A huge privilege of being First Minister is that I regularly get to meet inspiring people – from many different walks of life.

One group who have left a deep impression on me are young people who have grown up in care.

Friday was National Care Day, and I spent the morning with some of these young people – celebrating who they are and their many talents, hearing their hopes and aspirations for the future, and focusing on what they want to see changed for those who come after them. I enjoyed and valued every single minute that I spent with them.

There are around 15,000 looked-after children in Scotland – and just as no two children are the same, neither are the needs of these children and young people.

It's important to stress that many young people who grow up in care go on to have the same success in life as children in our own families. One of the young men I spoke to on Friday had studied for a period at Harvard University in the US and is about to complete his degree at Strathclyde University. A young woman I spoke to was moving into her own house that very day and is also doing well at University. And another of the young men spoke about his ambition to work in aviation. These are all examples of exceptional young people beating the odds.

And of course, the staff and carers who support and raise looked-after children do an amazing job.

In recent years, progress has been made at improving their chances of success – for instance, school exclusions are down, and there are more young people living in permanent rather than temporary accommodation.

But there are many other statistics which are simply not good enough.

Only four per cent of young people who grow up in care go on to university. Nearly half suffer mental health issues, and almost one in three will become homeless.

The most heart-breaking statistic of all is that a young person who has been in care is twenty times more likely to be dead by the time they are 25 than a young person who hasn’t.

Of course, these are not just statistics – behind every one of them is a real person.

And that’s why I am determined that we do everything we can to improve the situation.

I’ve spent a fair bit of time with young people with experience of the care system over the last few months - listening to their stories to better understand what life is and has been like for them.

One of the things they say again and again is that we as a society need to have a care system which doesn’t just stop things happening to them – important as that is.

We also need a care system which makes things happen for them.

Yes, we need to protect children - but despite the efforts of everyone working in care, we just haven’t done as well as we should at giving them the same chances to succeed in life as other children might have.

That’s why I committed to one of the biggest asks that these young people have made of me – to conduct a root and branch review of the care system.

This is not just about looking at the legislation. It’s much more fundamental than that - it's about looking at the whole culture, ethos and practices of the care system.

The review will be led by Fiona Duncan – who not only has a formidable level of professional experience, but also has personal experience of the care system.

It is vital that the voice of people who have experienced care is at the heart of this review – learning from both the good and the bad to create a better system in Scotland.

We need a system that focusses on providing support, opportunity and love to those young people we are responsible for.

More than anything else, these young people tell me that they want to be and feel loved. And every child deserves that.

So as we move forward with this review, I will ensure that the voices of these young people are listened to – they deserve nothing less.

Speaking of inspiring people, let me also pay tribute to Motor Neurone Disease campaigner Gordon Aikman, whose funeral I attended on Saturday.

Gordon was diagnosed with MND three years ago aged just 29 and became a passionate campaigner – helping to raise awareness of MND issues.

Gordon persuaded me and the government to double the number of specialist nurses and he secured a change in the law around voice therapy - as well as raising over half a million pounds for MND Scotland.

Although he died at the age of only 31, Gordon achieved an incredible amount and touched the lives of thousands of people. The packed service on Saturday was a testament to the dignity and incredible courage with which he faced up to his diagnosis.