The Scottish government needs to wake up to the urgency of supporting children in care – their lives literally depend on it

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Care-experienced children are our children: the state is the parent and we’re all responsible for their care (Getty)

The tragic death of William Lindsay – the 16-year-old who reportedly killed himself while on remand at Polmont Young Offenders’ Institution last month despite having been flagged up as a suicide risk – is a damning indictment of the system when it comes to addressing the needs of our most damaged children and young people.

Too many children and young people in care, like William, are falling through the cracks. It is a poor reflection on us as a society that those children and young people who are care experienced are far more likely to have a mental health condition and are 20 times more likely to be dead by the age of 25, compared with those who have not been in care.

It is also shocking that we don’t even have an accurate roll call of those who have died in care. Care-experienced people will, however, rhyme off the names of their peers who are now dead often through drink, drugs, suicide or murder.

The “root and branch” review of Scotland’s care system commissioned by the Scottish government is to be welcomed, but will clearly take some time to deliver results. In the meantime we need as a society to do much more to support those who are care-experienced, and that includes adequate mental health support.

In this context, the Scottish government introduced a policy in 2014 that councils should provide care for young people up to the age of 21, in the same type of accommodation that they have been in previously. Yet of 3,117 young people who were eligible for continuing care in July 2017, only 177 were offered or had requested the option, according to the 20 councils that responded to a freedom of information request.

These statistics highlight that nowhere near enough eligible young people are being supported to take up a continuing care placement.

Care-experienced children are our children. The state is the parent and we’re all responsible for their care. Our taxes pay for it and we also all pay the price of their life chances being limited by poor health and opportunities.

There are real challenges and real problems in the system and it diminishes us a society when we do not support the most vulnerable in our midst adequately.

The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition:

Tom McGhee, chair, Spark of Genius

Duncan Dunlop, chief executive, Who Cares? Scotland

Stuart Jacob, director, Falkland House School

Niall Kelly, managing director, Young Foundations

Lynn Bell, CEO. Love Learning Scotland

Edinburgh

Bridges are better than walls

It’s been interesting reading coverage of Emmanuel Macron’s warning of the rise of nationalism in Europe – particularly his highlighting that “patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism”. Through these comments, President Macron also looked further afield, referencing Putin and Trump – but for some the president at least in part reminds us of our own homegrown nationalists, such as Nigel Farage and Nicola Sturgeon. Their supporters appear genuinely to believe their brand of nationalism is inclusive and embracing, not divisive and alienating.

Perhaps the French president’s comments may encourage the Scottish first minister to pause, even for a moment, in her drive for yet another referendum here north of the border. Maybe she’ll reflect on how nationalism has divided Scotland with, sadly, its ability to turn us against one another – family member against family member, friend against friend, neighbour against neighbour and co-worker against co-worker. Let us never forget that bridges are usually better than walls.

Martin Redfern
Edinburgh

Politicians need to stop pulling the wool over our eyes

At my age (I’m 68), I’ve become accustomed to politicians stretching the truth, or frankly just lying. But of late this behaviour seems to have reached epidemic proportions with the government expecting us to believe all sorts of things that our eyes and ears tell us just can’t be so.

Thus we have the Department for Work and Pensions continuing to say universal credit is fine and just needs a few tweaks, when all the evidence suggests that nothing short of a massive overhaul will make the system work. And we have the prime minister and the Department for Exiting the European Union telling us that we will get a good deal from the EU and that there is no need for a second referendum when we can all see the negotiations are going nowhere and the support for a second referendum grows by the day.

I wish I had an answer to this problem; instead of writing to you to complain, I could write to give you the answer. But I’m certain of the first step – which is for politicians to start realising that their constituents can realise when the wool is being pulled over their eyes. And there are two big issues facing the nation right now where they could start.

Steve Mumby

Bournemouth

Britain is overwhelmingly divided by Brexit

Theresa May is delusional. Or perhaps it was the effect of the wine at dinner. “Overwhelmingly”?! The British people “overwhelmingly” want to get on with Brexit? What is “overwhelmingly”? Seventy per cent? Eighty per cent? Ninety per cent? The reality is that a small majority voted to leave the EU in 2016. In 2018 we are told a small majority back a Final Say. Channel 4 has reported that a small majority would now vote to stay in the EU. Hardly “overwhelmingly”. No, Theresa May: we are a divided nation.

Rachel Greenwood
Bewdley

Bleeding vegan burgers

Thank you, Chas Newkey-Burden, (“If you’re a vegan who wants to try a ‘bleeding’ burger, I’m suspicious – what’s appetising about animal slaughter?’”) for highlighting this subject.

Surely the point of being a vegan or vegetarian is to embrace the different ingredients? I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but having lived on a slightly limited diet for more than 20 years – no wheat,yeast, sugar, caffeine – I can vouch for the fact that it is far better to accept that you are giving up a certain food than keep pretending that you have not.

So, for instance, if you give up sugar then your taste buds will gradually adjust, but if you go on pretending by adding sweetener, then you never get over the craving. Besides which, this burger sounds totally disgusting.

Viv Robson
Durford Wood

Where’s all the affordable housing?

In the summer of 2017 the BBC aired The Week the Landlords Moved In. Indeed, The launch of the life-swap series was ironically contemporaneous with the Grenfell Tower tragedy, a disaster that continues to dominate the political agenda. The show focussed on exposing the problems with the private rented sector.

In episode one when we meet Linda, the dichotomy between the “haves” and the “have-nots” becomes clear, and we begin to understand the extent of the sector’s principal failings – affordability.

Even holding down three jobs, this private tenant struggled to heat more than one room whilst facing a serious yet regular shortfall in rent.

Despite narrowing the wider issue in its documentary form, the programme does highlight some harsh realities of the private rented sector. In exploring areas such as affordability and abject living conditions, The Week the Landlords Moved In encapsulates all that is wrong with the current state of the sector. As time has progressed, its impacts have become increasingly more profound and widespread. Indeed, due to the lack of affordability, the loss of private tenancy remains the largest cause of homelessness in the UK, with more than 18,500 households facing eviction from a privately rented home in 2016.

According to statistics derived from Shelter, the housing charity, private rents in 55 per cent of local authorities in England are unaffordable. If this wasn’t chilling enough, the charity underlined its findings by stating that 38 per cent of families with children have had to cut back on food purchases just to keep up with rent payments.

Surely, it is morally objectionable that a choice between food or shelter still remains in 21st century Britain?

Undoubtedly the situation is dire. However, the private rented sector can serve a purpose. In the view of the former housing minister, Grant Shapps, private landlords play an essential part in the provision of affordable housing, so much so that the government removed much of the regulatory red tape surrounding the sector.

The former minister also stated that the government needed to play a more active role in housebuilding. This has fallen to its lowest levels since the 1920s, meaning the dependency on private landlords is greater than ever.

Indeed, with an increasing population, a lack of readily available social sector housing private landlords have found themselves in a highly favourable position.

However, it is not only landlords that are to blame. The government has also failed in its role. We are currently experiencing a 24-year low in government housebuilding (only 32,000 were built to the year of March 2016).

Clearly then, the issue is not about the existence of private landlords, but the way in which they are allowed to operate. Indeed, for while the private rental sector is thriving, many tenants renting in this sector view it as simply unsustainable.

Having access to safe, affordable housing is fundamental, especially those who find themselves in the rental market. Yet, it is becoming clear that there is still much to be worked on if private renting is to remain sustainable. Indeed, according to the English Housing Survey, private rents consume 35 per cent of household income, the highest of any bracket.

With these facts being recognised, it is important to more rigorously regulate the private rented sector. Indeed, efforts could be made to introduce a national body in which all private landlords are subject to. But perhaps most important of all is the need for the government to meet the demand of housing. The state must start building affordable homes once again or the problem will only worsen.

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