New podcast with John Swinney, the launch of Project Return, sharing of best practice - and more!
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| Dear Friend,
It’s been a month of fond farewells and new beginnings. With myself, our Chair David Barr, and Vice-Chair Jenny Kane all standing down, we held a special celebration event to mark six years of success.
I was also delighted to introduce our new Chair and Vice-Chair SallyAnn Kelly and Carole Dearie. SallyAnn is CEO of Scotland’s largest children’s charity, Aberlour, and Carole is Head of Service at St Mary’s Kenmure. Both bring over two decades of experience and, I’m sure you’ll agree, make a formidable and talented team to support Staf!
I also hope you will join me in thanking Cheryl Leggett, who has left us for pastures new, for her significant contribution to Staf – as both a valued employee and, prior, as a member of Staf's Debate Project.
We’ve also been busy this month influencing policy and practice, we have:
- called for change in the Scottish Government’s plans for the year ahead – and welcomed the significant announcements made by the First Minister
- interviewed the Deputy First Minister about the Care Experienced Bursary in our podcast
- responded to the UNCRC incorporation consultation
- blogged on best practice at The City of Edinburgh Council
It's also getting closer to the We Care conference on 29th October on trauma-sensitive caregiving and workforce wellbeing. There are very limited tickets available – so book now!
Our projects are also moving at great pace. You can now book your place for our Project Return steering group taster session, as well as Mapping Relationships workshops in Glasgow and Aberdeen.
Further, we’ve launched our new three-year strategic plan – on how we will realise our vision of a Scotland where the wellbeing and success of young people leaving care across Scotland is indistinguishable from that of their peers. Read more here.
As this is my final newsletter as CEO, I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your support. It has been a pleasure to lead and grow Staf and, in particular, to see the countless young people we have supported to thrive.
All the best,
Norma
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| | New support for care-experienced young people announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
Staf made a number of calls for change prior to the First Minister's Programme for Government, based on issues raised by young people and our members. We're pleased to say that the voice of young people has been listened to and acted upon by the Care Review and Scottish Government. We're very proud that over the years Staf members and the young people involved in our projects have played their part in taking Scotland to a place where the needs of care-experienced young people are being recognised in such a way.
Announcements include: - removing the age cap of 26 on the care-experienced student bursary
- extending eligibility for free NHS dental care to care-experienced people between the ages of 18 and 26
- providing early learning and childcare to 2 year olds whose parents are care-experienced
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| | | The Forum Episode 3: In Conversation with John Swinney - The Care Experienced Bursary
In the new episode of our podcast series, 'The Forum', Staf interviewed John Swinney, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills on the Care Experienced Bursary. John Swinney made it clear that the Care Experienced Bursary should be considered additional to any other financial entitlements young people have. You can read a summary of John Swinney's contribution here.
Kevin Lafferty, peer leader with Youth Just Us, raised the issue of the age cap on the bursary. Since the recording the age cap has been removed and John Swinney has told Kevin that his "powerful explanation" was "critical" to the government's decision. |
| | | | New Staf Leadership Team Announced
SallyAnn Kelly and Carole Dearie have been announced as the incoming Chair and Vice-Chair respectively on the Staf Board of Directors, and will support new CEO Jo Derrick. Both bring decades of experience to Staf's new leadership team.
On her appointment as Chair, SallyAnn stated: 'I am delighted to take on the role of chair of such a vibrant organisation, which at its heart is an agent for the empowerment of our young people.'
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| | Project Return is launching...
Our new project focused on recovery from trauma, Project Return, is launching! You can find out more about the background of the project here. Book your place at our Glasgow taster session on 24 September here.
We have also created a short video to give you a visual overview of the project's aims and vision - click the play graphic on the right-hand side, or on the button below, to watch!
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| | | | In the second blog of our 'Spotlight on Best Practice' series, we look at the joint inspection of services for children and young people in The City of Edinburgh Council completed in June 2019. Here's what's working well in Edinburgh in delivering services for young people leaving care and the practices that are driving improvements.
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| | Supporting the workforce to deliver relationship-based practice
Mapping Relationships project lead, Papoula, and Staf CEO, Norma, travelled down to Brighton and Hove City Council to learn about the positive changes made to support the workforce.
Read Papoula's reflections on what we can learn from the improvements made by Brighton and Hove's Children's Services. |
| | | Staf's Response to the UNCRC Incorporation Consultation
Following discussions with care-experienced young people from the 'Youth Just Us' group, alongside young people from Staf member Moore House Care and Education, we have submitted a response to the Scottish Government's consultation on the incorporation of the UNCRC into Scottish domestic law. |
| | | | Take the Mapping Relationships Survey
As part of our Mapping Relationships project, we are running a survey to hear all about relationship-based practice across the Scottish care environment.
The findings will be used to create tools that will in turn support you to develop and enhance relationship-based practice within your workplace.
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This event will be of interest to you if you are taking your organisation or team on a journey towards trauma-informed practice and are working directly with young people impacted by trauma or neglect.
At this event, you will gain greater confidence and new practical skills to lead, implement and embed trauma-informed practice in your organisation. We will focus on one of the key elements of becoming a trauma-informed organisation: supporting the wellbeing of the workforce.
We are delighted that Tony Bloemendaal, a fellow of the ChildTrauma Academy founded by world-renowned trauma expert Dr Bruce Perry, will join us for this exciting one-day trauma training event. Tony will also be joined by his colleague Dr Roland Verdouw, a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and Robin Fancourt Memorial Scholar with the ChildTrauma Academy.
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| | | Project Return is now looking for people with care and/or justice experience, alongside members of the workforce, to join this project's steering group.
Jenny Ferguson, Project Lead, will be hosting a taster session on Tuesday 24th September in Glasgow, open to anyone interested in the steering group. At the steering group you will be able to meet others from the care environment, creatively learn more about the project, and there will be pizza!
This taster session plans to: - Enable you to meet others interested in trauma in the care system
- Provide an overview of the project, its stages and aims
- Showcase how we will be developing the steering group, through a creative self-care activity
- Provide a space for an informal discussion about the project, accompanied by pizza
All places are free to book, and travel expenses will be covered for those with care experience.
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| | Mapping Relationships Workshops
'Mapping Relationships' is the first stage of a new three-year project to support you, our members, to develop relationship-based practice.
We are now embarking on an extensive consultation to hear your thoughts about how we can improve and evaluate relationship-based practice across Scotland and are delighted to announce a series of upcoming workshops!
The key question we will consider is: How do we evaluate relationships and relational practice in the care environment?
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| Mapping Relationships Workshop 1 (Aberdeen)
Date: Tuesday 24th September
Location: Aberdeen Foyer, Aberdeen
Time: 2pm - 4pm
Mapping Relationships Workshop 2 (Glasgow)
Date: Tuesday 1st October
Location: Staf Offices, Glasgow
Time: 2pm - 4pm
Mapping Relationships Workshop 3 (Online)
Date: Tuesday 8th October
Location: Online
Time: 2pm - 4pm
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| | Get involved in Youth Just Us |
| | In partnership with the Centre for Youth & Criminal Justice (CYCJ), our exciting project to amplify the voices of those with care and justice experience is well underway.
The project’s steering group ‘Youth Just Us’ is open to young people aged 16-25 with care and justice experience, and continues to meet regularly. They have already contributed to Staf's response to the UNCRC consultation, met with the Minister for Children and Young People Maree Todd and one member of the group has interviewed the Deputy First Minister.
In addition to taking part in a range of fun and creative activities the group have decided to focus on 3 key areas: the Children's Hearing System, The Police and access to services. The group are also looking forward to participating in the Independent Care Review.
If you want to get involved, or support young people that would like to get involved, contact ruth@staf.scot – travel costs will be covered. |
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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: Lemn Sissay MBE is a poet, performer and broadcaster from Manchester who has care-experience. Lemn's memoir, My Name is Why, has recently been published and has been described by the Guardian as 'painful yet hope-filled'. You can read an excerpt from the book here. |
| Listen: Listen to SallyAnn Kelly, CEO of Aberlour and Staf board member, and Rosie Moore, co-chair of the Love working group on the Independent Care Review, talk love in the care system on BBC Radio Scotland. This vibrant and interesting conversation touches on some of the issues our members have raised with us in conversations on love. |
| Watch: Staf exists to ensure the wellbeing and success of young people leaving care is indistinguisable from their peers in the general population. So we were pleased to hear Nicola Sturgeon's TED Talk focus on prioritising wellbeing. Watch the talk in full here. |
| | | © 2019 Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum, All Rights Reserved.
To find out more about what's been happening at Staf, you can read our latest newsletter in our Newsletter Archive.
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