The future opportunities of many young people in care are jeopardised because they leave sheltered accommodation with a criminal record, according to the director of Who Cares? Scotland. Heather Gray of the charity, which represents the interests of children looked after by local authorities, said she was concerned by how many are emerging with convictions for offences such as assault or vandalism which took place within their place of residence.

Gray claims that some residential staff report indiscipline to the police too readily, resulting in vulnerable young people facing charges and having to disclose them later in life, resurrecting a stigma which many have already had to overcome.

"We are finding a number of young people pick up convictions while in care for incidents such as assault," she says. "We would like to see more consistency. It can be that local authority staff apply their policies and practices very strictly."

Four years ago, a report for the then Scottish Executive found that in some cases children had been charged over incidents as trivial as kicking a council tree' or flicking a towel at someone'. Gray says this issue is still a problem. "It is something we want to understand much better," she adds. "We are speaking to some local authorities and there is an awareness that there's a need to look at this."

It is just one of the problems that Gray is hoping Who Cares? will be able to influence in 2008, the charity's 30th anniversary year. It is also Gray's first full year as director, after she took over from Deirdre Watson in the summer - and the year has got off to a magnificent start.

In December, First Minister Alex Salmond donated to Who Cares? the painting he had acquired for his corporate Christmas card from the Scottish painter John Lowrie Morrison, or Jolomo. Salmond gifted the image of Linlithgow Palace for auctioning, which could potentially equate to a windfall of more than £20,000 for the cash-strapped charity - especially when plans for fund-raising events and the sale, including a gala dinner on May 17, are added in.

It's a major fillip for an organisation which has never had the highest profile, and which aims to represents the interests of more than 40,000 young people with a staff of just 39 and a modest income mainly provided by individual service agreements with 31 Scottish councils.

Gray concedes that her charity's infrastructure could do with improvement. "We're a national organisation with a very small infrastructure," she admits. "I want to see the profile of Who Cares? and of its key aims raised considerably."

She adds that she wants to revitalise its involvement at policy level in advocating for young people in care. Other key aims include the provision of legal and personal advice to young people, consultation with them about the services they receive, and improving the training and education of those who work with them.

Gray also hopes to give young people a say in issues that affect them. "Who Cares? had become less visible at that central policy point," she says. Changing that means, most immediately, having a strong input into the group implementing a new fostering and kinship care strategy. Who Cares also needs to reach out more to youngsters in foster care, Gray adds.

"The bulk of our work has always been about speaking out for young people in care, but that has traditionally been focused on those in residential care, secure care and residential education. A huge gap is in foster care and we want to develop that."

Because those looked after by foster carers, fostering agencies and family members such as grandparents are much more scattered, Who Cares? like other agencies, finds them harder to reach.

In addition, introducing the kind of independent advocacy which the charity specialises in to those in foster care is often hindered by resistance from foster carers themselves, Gray claims. "Some foster carers turn around and say, well we're the advocates for the young people we look after'." However, many councils are enthusiastic to help Who Cares? give those in foster care an independent voice.

Overall, the picture for young people in care is improving, not least due to a greater awareness which began under the Scottish Executive and seems likely to be maintained under the current administration.

The increasing recognition of the catastrophically poor outcomes which looked-after young people can expect has resulted in a concerted effort to improve the picture, although there is a long way to go.

"I think the indicators are improving," Gray says. "We are starting to hear local authorities reporting improvements in that. What has also improved is the whole corporate parenting agenda and the approach that councils are taking to that role.

"There's definitely a sense of urgency about it. The need now is to maintain that momentum."

Initiatives such as Inverclyde's Children's Champion programme, which links senior council members with individual looked-after children, are encouraging, as is the change of emphasis in most councils. "In general, workforces are moving towards looking for outcomes rather than managing the day to day," Gray says. "They are asking what do we want to achieve with these young people, what do they want and how do we get there?'"

Gray's plans for the charity's anniversary year come thick and fast. Who Cares? hopes to publish research on the needs of under-12s in local authority care - as most resources are focused on older children - as well as a follow-up to its five-year-old No Time To Lose report, the organisation's self-professed "manifesto" for looked-after children and young people.

The charity will continue to work on giving young people an input into social work education, following a scheme that gives looked-after children an input into the training of first years at the Glasgow School of Social Work.

A major aim is to return to the issue of the stigma attached to a background in care. "We plan to publish what young people have said about this in consultation," says Gray. "There is huge strength of feeling about the issue, not just within schools and education, but what happens when they go for health care, apply for jobs and what happens when they leave care."

But Gray is anxious to stress the positives and promote the best practice from around the country too. If the only news about children in care is negative, that only reinforces the stigma they face, she says.

"It is a fine balance," Gray admits. "Our theme for the year will be challenging stigma and celebrating success."