The Campaign
Why does independent advocacy matter?
Advocacy in Action
FAQs
The Campaign
For over 50 years, reports and inquiries have said the same thing: young people need a say in the decisions that affect their lives. Independent advocates make sure that happens and that Care Experienced people know their rights and their options.
In 2025, we had the opportunity to make this a reality. Read a timeline of the campaign below.
The Launch
February 2025
Two years ago, we launched our Lifelong Rights Campaign calling for lifelong rights for all Care Experienced people. A key part of this is the right to lifelong, independent advocacy.
The Promise made it clear: Care Experienced children and adults must have the right and access to independent advocacy, at all stages of their experience of care and beyond (The Promise, p.115)
Yet, six years later, Care Experienced people were telling us a different story. Many still struggle to access independent advocacy when they need it most.
In 2025, we launched our Action on Advocacy as we knew we had the opportunity to change this. With the Promise Bill to be announced, we called for the right to lifelong independent advocacy to be included on the face of the Bill.
Read our Policy memorandum
Stage 2
February 2026
Stage 2 saw us working to improve and strengthen the bill even further. We called for defining independence on the face of the bill, to make sure that advocacy is truly independent with only the interests of the Care Experienced people it serves at the heart.
We also called for other changes including accountability and reporting to be built into the bill, to make sure that there was more tracking on the progress for keeping the Promise.
Watch an overview of Stage 2
Stage 1
September 2025
Whilst advocacy was included in the first draft of the Bill, it didn’t include independence – which is essential to ensure there is no conflict of interest and they work only for the person and operate completely free from outside influence.
Stage 1 saw us bring over 35 Care Experienced members to the Scottish Parliament, sharing their views on what could be improved in the Bill including why advocacy needs to be independent. They also discussed other areas like aftercare and profit in residential care. Laura, our Policy and Public Affairs Manager gave evidence to the Education, Children and Young People committee reflecting the views of Who Cares? Scotland’s members.
Our influencing was successful! Stage 1 saw many MSPs speaking about our campaign in the debate and the committee recommending our calls.
Watch an overview of Stage 1
Stage 3
March 2026
Stage 3 saw the final changes being made and the final vote the Bill passed unanimously. This showed a shared determination across all political parties to secure better outcomes for Care Experienced children, young people and families.
Now the focus turns to the next step: putting the Act into action to make real change in the lives of Care Experienced people. At Who Cares? Scotland, we’ll be there every step of the way to make sure every Care Experienced person in Scotland can access this right to independent advocacy whenever they need it.
Watch an overview of Stage 3
Why does independent advocacy matter?
Whether it’s helping a young person reunite with their brother or sister, signposting Care Experienced adults to critical housing support, or accompanying a young person to their Children’s Hearing, independent advocacy is a vital and valuable service for all Care Experienced people who need it.
Our 2023 Summer of Participation findings show that 93% of Care Experienced people we surveyed supported the right to independent, relationship-based, lifelong advocacy. This overwhelming consensus motivated our campaign calls.
Here’s what our members who helped shape this campaign said:
We should always have our voice heard! And not just from social workers, they don’t always know us well enough. It’s good to be someone independent.
Age doesn’t mean at one point there’s a fairy wand waved that fixes my issues and concerns brought about by my disability and care experience. I think no matter the age, this burden can follow you so the appropriate supports should be alongside you. My advocate helps make clear my rights to supports as well as helping me with day-to-day things like applying for college care experienced bursaries.
People need to remember that some things are too hard to talk about and when in care we are not comfortable talking about or bringing up in meetings and the Advocate can do this for us. Sometimes it’s just too hard to be part of things or even be there and the Advocate can do this.
Having an advocate can be a lifeline to young people and adults. You might not be prepared as an adult to deal with issues in life, you might not have been taught because you are care experienced. Who would you turn to? There is a lot of things I needed help with and without advocacy support I wouldn’t have what I have now. I wouldn’t have been able to have half of the stuff I have without advocacy that’s why it’s important.
We should always have our voice heard! And not just from social workers, they don’t always know us well enough. It’s good to be someone independent.
I didn’t know half my rights until my advocate spoke to me about them. Some care experienced people need extra help as their life might have been extra tough. I’m 18 now and will need help for a long time. I wouldn’t want that taken away from me. We should get the help we need when we need it. It doesn’t matter the age.
People need to remember that some things are too hard to talk about and when in care we are not comfortable talking about or bringing up in meetings and the Advocate can do this for us. Sometimes it’s just too hard to be part of things or even be there and the Advocate can do this.
Personally, independent advocacy has made a big difference to me, it feels like it’s helped me a lot to express my feelings and get my point across about things I probably would never have opened up about. I think you should be able to have an advocate at any age as you can still struggle to express yourself when you are older, and you still need to have that person who can help you to tell people how you feel.
My advocate always has my back and isn’t scared to say the things I am scared to say.
Advocacy in Action
Through our participation work, advocacy evidence, and Lifelong Helpline, we have built a picture of the ongoing challenges Care Experienced people face and the vital role independent advocacy plays in their lives.
We have created our Advocacy in Action series to bring these experiences to life.
Finn and Iona’s Story
Brother and sister Finn and Iona have spent their lives moving through the care system, facing challenges that often keep them apart. Their story explores how independent advocacy helps Care Experienced brothers and sisters stay connected and have their voices heard.
Read Finn and Iona’s Story
Sam’s Story
Sam is neurodivergent and often struggles to communicate his views, needs, and wishes. When child protection concerns arise about his well-being, he is referred to independent advocacy to ensure his rights are upheld and his views are communicated in a way that suits him.
Read Sam’s Story
Emily’s Story
Frequent placement and school moves disrupt the lives of many Care Experienced young people, making stability one of the top advocacy issues raised by our members. Emily’s story reflects these real concerns and highlights how advocacy helps secure the consistency and support young people need.
Read Emily’s Story
Jessica’s Story
Jessica has complex communications needs, uses
a wheelchair and requires constant care from staff at her residential home. She communicates in her own way, through what she enjoys, how she reacts and what makes her feel safe.
With the help of an advocate working on a non-instructed basis, Jessica’s views and rights are represented in her care planning, even when she can’t speak them aloud.
Read Jessica’s Story
Campaign FAQs
Who will be eligible?
Our campaign call has been clear: every Care Experienced person, no matter their age, care type or stage of life, must have a right to independent advocacy.
In the next stage of the campaign, we will be calling to ensure that no Care Experienced person will be excluded from this right.
Check out our eligibility resource below for a full breakdown.
When will these changes comes into effect?
The Bill has passed Stage 3 and it has received royal assent. As it is now an Act, the government will begin to announce work on implementing the Bill. Therefore, many of these sections will be introduced later on. For now, your rights as a Care Experienced person stay the same.
Want to know what your rights are and what you’re eligible for? Contact our Lifelong Advocacy Helpline.
What’s next?
The unanimous support for the Bill at the final stage showed a shared determination across all political parties to secure better outcomes for the Care Experienced community.
We know that legislation is only part of the jigsaw. However, the recognition of the importance of independent advocacy is a step in the right direction.
However, the available data shows that Care Experienced people still do not have the same life outcomes as their non Care Experienced peers. The Lifelong Rights Campaign is our commitment to change this.