Evidence for the Equal Opportunities Committee Inquiry into Age and Social Isolation

CELCIS is the Centre for excellence for looked after children in Scotland. We exist to improve the experiences and life chances of children and young people in Scotland who are 'looked after' by local authorities, and those who have left care. We do this by working alongside the professionals who touch their lives, and the wider systems responsible for their care. We welcome this opportunity to submit written evidence to the Equal Opportunities inquiry into age and social isolation. It is relevant to all looked after children and young people, but we have significant concerns, based on our research and engagement with the sector, about the vulnerability of Scotland's 'care leavers' to social isolation. These are young people who have been 'looked after' by local authorities, and for whom public services are under duties to provide support and assistance into adulthood. We have focused our response on the particular issues facing care leavers