26 September 2016

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon pledged to listen to 1,000 young people to improve the lives of children in care.

Ms Sturgeon made a commitment to the 1,000 voices manifesto – put together by Who Cares? Scotland and a coalition of charities – by meeting children and young people in Glasgow.

The First Minister said:

Every child should have the best start in life and an equal chance to succeed. Yet for far too many young people in care, and through absolutely no fault of their own, that’s not the case.”

Ms Sturgeon spoke to Ryan, Lynzy and Sylvia about their experiences:

Ms Sturgeon continued:

“Children and young people are the best advocates for change and I’ve heard some powerful stories of incredible strength and success in the most adverse of circumstances.

“Every person will have a different experience and over the next two years, I’ll spend time meeting many more young people or hearing their stories – to make meaningful, lasting change and ensure children in care get the same support, stability and life chances that the rest of us take for granted.”

Thank you @NicolaSturgeon for visiting us today & making a good start on listening to 1000 care experienced voices! pic.twitter.com/H5quW4gLGH

— Who Cares? Scotland (@WhoCaresScot) September 26, 2016