Dear First Minister, from The Collective

14th June 2019 Dear First Minister, We are a group of forty Care Experienced people called The Collective, who represent the voice and the broader membership of Who Cares? Scotland. Upon review of the evidence from Who Cares? Scotland’s 40 Years of Us project, which took into account the voice of over 5000 Care Experienced people, we discovered four letters written to the First Minister in 2003, which we have attached.

16 years ago, in these letters, Care Experienced people requested various changes to support them exercise their rights, be respected and to make their lives better. Sadly, even with the requests made directly to the First Minister, the various campaigns led by Who Cares? Scotland and changes to policy and legislation within Scotland since 2003, we can confidently say little has changed for the lives of Care Experienced people today in 2019.

You have personally committed to making Scotland the best place in the world for Care Experienced people. You and we are proud that you call yourself our ‘Chief Mammy’. You have launched a full root and branch review of the care system and have repeatedly stated that we will not have to wait for change and that if the care system requires to be ripped up and started again, it will.

We can’t wait. The rights of Care Experienced people are continually infringed, and their lives negatively impacted every single day.

Care Experienced people today experience trauma, loss and grief, resulting in some taking their own life, caused by the very system supposed to care for and protect them. Care Experienced people today have nowhere to call home because their placement has ended, they are no longer ‘entitled’ to support from the Local Authority, and they are no longer anyone’s ‘problem’.

Care Experienced people today have to navigate a complicated and difficult care system alone, with few or no meaningful and loving relationships. Everyone in their life has their own agenda, often disguised as a professional view or opinion.

14th June 2019 Care experienced people today are silenced, fearful and have little hope because a care system that is supposed to support, protect and care for them oppresses and treats them as second-class citizens, limiting their life chances.

The care system takes away Care Experienced people’s right to identity, belonging and heritage, redacting, or in other words erasing parts of their identity and heritage when requested by Care Experienced people themselves.

The lived experience and voices of Care Experienced people for four decades have spoken and continue to speak out‌ little has changed. You tell us we are loved, respected and are equal, yet we still today experience the same infringements of our rights as we did 40 years ago. We have provided a list of asks that if acted upon, can change the lives of Care Experienced people today.

Fundamentally, because of the current care system, Care Experienced people are not able to exercise and enjoy their rights. They are not respected and cannot enjoy their childhood.

For this to change, our evidence demonstrates the urgency for Independent Advocacy support, when wanted, by someone who is entirely independent to the care system. Over this last year, Who Cares? Scotland has supported Care Experienced people with over 4,600 individual advocacy issues, for the minority of Care Experienced people who are entitled and able to access it. This expands to only 7.2% of over 20,000 Care Experienced people.

Therefore, First Minister, we urge you to commit and consider the asks we have developed and presented to you. Underpinning all these asks is the need for Independent Advocacy, ensuring it is available to all Care Experienced people throughout Scotland who are entitled and want it. This should be demand led, centrally located and not dictated by local government. It must be psychologically, financially and structurally independent, continually holding care to account and upholding Care Experienced people’s rights.

Love, The Who Cares? Scotland Collective