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| Hi Friend,
What a fantastic month it has been here at Staf. With so many of you attending our focus groups and forums, there has been a real buzz about what is going well, and how we can make things better. You can find out more about these events in the ‘Your Monthly Review’ section.
At the Managers’ Forum, Paul Beaton of the Scottish Government came to explain the Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill. There is a hint of how we feel about this Bill in the title of our response, ‘Standing Up for Scotland’s Children or Simply Standing Still?’ which is well worth a read.
Nationally, few of you could have missed the conversations about adversity, trauma, attachment and real life experience shared at the ACE Aware Nation Conference. It was a lightbulb moment for many who attended which can only be helpful for all who work with care experienced young people.
Lastly I would like to thank everyone who has booked for our national conference in November. With only 20 places left we are delighted to have the opportunity to share with you research, insights and experience of how we can heal from trauma and begin to move on.
All the best,
Norma
Norma Corlette, Staf CEO
P.S. The best quote of the month: "Authenticity is what human beings crave in relational work...Being professional includes humanity and authenticity." (James Docherty, SVRU) |
| | Care Leavers into EmploymentWe kicked off September with the Care Leavers into Employment focus group on 4th September. This brought together practitioners, managers and employability specialists to discuss issues surrounding care leavers and employability. Key themes included the importance of sustaining relationships with care leavers, building networks with local employers and the unique barriers which care-experienced young people face when entering the job market. You can find detailed minutes here. |
| | Managers' Forum Our second event of the month was our Managers' Forum, held on the 11th September in Stirling. Service managers from across the country joined together to network, share best practice, and hear from speakers on key developments within the sector. Lively discussions were had on Continuing Care, the Age of Criminal Responsibility Bill, and changing narratives around the care system and care experience: read about our top 5 take-aways from the networking and practice sharing at the event here! |
| | Implications of Continuing Care The last of our 3 September events, held on the 25th of the month, was the Implications of Continuing Care Focus Group, sponsored by Catch Scotland. This event united practitioners, managers and social work students for engaging discussions, where we shared burning issues and examples of good practice within Continuing Care. Some major themes of these discussions included making the most out of limited resources, and the variations in Continuing Care provision across the country. You can read about these in more detail here. |
| | Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill - Standing up for Scotland's Children or Simply Standing Still?Currently at Stage 1 in the Scottish Parliament, this Bill aims to change the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) to 12 years of age from the current level of 8 – the lowest in Europe. Check out our article on the website which questions whether the Bill goes far enough, and whether it truly works to support Scotland’s children and young people. |
| | Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Bill - Ending the 'Justifiable Assault' of Children |
| | 'Changing the Narrative' - Reflecting on the Frameworks Institute Report At our Managers’ Forum, we heard from Ben Farrugia of CELCIS about the Frameworks Institute report on reframing narratives around care. Click here to read our reflections on some of the key messages discussed in the report and how we can begin to shift public perceptions of care experience and the care system. |
| | #WhatsYourTake?
This Scottish Youth Parliament survey is for young people aged 12-25 living in Scotland, and is a great opportunity to have a say on key issues like health and wellbeing, family matters, and criminal responsibility - with responses fed directly back to the country's decision makers. The survey closes at 9am on Tuesday 23rd October; please share widely! |
| | 30th October 2018 at the Albert Halls, Stirling
In celebration of National Care Leavers’ Week, on 30th October young people and the workers who support them are going to be ‘Wired for Love’.
We will be exploring just how our brains work at different times in our lives and how love and relationships play their part in making all our lives better. There will be lots happening during the day including:
Ged Neil, himself care experienced, will help us think about how our brains work when the going is good and when the going is tough.
He will guide us through a session focussing on techniques we can use to help us in our everyday situations both as practitioners and young people.
Role Models and Relationships, we will be joined on the day by several care experienced people who themselves have overcome barriers and become successful in their chosen field.
The Big Brain Game, an interactive session exploring how we can put all of this learning into practice and enable our brains to be wired for love. To join us in Stirling click here for booking details. If you have any exciting events or activities for National Care Leavers’ Week, let us know and we’ll promote them! Email Rebecca@staf.scot with the details. |
| | Healing from Trauma and Moving On
Staf National Conference 2018 | 27th November 2018, Glasgow Science Centre |
| “The more healthy relationships a child has, the more likely he will be to recover from trauma and thrive. Relationships are the agents of change and the most powerful therapy is human love.” Bruce Perry, ChildTrauma Academy.
Building healthy relationships with our young people in order that they can thrive is the cornerstone of the work that we do. This conference brings together practitioners, psychologists and those with lived experience to enable us to spend a day learning and reflecting on how we can support our young people to heal from trauma and early adversity.
Closing this year’s conference, Dr Karen Treisman joins us fresh from the Californian sunshine (thanks to a Winston Churchill Fellowship award) where she has been studying whole system and organisational approaches to trauma responsive and informed care. She has also been awarded the 2018 Psychology Professional of the Year Award for Excellence in Attachment and Trauma. Clinical Psychologist, author and TEDx speaker Karen will support us as we explore together how we heal from trauma and move on.
We will be joined by:
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| | If you only have time to read, listen or watch one thing this week, make sure it's one of the below.
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| Read: Politicians must be honest about everyone's mental health problems - Darren McGarvey writes about the impact of mental health issues on society, in particular focusing on drug use as a temporary reprieve from the pain caused by mental ill health and past trauma - and the current systemic failures to support those struggling with addiction.
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| | Watch: Growing up in Care Doesn’t Define You - 26 year old Dan talks powerfully about his care experience in Wales: of overcoming the assumptions people made about him, and how he has become stronger through his time in care. Take 2 minutes out of your day to hear about his story.
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