Minister for Children and Young People

The Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet. The post was created in May 2007 after the appointment of the Scottish National Party minority administration and the minister reports to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, who has overall responsibility for the portfolio, and is a member of Cabinet. The Minister for Children and Young people has specific responsibility for the social services workforce, childcare and preschool, children's services, children's hearings and the Care Inspectorate.

Overview

The post holder is responsible for:

• The Promise - reports to the First Minister
• early years
• child protection
• adoption and fostering
• children's hearings
• children's rights
• children's services
• looked after children
• Disclosure Scotland
• protection of vulnerable groups
• play, including play parks
• outdoor learning
• children and young people with learning disabilities and/or autism
• Kinship Carers
• transitions for those with disabilities and/or autism
• creating positive futures
• Bairn's Hoose (working jointly with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs)

History

From 1999 to 2000, responsibility for Children and Early Years rested with the Minister for Children and Education, which became the Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs in the McLeish Government of 2000 to 2001. From 2001 to 2007 the portfolio rested with the Minister for Education and Young People. The Salmond government, elected following the 2007 Scottish Parliament election created the junior post of the Minister for Children and Early Years to assist the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills. The post was renamed Minister for Children and Young People in June 2018. The post was further renamed in March 2023 when Humza Yousaf became First Minister to 'Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise'. This was to further the work that the Scottish Government had taken forward for those young people who are or had been care experienced.

Minister

The current Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise is Natalie Don.

Minister for Children and the Early Years
Name		Portrait	Entered Office	Left Office	Party	First Minister
	Adam Ingram		17 May 2007	20 May 2011	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
Minister for Children and Young People
	Angela Constance		20 May 2011	7 December 2011	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond
	Aileen Campbell		7 December 2011	18 December 2014 (on maternity leave)	Scottish National Party	Alex Salmond Nicola Sturgeon
	Fiona McLeod		18 December 2014	31 August 2015	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
	Aileen Campbell		31 August 2015	18 May 2016	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Childcare and Early Years
	Mark McDonald		18 May 2016	7 November 2017	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
	Maree Todd		7 November 2017	27 June 2018	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Children and Young People
	Maree Todd		27 June 2018	20 May 2021	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
	Clare Haughey		20 May 2021	28 March 2023	Scottish National Party	Nicola Sturgeon
Minister for Children, Young People and Keeping the Promise
Name		Portrait	Entered Office	Left Office	Party	First Minister
	Natalie Don		28 March 2023	Incumbent	Scottish National Party	Humza Yousaf

See also

• Scottish Parliament
• Scottish Government

External links

• Cabinet and Ministers on Scottish Government website
• Minister for Children and Young People on Scottish Government website