Dear Friend

I don’t know about you, but a combination of surprisingly warm weather at the weekend and then a chance to see the aurora borealis (I didn’t but there was still hope!) has been a real tonic for me, as has reflecting on the last 4 weeks.  
 
It was a busy month in the care experienced calendar as we marked the three year anniversary of the publication of The Promise and we celebrated Care Day. It was great to see so many of our members and allies taking these opportunities to call for action and change whilst shining a light on the brilliant work being done to support care experienced people across the country.  

We know the value of listening to those with lived experience and this forms an integral part of our Governance which is why we are currently recruiting for a care experienced board member. Thanks to our care experienced board member, Rosie Moore, for sharing her insights into what it’s like to be on the Staf board. You can find out about the role and how to apply here. May we also take this opportunity to congratulate Rosie on becoming a mum to the wonderful Darcy! 
 
Here at Staf we have been busy organising a number of workforce events, both online and in person. Thank you to everyone who attended our #KeepingThePromise trauma informed lessons learned webinars last week. It was great to be able to share openly and honestly about our journey so far and hopefully inspire those who attended to think about how they might undergo their own trauma informed internal assessment. For those who are in a position to make such changes, we encourage you to sign up for our in-person workshops where we will be sharing the lessons but also, trauma informed psychologist Eva Roussou will be on hand to help attendees plan out their next steps. Our Glasgow date is almost fully booked but we still have availability in Stirling, Edinburgh and Dundee. Book your place here.  
 
Speaking of in person events, our Staf Summit takes place next week (where has the time gone?) We can’t wait to welcome our many delegates and speakers including Children in Scotland, The National House Project and Rock Trust alongside our keynote speaker, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government Shona Robison.  
 
We will be sharing the calls to action and feedback from the Summit at the Cross Party Group on Care Leavers meeting on Thursday 16^th March 6pm (via Zoom), ensuring that tangible action points regarding housing policy and practice can be taken forward. If you would like to be a member or join the meeting as a guest, please email marion@staf.scot.  
 
Our focus groups and forums continue to be a great source of networking and learning for our members and I was delighted to chair the Supported Lodging, Supported Carers meeting last week and I know Bobby Jones, who facilitated the Implications of Continuing Care focus group enjoyed meeting everyone and is looking forward to our next forum, Care Leavers into Employment, Education and Training, where we will be hearing about the recent research conducted by UCAS on the experiences of care experienced people accessing further and higher education. All our events can be booked online here.
 
As you may know, thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund we are expanding the work of Youth Justice Voices, our care and justice experienced participation project to the north east of Scotland. Our Youth Justice Participation Worker Chris Kelly held the first meeting this month and has shared what happened it his great blog. Check it out here.  
 
Finally, the Learning Channel which will be hosting the care experienced legacy work of the Life Changes Trust is beginning to take shape, thanks to some digital know how from the Scottish Tech Army. We’re currently looking for some members of the workforce, carers and care experienced individuals to join our user research group so if you want to use your experience to shape this exciting new resource then email dawn@staf.scot. You can follow the Learning Channel’s progress here.  

Thank you, as always, for your time and commitment. As we approach March we look forward to longer, warmer days and welcoming you to one of our forthcoming events.  

Best wishes, 

Jo Derrick

Staf CEO