'We are often ending the only loving relationship in their young lives'

By Duncan Dunlop, CEO of Who Cares? Scotland

There is clearly something significantly wrong when we need to take children into care, but then exacerbate the problem by splitting them up from their brothers and sisters when they enter care.

This is often the only healthy loving relationship they had. They are often split up because there is not a place available where they can live together.

Imagine how difficult and potentially traumatising that is; when you have done nothing wrong but have to leave everything you know behind. You go and live with strangers in a totally different place and you do not do it with the brothers or sisters you loved.

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In some cases, the relationship between those siblings is never supported to really recover.

There are around 15,400 young people living within the care system in Scotland, which makes up around 2% of the population. This seems like a tiny proportion, but it is almost the population of St Andrews. Imagine 20% of them were separated from their brothers and sisters, many with no explanation why.

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That is why we are supporting the Care Review to hear the voices of care experienced people who have had experiences like this. We believe care can and will change as Scotland wants to do better than this for its most vulnerable children.