We are sharing an update on the progress of Scotland’s Moving On and Lifelong Support Route Map, one of 25 route maps being developed to show what needs to be done to keep the promise by 2030.

Introduction

This draft route map emerged from extensive work by us here at Staf, and builds on:

• 100 days of Listening,
• local authority survey,
• tests of change,
• blueprinting service design work and
• our suite of learning and development resources.

Staf was commissioned by The Promise Scotland to further develop the map, leading to a series of 6 online engagement sessions and a plenary session at our National Conference in November 2025. We ensured broad sectoral input by consulting over 165 moving on practitioners, senior managers and corporate parents. Our conversations included representatives from:

• 20 local authorities,
• 15 voluntary organisations,
• education providers,
• health providers,
• secure care providers and
• legal service providers.

These sessions were designed to broaden participants' understanding of the route map process, and ensure they contributed their valuable thoughts and views on how the outputs could support their work locally.

What we heard: strengths and challenges

The overriding message received was the unwavering commitment and support to keeping the promise among the moving on workforce. Those we spoke with appreciated that their practice was reflected in the route map, and they highlighted the high level of expertise available in Scotland to deliver throughcare and aftercare services. Strategic collaboration across route maps was also identified as a positive step for service development and better outcomes for young people.

However, participants also detailed significant challenges that must be addressed to achieve the route map’s objectives. To highlight a few of the key challenges:

• Practitioners described immense difficulty when transitioning young people to adult services, particularly those with lifelong support needs, mental health needs or disabilities.
• The objective of establishing a ‘no wrong doors’ approach, ensuring support is lifelong and holistic, is currently hampered by inconsistency. Members described difficulties navigating access to adult recovery and mental health services, noting that young people can be quickly discharged after missing appointments without sufficient understanding of the challenges they face in engaging with new services.
• Groups also discussed the issue of corporate parenting, strongly agreeing that this responsibility should sit across the whole local authority, not just with throughcare and aftercare teams, which is often how it is perceived.

Conclusion and next steps

The commitment to improving the lives of young people moving on from care remains strong across the sector. Staf remains committed to leading the implementation, ensuring cross-service learning and development, and maintaining relationships across the sector to help Scotland keep the promise for young people moving on from care. We look forward to working with you all in 2026 and beyond.

We invite you to remain part of this vital journey with us.

• Keep following our updates.
• Engage with our resources.
• Participate in focus groups, forums and community of practice sessions.
• Keep coming back to our website to ensure you have the latest information on our services and how you can contribute to improving outcomes for young people moving on from care.

Together, we will strengthen corporate parenting and deliver lifelong, holistic support for care experienced people in Scotland.