What's happening in 2022 alongside latest news, events and policy updates from Staf |
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Dear Friend, As 2021 draws to a close, one which for many continues to be tinged with anxiety and fear as the pandemic shows no sign of abating, we look ahead to 2022, hopeful that change is coming, and focusing on things that are within our sphere of influence. Here at Staf we say a final farewell to Pamela, to Tommy and to Papoula and appreciate their contributions to the work of Staf. Looking to our developments into next year we have more announcements to make that will see us welcoming new members to the team. If you, or anyone you know, has experience working in the Throughcare and Aftercare sector and is looking for a change then please check out our exciting new role. The Throughcare and Aftercare Workforce Lead will support our members to navigate the year ahead dealing with the impact of Promise Plan 21 – 24. UNCRC incorporation and the forthcoming National Care Service. Find out more about the role below or click here to view the job description. We are also excited to announce that our full programme of focus groups for 2022 are now available to book and add to your planners. You can view the calendar of events here and if you are keen to populate your busy diaries we can book you in for all sessions of interest. Please email b ookings@staf.scot and we can take care of the rest. In amongst our line up of events you will see our Staf Summit 2022 which is now available to book. Our Summit will be focusing on securing the financial wellbeing of care leavers, an issue that we feel passionately about as all too often young people transitioning from care to independence are often moving from care to poverty. Our line-up of speakers is almost complete and we’re delighted to announce we will be joined by Jamie Cook, Head of RSA Scotland, Jimmy Paul, Director of Wellbeing Alliance Scotland and SallyAnn Kelly, CEO of Aberlour with more to be announced in the new year. Earlybird booking is available until the 28th January so you know what to do! Book your place here. Thank you to everyone who joined us for our National Conference on the 1st December. It was another great, online event as we discussed Relationships, Rights and Keeping the Promise. You can now access the presentations on our resource page and if you were one of our delegates we’d love to get your feedback on the event by completing our quick survey here. Our project leads have been busy working on assessing the hundreds of Young Funder’s Grant application forms. We were inundated with requests, many for very basic but essential items, and we will be responding to each applicant in early February. We will also be sharing the experience with our members, Councillors and MSPs as it’s been a stark reminder of the precarious position too many of our care experienced young people find themselves in. Youth Just Us have been working with Police Scotland’s Children and Young People Team, using their lived experience to highlight the importance of improving relationships with the Police and care and justice experienced young people. The feedback from the Police has been incredibly powerful and testament to the brave and brilliant contributions from Youth Just Us. We look forward to seeing how this collaboration continues next year. Finally, as you all, hopefully, ease down into the holiday season, why not grab a cuppa and mince pie and have a listen to our latest podcast. In this edition we hear from Thomas Carlton, from the Promise Scotland Team as he and our Head of Learning and Development Pamela, discuss the latest developments from the team and issues around workforce support, relationships and poverty. As ever, Thomas provides a passionate insight into the work of The Promise Scotland and our shared goals of ensuring the outcomes of care leavers are equal to that of their peers. May I take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a healthy and Happy New Year. See you next year! Best wishes,
Jo Derrick
Staf CEO
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Staf Projects
Youth Justice Voices
YJV have recently been developing and delivering workshops with Police Scotland’s Children and Young People’s Teams. Through the sessions care and justice experienced young people have been able to highlight a range of issues around stigma and discrimination as well as bravely sharing personal experiences and ways to improve relationships between young people and the police. You can read more about this here.
We have also been celebrating successes with Youth Just Us members. Unfortunately due to the pandemic our face to face Christmas dinner and celebration is postponed to the New Year. Instead we are looking forward to a virtual gathering on the 20th.
Finally, we want to say a big thank you to all the young people who have helped make this year a huge success for YJV, and to the partners who support our work. Merry Christmas!
Youth Just Us is always open to new members. If you’re aged 16-25 with experience of the care and justice systems in Scotland and want to help influence change then why not get in touch with ruth@staf.scot? Location shouldn’t be a barrier as you can join us on Zoom.
Project Return
Project Return are currently sorting through the Young Funders Applications, lots of which have been received! These were grants, designed and distributed by young people, to be given to care-experienced young people to allow them to pursue new passions and hobbies.
The Real Toolkit
The REAL Toolkit is now live and can be seen here!
You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with our progress.
Scottish Care Leavers Forum Steering Group If you know of any young people with care experience who would like to be involved please email katrina@staf.scot |
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Staf Policy and Practice
Continuing Care Report: NAFP & Staf This month we published our report on Continuing Care,which we produced in conjunction with National Association of Foster Providers. The qualitative research of a small number of continuing care providers offered some interesting and important insights into how the policy is being interpreted and actioned, with varying results across different local authorities. You can read the full report including our recommendations on the link below. |
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Staf National Conference Resources
Thank you to many of you who attended our National Conference on the 1st December. It was brilliant to hear from our passionate and committed speakers about the issues around relationships, rights and keeping The Promise. If you haven't done so already we'd love to hear your feedback. You can complete the survey here.
We've also collated the presentations and associated links on our resource page so if you were there you can relive the key moments or, if you were unable to attend, you can see what you missed! |
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Response to Scottish Budget Last week the Scottish Government outlined their budget for 2022 which built on their commitments from their Programme for Government. From the outset it was clear that tackling inequalities was a major priority which we wholeheartedly welcome. However due to budget constraints caused by the ongoing pandemic, it was also made clear that difficult decisions had been made. Many of the policy areas in the Programme for Government directly affecting care leavers were not mentioned, perhaps they will come next year, and whilst the £50m contribution to the Promise's Whole Family Wellbeing Fund is a start, it remains to be seen when the outstanding £450 will materialise and what implications this will have on the delivery if Plan 21 - 24 and beyond.
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In conversation with The Promise Scotland In our latest podcast episode you can hear from Thomas Carlton from The Promise Scotland as he and our Head of Learning and Development discuss the latest developments from The Promise team, the importance of relationships and the role The Promise Scotland can play in securing the financial wellbeing of care leavers. It's a great listen, thank you Thomas!
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Consultations of Interest The following government consultation is open and likely to be of interest:
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Bail and Release From Custody Arrangements: Deadline 7 Feb 2022
The consultation seeks views on the use of remand and arrangements around release from custody and how it should be used now and in the future.
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Staf Events Our calendar of events for 2022 is now live, including focus groups which are free for Staf members, webinars and conferences for you to learn from and give you an opportunity to connect with your peers and young care leavers.
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Staf Summit 2022 Wednesday 9th March 2022
Tickets are now on sale for our Staf Summit 2022 which will be looking at securing the financial wellbeing of care leavers. Early bird booking is available until the 28th January and we have great rates for groups.
We know that for many young people transitioning out of care it can be a move from care to poverty. At the Summit our speakers will be addressing current practice and opportunites to improve the financial wellbeing of those leaving care. With speakers from RSA Scotland, Wellbeing Alliance Scotland, Aberlour and more to be confirmed, the Summit is a must attend event for those in senior roles who work with care leavers or organisations which can make an impact on young people's financial and therefore life outcomes.
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Care Leavers Into Employment Focus Group Thursday 13th January, 10am - 12pm (Teams)
Our Care Leavers into Employment focus group tackles the issues faced by young people in both accessing and sustaining employment. This group brings together workers from across the public and third sector to discuss and dissect current practice issues.
Over the past year, the group has discussed the impact of COVID-19 on care leavers; the Scottish Government's new Job Start Payment; and the Young Person's Guarantee. At every meeting there is an opportunity for attendees to network with peers and discuss best practice.
The next meeting of the group will provide further opportunities to network with colleagues and share best practice.
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Local Authority Manager's Forum Thursday 20th January, 10am - 12pm (Teams)
This event has been created exclusively for local authority members to give you space to discuss the issues that matter to you, given your unique statutory responsibility in delivering service for care leavers.
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Participation Practitioner's Forum Thursday 27th January, 10am - 11.30am (Zoom)
The forum is a free monthly event for participation workers supporting young people with care and justice experience to connect with, and learn from, each other: sharing successes, reflecting on challenges, and championing examples of best practice in an informal setting.
The forum has a particular focus on engaging workers that support care-experienced young people in the justice system, and on utilising digital tools to creatively support young people and is facilitated by Youth Justice Participation Worker, Ruth Kerracher, alongside Youth Just Us young people.
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Implications of Continuing Care Focus Group Tuesday 8th February 10am - 12pm (Teams)
Meeting since 2014, the Implications of Continuing Care focus group offers a safe place to discuss issues and practice arising from Part 11 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. The recent work of this group has discussed commissioning placements, fostering fees and payments and shared good practice from across Scotland.
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Supported Lodgings, Supported Carers Focus Group Tuesday 8th February 2pm - 4pm (Teams)
The Supported Lodgings, Supported Carers focus group provides a supportive forum to share good practice, local and national developments, and discuss issues around Care Inspectorate inspections.
Following our last Supported Lodgings/Supported Carers meeting where we discussed having a more standardised approach to SC/SL at this session we will be focusing on issues surrounding supervision alongside practice sharing and discussing further the idea of a Supported Carers week to help amplify the key role they play in the life of Care Leavers.
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The Real Toolkit Virtual Tours
The Real Toolkit is ready to and waiting for you to discover. If you'd like us to talk you through this exciting new resource for care leavers and the workforce then email therealtoolkit@staf.scot and we can arrange a time to tell you all about it! |
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Member of the Month: Rossie Young People's Trust
Rossie Young People's Trust is a child centred, trauma informed and relationship focused organisation that provides secure and residential care for young people aged 10 - 18 who have experienced multiple adverse childhood experiences. They offer age appropriate and relevant care, education, health and therapeutic interventions and they have a dedicated Throughcare team who support the young people as they transition out of care.
Recently the young people from Rossie wrote a book about changing the language in care. It's a fantastic, accessible read and should be on the bookshelves of anyone who supports young people with care experience. To request your copy please email martin.brown@rossie.org.uk
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| If you would like to be featured in our Member of the Month section please email marion@staf.scot |
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Current Vacancies
Throughcare and Aftercare Workforce Lead: Deadline 4 Jan
We are currently recruiting for a #changemaker, in the form of a Throughcare and Aftercare Workforce Lead. Hopefully you heard the announcement at our National Conference or have seen it advertised on our social channels.
As our members will know, Staf is very much about supporting the workforce, whether it be through co-designed publications and resources, through our formal learning events and focus groups or through creating space for peers across the country to come together and share practice.
As we look forward towards 2022 and see The Promise Plan 21-24 develop further, the intention to develop a National Care Service in Scotland and an emphasis on Child Rights embodied in the work that we do, coupled with trauma-informed practice, I want to ensure we have created the right space for our members. This 12 month secondment will be integral to building on the foundations we have already laid and inform the journey we make in coming years.
The person/s (as we will consider part time applications/secondments) will lead and oversee all aspects of sector workforce engagement and workforce led developments with our membership to ensure that our next steps are rooted in the voice of the workforce and lead the way on responding to the changes to support the workforce in The Promise Plan. Have a look at our blog about The Promise Change Programme ONE and the Workforce to give you a steer on areas we want to work toward.
So, if you think this role might be for you, please feel free to get in touch to discuss further or submit an application; if it’s not for you but you think you know someone else who this would be perfect for, please forward it on to them.
As soon as we have someone appointed we will be consulting our members to shape trauma informed/relationship-based supports to the Throughcare and Aftercare Workforce and our members as we continue to strive to ensure the wellbeing and success of young people leaving care across Scotland is indistinguishable from that of theirs peers in the general population.
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Board Treasurer: Deadline 4th Jan
Do you have financial experience you want to put to good use? Do you have a day a month to help Staf achieve it's vision? Would you like to be part of a passionate and enthusiastic Board who care deeply about the outcomes for care leavers? Then you may just the person we are looking for.
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What #WeLove this month...
💜Aberlour are looking for someone aged 18 - 30 with experience of care to join their team as a Promise Participation Officer.
💜 includem's Voice's Report on families experiences of poverty and services which included field research by those with lived experience, including our Kev.
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| Want to find out more about Staf events, projects, membership and training opportunities? |
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We would love to hear from you. Get in contact via email on info@staf.scot or through our social media channels linked below. |
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