARE Where living with their family is not possible, children must stay with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so and belong to a loving home, staying there for as long as needed. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 From April 25 till December 25, 28 young people were supported towards appropriate accommodation. 14 were open to the Throughcare and Aftercare team and the other 14 had been open to and were receiving other supports from Youthwork, Employability or SCOPE 5 Strengthen transition support by introducing pathway planning on mosaic and therefore ensuring planning is consistent and transparent. January 2027 Number of pathway plans introduced Annually Services for Young People BH Pathway planning has been introduced for all Care Experienced Young People (CEYP) who are eligible. Since August 2025 32 Pathway plans have been introduced and 7 reviews have taken place. Pathway Plans are in place for all recently accommodated Children Alone Seeking Asylum (CASA) Young People/under 18’s; for those over 18, the replacement of Wellbeing Assessments with Pathway Plans is underway with more than half completed. Interpreters are routinely provided so Young People can fully participate in decisions, reviewing
Page 14
CARE Where living with their family is not possible, children must stay with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so and belong to a loving home, staying there for as long as needed. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 6 Improve communication for young people in transition including a duty number and points of contact. January 2027 Audit of support available Annually Services for Young People BH Communication points are being developed. Updates/ emergency contacts are given to young people via a WhatsApp group – easily translated and cost free for those who do not speak English and/or have data allowance on phone. Transition workshops have taken place to produce an interactive flowchart for workers, this will have easy read materials for Young People, information for Professionals and Families. This is an interagency approach including Children, Families and Justice, Education, SCOPE and Health. This is expected to be ready for further consultation and use April 2026 7 Publicise the mental health and emotional wellbeing offer for our care experienced children and young people. June 2027 Audit of publicity and those taking up support Annually Mental Health Project Officer and Promise Deliver Group LJ Trauma training for caregivers in being developed by NES and Scottish Government and will be rolled out to carers in due course Youth Workers are trained in BLOOM early intervention mental health resilience to support CEYP.
Page 15
CARE Where living with their family is not possible, children must stay with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so and belong to a loving home, staying there for as long as needed. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 Children Alone Seeking Asylum (CASA) team has a bi-lingual sessional worker who offers 1:1 wellbeing support to young people on common issues such as sleep, anxiety and mild depression. Young people are easily referred in by keyworker, support is responsive and referrals made for longer term support when needed via NHS/GP. Currently part funded by a Home Office grant for those over 18 years old and reported figures for Oct/Nov is that 5 yp18+ accessing this support. There is a session planned for Host Families by this worker on some of the materials provided to young people e.g. Grounding Exercises/Tips for Improving Sleep 8 Develop training for carers on moving on and how to equip young people for independence. June 2027 Programm e developed and introduced Annually Promise Delivery Group and Champs Groups DM A further training programme is being developed to look at what young people need when becoming independent Youth workers are delivering independent living skills for young people in champs boards weekly.
Page 16
CARE Where living with their family is not possible, children must stay with their brothers and sisters where safe to do so and belong to a loving home, staying there for as long as needed. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 A Youth Worker has begun a programme focusing on tenancy preparation and general tenancy management for young people. The programme will be shared with carers. PEOPLE The children that Scotland cares for must be actively supported to develop relationships with people in the workforce and wider community, who in turn must be supported to listen and be compassionate in their decision-making and care High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/07/2025 1 To reduce breakdown of care arrangements, support to carers will be strengthen by training, carers not being overloaded and practical supports be January 2027 Number of unplanned endings in fostering and kinship arrangem ents Quarterly Services for Children and Young People Social Work DM Lessons from unplanned ending meetings being collated. This will inform future matching and support. We have seen a reduction in Foster Care breakdown and very few Kinship arrangements ending.
Page 17
PEOPLE The children that Scotland cares for must be actively supported to develop relationships with people in the workforce and wider community, who in turn must be supported to listen and be compassionate in their decision-making and care High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/07/2025 available when necessary. 2 Annual development day for those working with children and young people focusing on multi- agency working, sharing practice and the voice of our children and young people to promote a consistent and compassionate workforce. January 2027 Developm ent day to take place and feedback gained as impact Annually Promise delivery group LR Yet to be actioned 3 Establish the Care Experience Lead role in educational establishments and facilitate networks to develop the role. June 2027 Number of establishm ents with dedicate resource and impact Annually Education and Learning EW Update to be given at next meeting Information on the role of the Care Experienced Lead (Designated Manager) has been shared with Head Teachers by email and highlighted in the launch of the Care Experienced (CE) Guidance sessions. A narrated presentation is also available on the CE SharePoint page. February 2026: CE Networks have been launched for Primary and Secondary sectors with CE leads, and we have
Page 18
SCAFFOLDING Children, families, and the workforce must be supported by a system that is there when it is needed. The scaffolding of help, support, and accountability must be ready and responsive when it is required. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequency Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 1 Develop of a clear set of data which focuses on January 2027 Data set to be developed to evidence progress in Quarterly The Promise Delivery Group Data being developed in line with mosaic reporting PEOPLE The children that Scotland cares for must be actively supported to develop relationships with people in the workforce and wider community, who in turn must be supported to listen and be compassionate in their decision-making and care High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequen cy Lead service Update as of 31/07/2025 supported then to look at their data. for the coming year and information shared with Head Teachers. The Early Years session has taken place at their development day. Across all networks there has been a focus on Corporate Parenting and what schools can do to highlight the eLearning module available to PKC Learn CE SharePoint updated with materials.
Page 19
SCAFFOLDING Children, families, and the workforce must be supported by a system that is there when it is needed. The scaffolding of help, support, and accountability must be ready and responsive when it is required. High Level Outcome No. Action Timescale Measure Frequency Lead service Update as of 31/01/2026 outcomes and evidence progress. meeting promise using Promise Improvement Framework. LR 2 Develop an overview of children and young people on part-time timetables and ensure learning opportunities are maximised January 2027 Accurate information about the number of part-time timetables and the hours provided. Quarterly Education Promise Lead EW AK Youth Workers are gathering information on young people they are working with who are on a part- time timetable. This information is then being reviewed to ensure the right supports are in place and actions taken. Work will then expand to all those pupils to ensure the timetables are reviewed. 3 Training programme for staff working with children and young people on their rights in line with UNCRC. January 2027 Number of staff attending training Annually Children’s Rights Officer and Promise Delivery Group A/K Online training module has been developed a programme will be rolled out Progress to date 31/01/26 All actions have been allocated to a specific workers as leads
Page 20
Key HM - Heather McKenzie LR – Linda Richards LM – Louise McLean JH – Julie Hutton SF – Sarah Fogg PM – Paige Mitchell SW - Sheila Wilson EW – Elaine Watson CM – Carol McAuley AK – Alexa Keen DM – Dawn Millar Bh – Brian Hutton LJ – Lynsay Johnston