New Promise Package provides support for care and justice experienced young people

Update 1/11/2024: Referrals to the Promise Package are currently paused due to high demand. We hope to re-open referrals soon. If you’d like to be contacted when referrals re-open, please leave your details. For further information, please contact membership@young.scot

Young Scot and Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice launch The Promise Package

Young Scot and Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice (CYCJ) have come together to offer support for young people who are care and justice experienced. The Promise Package aims to ensure the approach to children and young people in conflict with the law is rights-respecting and that ‘offending behaviours’ are treated as an indication of the need for support rather than punishment. 

What is in the package?  

The package includes items and experiences which young people can choose to claim or enter to win. New items and experiences will be added regularly to help young people navigate transitions and other key moments throughout their lives. Items and experiences may include: 

  • Wellbeing box which contains seasonal items   

  • Shopping vouchers for groceries, clothing and homeware  

  • A Moving Out Kit (kitchen items, bedding, homeware)  

  • Driving lessons  

  • Laptops  

  • Mobile phones and credit  

  • Cooking courses  

  • And more!  

Having access to the package does not mean young people will receive all of the items listed. Young people can choose to claim or enter to win items. This is not a grant and no cash alternatives are available.


Who is eligible? 

  • 11 to 25-year-olds (inclusive)

  • Those with care and justice experience

  • Those with justice experience  

When we say ‘care experienced’, we mean someone who has been ‘looked after’ (at home or in an accommodated placement) at some point in their childhood. This can include kinship, foster, residential care, being looked after at home under a Compulsory Supervision Order, or someone who’s been adopted and was previously ‘looked after’. 
When we say ‘justice experienced’, we mean someone who has suspected, alleged, or confirmed involvement in offending behaviour.

How to apply 

You can refer a young person you work with who is eligible for the Promise Package by completing a short referral form. Once the application has been processed, you and the young person will receive an email with details on how to access the package. Please allow up to 14 days for the application to be processed. Please note, application does not guarantee acceptance on the package.  

How to access the package 
Young people 12 years and over will be able to access the package through Young Scot Membership. To do so, they will need a Young Scot Membership account, it’s free to sign up! For help with signing up, please contact membership@young.scot.  

The package will appear on the young person’s Membership Dashboard and be labelled ‘Promise Package’. From here, they can redeem the items and experiences which are most beneficial to them. Items and experiences will be added regularly so they can check back to see what’s new.  
Due to GDPR young people aged 11 will be offered an offline version of the package. 

Background 

Research shows that care-experienced children and young people are over-represented in the justice system. CYCJ are working to ensure Scotland’s approach to children and young people in conflict with the law is rights-respecting and that ‘offending behaviours’ are treated as an indication of the need for support rather than punishment. For more information, visit the CYCJ website. The package is funded by The Promise Partnership and was developed in response to the Youth Justice and Rights Challenge Brief.

Fiona Pringle