Request 101004080561

I am writing under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 to request information about how care experienced children and young people access National Entitlement Cards and free bus travel.

For the purposes of this request, "care leavers" means young people receiving aftercare support from the local authority, and "continuing care" has the meaning given in Part 11 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

1. As at the 30th of September 2026, please provide:
a) the number of looked after children aged 5 to 17 for whom the local authority was responsible, and how many of these held an active National Entitlement Card with free bus travel enabled;
b) the number of young people aged 16 to 21 in continuing care, and how many of these held an active National Entitlement Card with free bus travel enabled;
c) the number of care leavers aged 16 to 21, and how many of these held an active National Entitlement Card with free bus travel enabled.

2. As at the 30th of September 2026, how many looked after children, young people in continuing care and care leavers aged 11 to 25, known to the local authority, held a Young Scot National Entitlement Card, whether or not free bus travel was enabled? Please give separate figures for each of these three groups.

In questions 1 and 2, please count each young person once only, in the group that applied to them on the 30th of September 2026. If your records count any young person in more than one group, please tell me how many.

3. Please provide any current policies, procedures or guidance setting out how the local authority supports looked after children, young people in continuing care and care leavers to obtain their free bus travel entitlement, including who is responsible for supporting applications. This includes support with proof of identity, photographs and consent.

4. Does the local authority have a process for checking whether looked after children, young people in continuing care and care leavers have received their entitlement, and following up where they have not? If so, please provide any relevant guidance or procedures.

5. Please provide any reports, evaluations, corporate parenting reports, complaints summaries or other recorded information from the last three years that identify barriers experienced by looked after children, young people in continuing care or care leavers in accessing National Entitlement Cards or free bus travel.