Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum

Closes 1 Sep 2025

Opened 10 Jul 2025

Contact

Joanne McNaughton

(Clerk for the Committee)

Finance and Public Administration Committee

0131 348 5000

fpa.committee@parliament.scot

Overview

About the Bill  

The Bill as introduced changes the services and support provided to people in the children's care system, or who have ever had experience of that system. Those changes include: 

  • giving people who left the care system before their 16th birthday the right to apply for aftercare 

  • requiring Scottish Ministers to ensure care-experienced people have access to advocacy services 

  • requiring Scottish Ministers to publish guidance which promotes understanding of “care” and “care experience” 

  • giving Scottish Ministers powers to limit the profits that can be made from children’s residential care 

  • requiring fostering services to register as charities 

  • giving Scottish Ministers the power to create a register of foster carers 

  • making changes to the children’s hearings system. 

The Bill also sets out that integration joint boards are responsible for children’s services planning, alongside local authorities and health boards.  

Current Status of the Bill  

This Bill was introduced in the Scottish Parliament by the First Minister on 17 June 2025. 

Read and find out more about the Bill: Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill. 

Stage 1  

The Education, Children and Young People Committee has been designated as the lead Committee for the Bill. A separate call for views on the Bill’s policy provisions has been issued by the lead Committee and published on this consultation platform. 

Read the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill call for views.

Financial Memorandum  

As with all Bills, the Finance and Public Administration Committee invites written evidence on the estimated financial implications of the Bill as set out in its accompanying Financial Memorandum (FM).  

Read the FM published alongside this Bill. 

Making a Submission

Before making a submission, please read our Privacy Notice about submitting your views to a Committee. This tells you about how we process personal data. 

Please note that in most cases your submission will be published on the Scottish Parliament's website and may be quoted in the Committee's report or in Committee meetings (which are public and broadcast). 

Questions in this call for views

  1. Did you take part in any consultation exercise preceding the Bill and, if so, did you comment on the financial assumptions made?  
  2. If applicable, do you believe your comments on the financial assumptions have been accurately reflected in the FM?  
  3. Did you have sufficient time to contribute to the consultation exercise?
  4. If the Bill has any financial implications for you or your organisation, do you believe that they have been accurately reflected in the FM? If not, please provide details. 
  5. Do you consider that the estimated costs and savings set out in the FM are reasonable and accurate?  
  6. If applicable, are you content that your organisation can meet any financial costs that it might incur as a result of the Bill? If not, how do you think these costs should be met?  
  7. Does the FM accurately reflect the margins of uncertainty associated with the Bill’s estimated costs and with the timescales over which they would be expected to arise? 

The deadline to submit your views is: Monday 1 September 2025. 

We welcome written views in English, Gaelic, Scots or any other language. Due to the time required to process and analyse evidence, late submissions will only be accepted with the agreement of the Committee Clerk.

Submit your views

Click here to complete the submission form

Interests

  • FPA