First Minister listens to the voice of young people on Promise anniversary
5 February 2026
Today marks the sixth anniversary of The Promise. First Minister John Swinney joined us at the Edinburgh Council’s Corporate Parenting Hub, where he spent the morning with MCR Pathways and City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) representatives, but most importantly, he spent it with the young people at the heart of our mentoring programme.
The visit follows the First Minister’s announcement of a £9.5 million investment for the Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund for 2025-26.
The fund was introduced in 2018-19, in recognition that care experienced children and young people require additional support for their attainment. Mentoring and extra-curricular activities are among the range of ways that local authorities are investing the funding to support children and young people across Scotland.
Connection and Conversation
The First Minister met representatives from both organisations. Most importantly, the discussion focused on Care Experienced young people and their mentors in the room who shared their experiences of mentoring and how it has helped when it comes to overcoming unique challenges, sparking potential, and awakening ambition.
The First Minister spoke passionately about the challenges young people face when navigating public services, especially during big life transitions, noting how he tries to support his own constituents as they navigate these challenges. He was also keen to dig into the details of our award-winning mentoring programme —asking about our pilots in Forth Valley College, how we recruit our mentors, and how those relationships continue to support young people long-term.
The Power of Mentoring
Mentors and young people emphasised the importance of the First Minister and the Scottish Government understanding how crucial a trusted adult relationship can prove in finding paths to brighter futures:
“I hope the First Minister goes away today understanding how important mentoring is for young people; not just in school but after as well.”
Young Person
“It was great that the First Minister took the time to meet with real people to listen to their real stories… put a face to the finding.”
Mentor
MCR Pathways’ partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council has grown significantly since 2018. From launching a pilot in Craigroyston Community High School, the programme has expanded into 13 further schools across the city and has supported over 1,000 young people.
Across Scotland, the reach of mentoring continues to grow. Last year alone, volunteer mentors supported 5,390 young people to spark potential and awaken ambition. 99% of young people responding to last year’s survey said their mentor was a good role model, 98% said mentoring helped them be the best version of themselves and 95% said the experience improved their confidence.
Today’s visit was a reminder that while funding is essential, the relationships that are formed truly deliver on the commitments made through The Promise.
Sharon McIntyre, Chief Executive Officer of MCR Pathways, said :“MCR Pathways commends today’s announcement about the continued investment in The Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund. It is critically important that Care Experienced children and young people feel the direct benefits from this significant commitment. Everyday, together, with partners, we see the real benefits of the power of personalised relationship based mentoring across Scotland. We work side by side with dynamic communities, Schools and Local Authorities, like Edinburgh City Council, to bridge the opportunity gap for Care Experienced young people through consistent, encouraging trusted adult relationships.
No two trusted adult relationships are the same, they are bespoke to each and every young persons’ needs. These relationships empower young people to believe in themselves, value their own unique talents, build ambitions for their future careers – shaping their future fulfilling lives. That way, confidence is built, self belief instilled, skills are developed and engagement in learning achieved.
On this poignant 6th anniversary of The Promise, collectively we are deeply committed to working towards Scotland becoming the first to commit to a life changing Trusted Adult Guarantee for every Care Experienced young person in Scotland.
Mr Swinney said: “Ensuring that all children grow up feeling loved, safe and respected is a top priority for my government and we want to continue to reduce the number of children and young people who are living away from their families.
“The Scottish Government is committed to Keeping The Promise by 2030, and we are seeing good progress across Scotland from education to justice – including a 18% reduction since 2020 in the number of children identified as ‘looked after’.
“The Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund is improving outcomes for young people across Scotland in a range of different ways – driving not only education improvements, but building broader confidence, resilience and well-being.
“The funding we are announcing today, on the sixth anniversary of The Promise, takes the Scottish Government’s total investment in the programme to just over £80 million since 2018 – showcasing how we are delivering for Scotland’s care experienced young people and helping them get the best start in life.”
We’re asking policymakers to adopt a Trusted Adult Guarantee.
We believe that every young person deserves a Trusted Adult Guarantee: someone who sparks confidence, fuels ambitions, and walks beside them on a journey to a brighter future.
That’s why it’s what we are asking of candidates standing in the next Scottish Parliamentary elections through our first-ever manifesto launching next week.
To find out more about our policy and influencing work, visit https://mcrpathways.org/policy-and-influencing/
Want to know more about becoming a volunteer mentor?
You don’t need to have any special qualifications or all of the answers; you just need an hour a week to listen and be in a young person’s corner.
To find out more about becoming a mentor, visit mcrpathways.org/become-a-mentor
