SpeakOut Summer 2021

SECTION

SUMMER 2021

WHO CARES? SCOTLAND MAGAZINE

Renfrewshire Commits to

Keeping Brothers and Sisters Together

Find out how the local Champions Board led on this landmark policy 18-19

GET INTO SUMMER.........P15

THE STORY BEHIND OUR NEW LOGO... P10-11

MAKE MERMAID LEMONADE....P35

IN IT TO WIN IT.............P321

WELCOME

Welcome to the latest is s Inside this issue

Check out what’s inside...

2-3 Welcome Pages

5

14

7

20-21

LIFESTYLE 4-5 Pages of Positivity 6 Meet Your Advocate 7 Hello from our CEO 8-9 Meet our New Senior Management Team 10-11 The Story Behind our New Logo 12-13 Ask Ashurst 14 Meet your Local Officer 15 On Placement with WC?S

NEWS & EVENTS

30 22

28-29

31

16 Get into Summer 17 You Said, We Heard 18-19 Renfrewshire Commits to Keeping Siblings Together 20-21 The First Care Experienced Month 22 UNCRC Bill Challenged in Supreme Court 23 Presenting our New Annual Participation Programme 24-25 An Update from SQA 26 Representing You 27 Newsflash 28-29 Volunteering with WC?S 30 The Virtual Kiltwalk 21

ENTERTAINMENT 31 Who Crafts Scotland 32-33 Quiz Pages

SO JUNIOR 34-35 So Junior 36 2

Contact Us

SECTION

sue of SpeakOut Meet the Editorial Team

STEPHANIE

IE KATITOR)

(ASSISTANT ED

ITOR)

(ED

(ASS

JEMM

ISTA

SAM

(ASSISTANT EDITOR)

(ASS

EMMA

ISTAN T

NT E

A

DITO

DAMIEN

EDITO

(ASSISTA N

R)

R)

WANT TO SEE YOUR NAME IN PRINT?

We do!

We love hearing from you, so please share your poems, stories, pictures, jokes or tell us about something you’ve done.

SpeakOut needs you!

So get involved.

T EDITO

R)

@whocaresscot WhoCaresScotland

Scan this QR code if you would like to see a digital copy of this SpeakOut or check out our library of older issues, right back to 1979!

@whocaresscot membership@ whocaresscotland.org (ASS

RYAN

ISTA NT

EDIT OR)

If you would like to join the edi torial team, please email membership@whocaresscotla nd.org for an application form .

Our readers Every quarter SpeakOut is sent out to every Who Cares?

Scotland Family Member.

3146 members 75

The WC?S Helpline

Open Mon-Fri, 12pm-4pm Call us on 0330 107 7540 or email help@whocaresscotland.org

1

Our youngest member is 1 and our oldest member is 75.

If you’d like your own copy of SpeakOut posted to you, then make sure you sign up as a Family Member by visiting www.whocaresscotland.org

Did you know?

We send out a monthly e-bulletin which is jam packed with details of what’s going on at Who Cares? Scotland and how you can get involved. If you’re not currently receiving it, please contact membership@ whocaresscotland.org and we’ll get your email added.

The views expressed by the members in this magazine are their own and not necessarily those of Who Cares? Scotland.

If you would like to opt out of receiving SpeakOut please email membership@whocaresscotland.org

3

LIFESTYLE

F.A.S.D F ASD what’s that? Fantastic Amazing Super Determined, all words that could be used to describe an individual with FASD. FASD is in fact Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder – the most common neurodevelopmental condition (more common than autism or ADHD) yet possibly the less known about or talked about.

FASD Hub Scotland have launched a new online community group on Facebook for Adults with FASD. Anyone aged 17 and over who has an FASD diagnosis or would identify as having FASD because they have a history of prenatal alcohol exposure is invited to join the group.

To join the group search for FASD Hub Scotland on Facebook and join under ‘Groups’.

Link to group: https://www.facebook.com/ groups/adultswithfasd

4

“The Adults with FASD Group has identified the gap in support for individuals like me with FASD. It is not uncommon for the amazing support that is in place for Care Experienced or those with FASD to stop once we reach a certain age. However, our experiences and barriers do not simply vanish, we still have difficulties to overcome as an adult, which need to be addressed and supported separately to younger individuals.

The new group addresses this, with a safe space provided to build up an online community, where experiences can be shared, voices can be heard, and responsive support can be put in place as and where required. I am so pleased to see this finally in place and to have had the opportunity to be involved with the discussions leading up to the new crucial line of support.”

Carol Hunter , Volunteer and founding member

LIFESTYLE

Clyde Valley House and the Care Family Tartan

B

ack in 2013, the Care Family Tartan (previously known as the Care Leavers Tartan) was unveiled by Who Cares?

Scotland during National Care Experienced Week.

The tartan was designed by young people who grew up in care and registered with The Scottish Register of Tartans.

A quote from Ashley Cameron, WC?S Care Experienced member involved in the creation, tells us why the Care Family Tartan was designed - “We created this tartan so that Care Experienced people know that we are all part of one care family”.

“At Clyde Valley House we are wear the tartan ribbons and lovingly present them to all our young people who’ve been part of the Clyde Valley community and family when they leave our care.”

Be Kind As I enter our worlds new tomorrow I raise my heel to toe and allow my other foot to follow My eyes stretch the horizon for a friendly face The faces I am met with are not familiar Their half faces with tired eyes shining out I smell my breath and am reminded Ears looped through a mask I am one of them too Though all is strange we are told this is our new normal Separated by two meters It’s hard to not feel like life is slipping through our fingers Despite this they say communities have never been closer

By Shannon

But from what my own eyes have seen it’s the ones without a crumb to their name who have always given their most, That never had time to boast, in this pandemic we need to recognise them most.

When life returns to our normal and we get lost in the hum Don’t let us forget those who still have none, Let ‘be kind’ be the message that echoes through your lives, Years from this time Life isn't always about having to climb

5

NEWS & EVENTS LIFESTYLE

Meet your

Advocate Lisa Allan is an Advocacy & Participation Worker in North Lanarkshire.

H

ey everyone, my name is Lisa and I’ve been an advocate since 2015, I used to work with another company providing independent advocacy before joining the Who Cares? Scotland family in 2017.

I have a little boy, a partner, my Mum and my two fur babies Jack and Honey who I love to spend time with. As a family we do loads of fun things together, we love being out in nature, exploring in the woods, going to the beach and parks.

I love angels, animals and the moon.

I’m an Angelic Reiki Practitioner and do Angel Card Readings. When I get some time to myself, I love meditating, practicing mindfulness and have just started getting back into Yoga. Self-Development is a big thing for me, I love to learn and grow. I love butterflies because they are a symbol of transformation, they are a reminder that hard work can bring about big change.

I also love listening to music, dancing around the kitchen as I cook and going to gigs and festivals, I cannot wait to be able to go to a gig again and dance. Musicals, gardening, photography, exercising and watching football are amongst other things I love doing. I don’t watch many TV programmes but I do a love a wee film, most things from The Avengers, real life stories, comedies to a good tear jerker, definitely no horrors or thrillers.

6

Why did you want to become an advocate?

Before I started working as an advocate, I used to work with adults who had been through hard times when they were younger and had been involved with Social Work, through the care system etc.

One thing a lot of them would say was that they wished they had someone in their lives when they were younger to help them and listen to them, someone who was there for them no matter what.

After hearing this time and time again, I decided that I wanted to be that person. I wasn’t sure how I was going to do this but after job searching for quite some time, I came across an advert to become an Independent Advocate and I just knew this is what I was meant to be doing.

Why do you think independent advocacy is important?

I feel independent advocacy is so important because of the special and unique relationship that I have with the young people that I work with. Often, they have never had someone who is there just for them, to help and support them on their journey. Being able to ensure that their views are heard and that the adults in their lives understand how they are feeling and what they want, is an honour. It’s always a very proud moment when they grow in confidence and become able to speak up for themselves. It is such a privilege to be a part of someone else’s life in such an important and personal way.

What has it been like being an advocate during a global pandemic and now with the easing of lockdown?

I really struggled in many ways at the start of lock down. One of my biggest issues was being unable to see my young people that I was working with face to face, it was a big challenge. I am a people person, very chatty and like to connect with others in person. As much as the digital way of working has had its benefits, many of the young people I work with didn’t like it and didn’t want to do it.

I am so happy that I am now being able to get back out and see my young people in person, and I cannot wait until the time comes when hugs are a thing again too.

NEWSLIFESTYLE & EVENTS

Hello from our

CEO Louise Hunter I

’ve been looking forward to my first, proper, article in SpeakOut, ever since my earlier introduction to you in our Winter edition just before Christmas.

That seems like such a long time ago, and by the time you read this I’ll have been in post as Chief Executive for seven months. I set three main priorities when I started with this incredible organisation: 1. a renewed focus on members 2. strengthening our organisation 3. working in partnership wherever we can to support Scotland to achieve The Promise.

It has been a busy time with change internally within Who Cares? Scotland. We’ve built a new senior management team, we’ve made some changes to our structure, and we are continuing to invest in our staff and volunteer team to be able to support members and the community.

We are also working hard to continue raising money to support our work across Scotland and are so grateful to all of you who joined us in this year’s Virtual Kiltwalk, bringing in a whopping £24,663.87. All of this fundraising goes a long way to support our organisations effort to maintain a lifetime of support for Care Experienced members.

We are working closely with the organisations who are adapting to achieve the ambitions set out in The Promise.

The very nature of our work means that we will have a role to play in every priority area identified by The Promise, Plan 2021-24. By delivering individual and collective advocacy through the provision of independent advocacy, participation opportunities and influencing, we represent a diverse membership of Care Experienced people from a range of backgrounds.

While we commit to supporting the implementation of The Promise in its entirety, we have identified priority areas in which we can strengthen our offer, improve our practice, and support partners in and around care. We will communicate this in full to The Promise, all other key organisations, and importantly, to you. We will work collectively to #KeepThePromise and you will be vital in that.

Since joining Who Cares? Scotland, I have been excited to find out more about our members and I wanted to share with you some of what I’ve discovered.

We have over 3,000 members, and that increases every day. You, our members, live all over Scotland and beyond with some of you living in remote islands and towns, and others in larger cities.

Almost 50% of you are aged 18-26, another 30% are age 11-17 and a much smaller percentage are younger than 11 or older than 26.

I know you’ll all benefit in some way from being a valued member of Who Cares? Scotland. If you live in certain areas of Scotland, or are within a certain age range, you might benefit a little more than others through groups, activities and other connection and support opportunities.

That’s great, but until all of you can get what you really need and want from us, I will continue to strive to do better for you. I also want to hear from you if you think we could be doing something in your area that we aren’t or for your age group that we aren’t.

The pandemic was (is!) hard and we were lucky to benefit from investment from the Scottish Government and other funders to offer you more. Despite having to do everything virtually, we have been there for you through our Helpline, and Winter Aid offer, and we even managed to fulfil many of your Christmas Wishes. I know this will never replace inperson connection and we will bring that back this summer thanks to continued funding. So, watch this space. Who Cares? Scotland will be reaching out to you and other Care Experienced people across Scotland and we are here for you, for a Lifetime of Equality, Love and Respect.

If you would like to discuss any of this or ask any questions, please contact me through CEO@whocaresscotland.org and we can arrange a time to discuss this on zoom or I’ll write a response, personally.

7

SECTION LIFESTYLE

Meet our New Senior T

he last couple of months have seen big changes for Who Cares? Scotland, including the appointment of a new Chief Executive, the start of our rebranding journey and now a nearly entirely new senior management team – although you may recognise some familiar faces! Our 2 interim Directors are covering Marie-Claire Jones’ post whilst she is on maternity leave. Throughout all this change, it’s important to us that our members know you are still our priority and Who Cares? Scotland is still your organisation.

In simple terms, the senior management team are the Directors of Who Cares? Scotland who work closest with Louise, our Chief Executive, to ensure Who Cares? Scotland is delivering on its strategic plan. Here they are to tell you a little more about their individual roles…

Denny Ford Director of Operations What does your job involve?

In my job I get to work with our amazing managers to try and create the best opportunities and experiences we can offer our members - whether that is independent advocacy, participation, national events or local belonging and connection opportunities.

What does working at WC?S mean to you?

It means everything. I have been here 15 years.

My Dad told me ‘find a job you love, never work a day in your life’. I think I found that at Who Cares? Scotland. I love it.

Do you have a message for WC?S Members?

We want you to help us create the best membership offer for you and we want that offer to be available to members no matter where they live in the country.

If you could meet one person (past or present) who would it be and why?

Probably my Grandad. He passed away when I was really young so I don’t really remember him.

It would be great to spend an hour just talking with him.

8

Daljit Singh Interim Director of Fundraising & Communications What does your job involve?

I raise money and awareness for the work that we do.

Fundraising can be a lot of fun and we’re blessed to have so many committed supporters who want to take on amazing challenges on our behalf. We also work in partnership with many companies and funding bodies who care about the same things we do. And because our work is so important, we need to make sure the right people hear and, if they want to, talk to us about it.

What does working at WC?S mean to you?

It means working alongside some exceptionally inspiring people, people who have overcome significant challenges in their lives and gone on to be role models for the next generation.

Do you have a message for WC?S Members?

To never forget the power of your collective voice. You can make care the best not just in Scotland but the world.

If you could meet one person (past or present) who would it be and why?

My dad – he passed away 27 yrs ago and there are soooo many things I forgot to ask him!

LIFESTYLE SECTION

r Management Team Carly Elliot Director of Influencing

What does your job involve?

It’s my responsibility to ensure that we listen to the views of our members and that policy, legislation and practice reflects this. My team work hard to analyse our evidence base, create participation opportunities like the Annual Participation Programme and influence Corporate Parents. We do this alongside our wonderful National Representative Body who are members elected by you, to represent you in these spaces.

What does working at WC?S mean to you?

I’m really lucky to have the job that I do. I’m not sure there are many jobs that would allow me to influence legislation one minute, and sleep under the stars at Summer Camp the next.

Helping to improve care means so much to me personally and I feel very lucky to be part of an organisation that does this.

Do you have a message for WC?S Members?

I like tea and a blether so get in touch if you want to chat about influencing work!

If you could meet one person (past or present) who would it be and why?

Does it need to be a person? I sometimes prefer animals. Particularly famous Instagram animals. Tuna the Chiweenie would be ideal.

Fiona Donaldson Interim Director of Finance

What does your job involve?

I will be overseeing the organisation’s finance function, including ensuring that the Board and management have the finance information they need to support their decision making.

What does working at WC?S mean to you?

I’ve worked in the charity sector for over 10 years now and have been lucky to work for organisations that make an impact in their field.

It was very clear from researching WC?S that this was also an organisation that makes a real impact for those it represents and by doing my job I can help support that work.

Do you have a message for WC?S Members?

This is my 4th day in the role so I’m looking forward to learning a lot more about the organisation and the projects that are running across Scotland.

If you could meet one person (past or present) who would it be and why?

I think that would be Neil Armstrong to hear what it felt like to be looking back at Earth from the Moon’s surface.

9

SECTION LIFESTYLE

The Story Behind

By Sam Bailie, Assistant Editor

Y

ou might have noticed that Who Cares? Scotland has had a little make-over recently! We’re really proud to present our new logo which we hope better reflects our values, history and our lifelong offer of love to all our members. Who Cares? Scotland

is proud to represent our members, and so Care Experienced people were consulted from beginning to end; from the very first focus group, all the way to voting for the final design - here’s the journey we went on to get our new logo!

February (2019) The journey towards a new logo was kick started during the Who Cares? Scotland AGM when members asked for our logo to be more representative. This was a sentiment shared strongly by staff too. In addition to this, our old logo was also missing a vital ingredient present in everything we do: love. From this moment on, rebranding was on the agenda for change!

June - July (2020) The following year, between June and July we brought together our first steering group of members!

We asked them what Who Cares?

Scotland meant to them, and what a new logo could show. Words that the group came up with included ‘connection’, ‘belonging’ and ‘family’ – all of which were used to brief professional designers over the coming months. Our members also brought forward more specific ideas and requests of their own,

Our logo between 1992 – 1997 The text reads: “For young people who know about Care” 10

including asks to: • Include the Care Family Tartan • “Make it lifelong” to better represent our older membership • Keep it “Simple”

Some of the steering group even drew their own logos for inspiration. Here you can see Gian’s and Tony’s designs.

Our logo circa 1997 – 2010 Designed by a Care Experienced person!

July - August (2020) July and August were spent exploring ideas between the steering group and our professional designers. We explored a range of potential options and our members looked through each with a fine-tooth comb to ensure any design spoke accurately to our care experienced members. Through these discussions we gradually began uncovering a stronger and stronger idea of what a new logo should look like, considering all forms of messaging and interpretation, with well over 10 logos being considered!

One of our members and a designer from her company, Wee Blue Coo, mocked up an idea which had elements that were very popular with the steering group.

Our logo between 2010 – 2021 We have fond memories of this time, but we’re ready for a new chapter!

LIFESTYLE SECTION

d our New Logo January - March (2021) By the time we reached January 2021, design studio OMNIA Creative had helped us reach two final designs. Taking into account all of our members’ discussions during the previous months, both options ensured that love and the Care Family Tartan were firmly at the centre of our logo.

Until now, we had been guided by the input of our steering group exclusively. However, now that we had whittled it down to 2 final designs, it was time to put it to a full membership vote! On the 19th of March, we contacted our members and sent out a call on social media to help us decide. Members campaigned for either #TeamA or #TeamB!

April (2021) Over 150 Who Cares?

Scotland members took part in our online vote! It was a tight race, with the balance swaying back and forth. However, option A would ultimately win with 55% of the vote!

And with that, Who Cares? Scotland has entered a new, more colourful chapter with love and our members at the very heart!

45% 55%

What does our new logo stand for?

♥ Love is at the heart of everything we do.

♥ An abstract version of the Care Family Tartan represents the unique identity of our members. ♥ The 5 main colours of the tartan represent different aspects of Who Cares? Scotland: pink – love, blue – equality, respect – yellow, teal – belonging and dark green – voice. These colours are now our brand colours and you’ll start seeing them a lot more across all our platforms. ♥ The figures within the larger heart represent our members and their place at the centre of Who Cares? Scotland.

We’d like to thank…

2021....

Tony Anderson; Ishbel Holmes; Gian Bove; Lynda Greig; Lee Davidson; Amy-Beth Miah; Joelle Kirkpatrick; Shallyn Goodhead; Firebrat; Wee Blue Coo; Omnia Creative

11

Ask

SECTION LIFESTYLE

Introducing our Corporate Partners, Ashurst – a global law firm committed to thinking outside the box and making a difference. Meet Ashurst employees and Social Impact Co-Chairs, Natalie and Chantal, and find what being a Corporate Partner to Who Cares? Scotland really means.

First of all, tell us a bit about yourselves, what you do at Ashurst and what drives you both to be involved in Social Impact initiatives as Co-Chairs?

Natalie: I joined Ashurst in 2019 as Deputy General Counsel within the Office of General Counsel.

In a nutshell, that means that I’m an in-house lawyer for the firm.

I’ve been involved in charity work throughout my career either in a trustee, non-exec or volunteering capacity. The commercial world can be challenging at times, and I enjoy using my time and skills beyond the bubble of office life to help others in the community around me – it gives me a different perspective on life. I’m also a mum of three and it is important to me that my children grow up understanding the joy of giving back, paying forward and supporting those around them.

Chantal: I joined Ashurst in 2013, when the Glasgow office only had another 15 people or so working there. Our numbers are now around 400 so there has been a lot of change in that time! I am currently a Knowledge Consultant within the Knowledge & Expertise community [and don’t worry – not many know what that means outside of the department!].

Most widely, it means I have the pleasure of working with all our Expertise lawyers and Knowledge teams across our global network to support them in executing their practice area’s knowhow strategies.

Ashurst was my first full time role after I graduated, and I was delighted to find out that you could go beyond your day-to-day work and actually do things with the local community too. In fact, it was encouraged. It’s important that we don’t forget that if we can help, we should help.

How did the partnership between Ashurst and Who Cares? Scotland come about?

Each year at Ashurst, we ask staff in our Glasgow office to nominate charities to be our charity partner for the upcoming year. Nominations go through a rigorous first round selection process overseen by the Glasgow Social Impact Committee. We then ask staff to vote for their favourite charity from a short list. This year we held our first virtual, real time online vote which was amazing – full of suspense and tension as we saw the numbers rise on the screen. WC?S came out on top and here we are!

Can you gives us an idea of the plans you have for the year ahead with Who Cares?

Scotland?

We’re just getting started! We’re really excited about working with WC?S on fundraising initiatives, both virtual and hopefully in person too soon. The team in the Ashurst Glasgow office are a very sociable and creative bunch who are always up for a challenge, so all ideas are welcome. Currently we are working through plans for how we can help WC?S through skills and experience exchange, for example, by running training sessions; providing guidance and input into policies and procedures; and producing material for SpeakOut! We even have plans to engage some of WC?S’s budding artists to help produce some artwork for our newly renovated Glasgow office, so watch this space!

Thanks Natalie and Chantal for answering our questions and to the rest of Ashurst for choosing Who Cares? Scotland as your Corporate Partner, we can’t wait to see what we can do together.

If you have any questions for our friends at Ashurst, please PM/DM us on Facebook/Twitter or email membership@whocaresscotland.org.

12

who is this?

Meet Your

LIFESTYLE SECTION

Local Officer DI Michael McCullagh Cybercrime Investigations

I

started my career 18 years ago as a uniformed Officer and spent 6 years responding to calls and policing communities in the south side of Glasgow. I always thought it would be good to understand the role of a detective and later joined the CID and really enjoyed it.

In the last 3 years I have worked in Cybercrime in a few different roles. I was initially involved in how the police plan for and develop for the future for cybercrime and now I investigate cybercrimes as part of a fantastic team that I lead. My role is a privilege and also a challenge as cyber criminals use technology in new ways of committing crime. It’s my job to investigate these, to identify those responsible and to learn how we can protect people from their actions. For

me, being a Corporate Parent is about protection, and as young people are users of technology, in particular phones and the internet, I feel I am helping keep Scotland’s young people safer.

I’m really passionate about policing that considers and acts on the needs of the community, particularly young people. I recently asked for input from them and others in one of my projects. This allowed me to work closely with the Care Experienced community and I have been lucky enough to experience first-hand the value they brought to policing through this. They really helped me understand the concerns and wishes of our young people and this influenced the processes that we use to examine devices like mobile phones in criminal investigations.

It’s really important to me that we listen to our young people and engage them in what we do so we can keep building on the relationships we have.

13

LIFESTYLE

On Placement with WC?S

By Lauren & Moleen Lauren I’m in my final year at Strathclyde University studying BA(HONS) Education and Social Services. As part of my course I was to complete a workplace experience and I was very fortunate to placed with the Who Cares? Scotland Renfrewshire team. I wanted to come on placement with Who Cares? Scotland, as throughout my time in university I have always used this organisation as a massive source when writing assignments. I had read about the many great things that Who Cares? Scotland do, I wanted to see them in action.

My time with Who Cares? Scotland was amazing. I feel very grateful to have been given the opportunity to work alongside so many lovely people. Throughout my ten weeks on placement, I gained so much more knowledge on care experience and the journeys of Care Experienced people. I have been involved in a variety of rewarding projects, one being Winter Aid. I had the privilege of speaking to so many amazing Care Experienced people and I felt proud that I

could help them in some way.

As part of my university assessment, I had to create a project within Who Cares? Scotland, I thought Care Day would be a perfect opportunity to create an event to celebrate the Care Experienced community.

I wanted all of you to be part of my project, to bring you all together to celebrate your journey through care. This is why, I created an online zoom event.

As one of this year’s theme was ‘Light’, I wanted to incorporate this into our zoom event. Therefore, this event was a virtual ‘Glow in the Dark’ party. Prior to this event, I sent ‘Just Eat’ vouchers to all participants, so they could enjoy some food while partying. The event was really successful, and I had a brilliant time - I hope others did too. We had a party, food, a laugh, told jokes, shone a light on so many fabulous talents, and also participated in a quiz. As well as bringing the Care Experienced community together to celebrate, I also wanted to shine a light on care experience with the public, to do this I created a poster asking the public to join in our Care Day celebrations by lighting a candle at 6pm and share a picture on social media using #CareDay21.

I loved my time on placement with Who Cares?

Scotland and I am grateful for all the amazing opportunities, so thank YOU 

Moleen I had a great experience with Who Cares? Scotland. I am currently studying education and social services at the university of Strathclyde and was assigned to work on the Winter Aid Project. This involved making phone calls and writing emails to Care Experienced people and kinship carers in need of support over winter of last year. I have been supporting Care Experienced people to identify the things that they need help with. For example money for gas, electricity ,food, clothing and electric appliances.

Growing up as a Care Experienced person myself, I never had the opportunity to express my views and thoughts. I’m sure many of you know how disempowering it can be to live a life where our voices aren’t heard. It was an eye-opening moment for me to learn about Who Cares? Scotland and their advocacy work. It is very empowering to Care Experienced people. I would like to applaud Who Cares? Scotland and the work they do in promoting Care Experienced people’s rights. The organisation is leading the way for Care Experienced people to have a much brighter future with a sense of belonging and purpose to life. When Care Experienced people feel

14

loved, they also get that sense of belonging because it feels like one big family under one big umbrella.

It’s like a new dawn has broken where everyone can celebrate having a unique identity!

All The Best From Moleen!

LIFESTYLE

T

he Scottish Government has provided funding to local authorities and national partners to enable them to enhance their Summer Offer to Children and Young People over the holiday period, to help support children, young people, parents, families and carers to reconnect and boost their wellbeing after such a tough year.

As part of the Get Into Summer campaign, Who Cares?

Scotland are offering a programme of activity across the country from July to September to Care Experienced young people aged 16-26. This will include local days out, picnics, BBQs, sports groups, craft groups, music clubs, football tournaments, mindfulness sessions, cookery lessons and so much more.

Please note places for these activities will be severely limited due to Covid restrictions. Where there is demand, we will look to offer alternate dates for similar activity.

There will also be opportunity for smaller group activity or one-to-one time with individual workers.

What’s on where I live?

To see the most up to date local programmes and who to get in touch with if you want to take part, please visit our website - www.whocaresscotland. org/get-into-summer/. Our teams are still working on their calendars, so if you can’t find an activity near you then keep checking our website and keep an eye on our social media platforms.

Make sure you also check out The Parent Club website www.parentclub.scot/articles/findactivities-your-area which is signposting activities being offered by other organisations as part of the campaign.

15

YOU SAID, W T

NEWS & EVENTS

he Results of our 2020 Membership Survey are here!

2020 was, as we all know, a year like no other – it has felt like many parts of the world have been turned upside down and inside out. At Who Cares? Scotland, though, the most important things about your membership stayed the same, and that includes a commitment to listen and act upon what each of you has to say about how your organisation is run.

Gathering our member’s views and experiences

every year is an important part of our strategic vision of a lifetime of equality, respect and love for Care Experienced people. In 2020, a team from across different areas of Who Cares? Scotland, with help from our National Representative Body (NRB), designed an online survey and focus group, asking you questions about participation, representation, and what it was like being a Care Experienced member.

Members from all 32 Local Authority in Scotland got back to us.

What did they tell us?

Participation

Representation

•

•

•

•

16

Just under half had been to a local group in the past year, and just over half to one of our big national events.

Some people told us that they didn’t know there were local groups in their area, didn’t have the confidence to attend our events, or had other commitments.

Members liked feeling connection and belonging at groups, and liked being able to influence and campaign on issues important to them.

• •

66% of people we spoke to felt wellrepresented by us and 70% felt their opinion was well-valued.

Members wanted us to speak more about mental health and support for older Care Experienced people.

75% said they read Speak Out, with 45% saying they read every issue.

WE HEARD!

NEWS & EVENTS

Being a Member

Our average member satisfaction score went up 4% this year to 84%.

But why do people join up as members, you might wonder? The members we spoke to told us that they wanted to influence decision-makers and make positive changes happen. They also told us that they wanted to meet peers with shared life experiences, who understood what care experience was like. And they told us that they wanted to receive help and support.

“I wanted to make an impact and actively change the system to shape it into the caring, loving system it was meant to be.”

So why do members stay with us? The most popular answer to this question was the Who Cares? family – the people that you meet, the relationships and connections that you make, and the sense of belonging you feel. Several members also commented that they felt they were well-represented and their opinion was valued by us.

“I feel very privileged to be part of an organisation that really understands me and I am proud to call them my family.”

You also let us know ways you think we could improve, giving us helpful pointers about what could be better. You wanted more opportunities to be involved at both local and national levels, you would like improved communication about our activities, and a more personalised and inclusive approach to membership, from sign-up onwards.

“When joining there should be a more personalised greeting for those that want it e.g. a welcome call to discuss what you can do in your local area.”

We hear you, and we’ve been working with our NRB and our local teams to make things better.

Keep an eye out in future editions for updates on how we’ve turned your responses into actions!

17

SECTION NEWS & EVENTS

Renfrewshire Comm Brothers and Siste Y

EAH, YOU READ THAT RIGHT! Keeping brothers and sisters TOGETHER! AHHHHHHH! About time amiright?

Well let me tell you guys a wee bit more about how we did this.

So back in 2019 the other members of the Renfrewshire Champions Board and I were trying to come up with our first ever topic to work on. There are so many things wrong with the care system that we wanted to fix, but we soon realised that something that most of us had been affected by was being separated from a brother and/or sister in care and we were deeply impacted by it. That was when “Keeping Brothers and Sisters Together” became our first topic.

Okay so we had our topic, now what? Well, we realised pretty quickly that it couldn’t just be all about us and our thoughts and feelings on the matter. We’re just a small group of people with certain experiences. So, we made a survey and went round young people in Renfrewshire to find out what they thought and felt about brothers and sisters being split up in care.

Once we had that information, we did a lot of boring but important things like making it into a document and sharing what those young people had said in the survey with important people in Renfrewshire Council. One of those people was John Trainer, the Head of Child Care and Criminal Justice. We then started having frequent meetings with John and other members of the council on video calls and started talking about our experiences and what could’ve been better but also always bringing it back to what everyone in the survey had said and felt. John and other council staff then went away and drafted a policy and a pledge with what we’d shared with them in 18

Theighan McGirr, Communities that Care Ambassador

mind. The Renfrewshire Champions Board and Council worked together hand in hand to go through this policy and pledge, making sure the wording was perfect, young person friendly and had keeping brothers and sisters together at the heart of it, not just focussing on what could be done better after young people were already separated from their siblings! *deep breath* And then, after 15 months of working on this, our policy

went before a policy board on the 20th of May 2021 and every single person on that board voted for our policy. That means that from now on, when brothers and sisters come into care in Renfrewshire, they won’t be separated from each other! The only reason they’ll be separated is if there’s safety concerns, not because of housing issues or anything else.

This also means our policy is also in line with the values of The Promise!

“Our policy went before a policy board on the 20th of May 2021 and every single person on that board voted for our policy. That means that from now on, when brothers and sisters come into care in Renfrewshire, they won’t be separated from each other!”

Theighan McGirr, Communities that Care Ambassador

mits to Keeping ers Together

NEWS &SECTION EVENTS

“I know that we are on a journey to help shape a better future for all of our children and young people who are care experienced.”

John Trainer, Head of Child Care & Criminal Justice at Renfrewshire Council This policy was created in collaboration with Renfrewshire Council so it felt fitting that this wee article would be too. So, here’s some words from our good pal John: “The past 15 months have been challenging for many of us as we adjusted to life in lockdown due to the COVID-19 virus. The lockdown meant that for many of us we had to work from home. For others, particularly our residential care staff they continued to attend work and provide essential care. For others including social workers there was a hybrid working model sometime at home and sometime visiting families in the community. There was a danger that things would stand still or get worse as we all tried to cope but this wasn’t the case in Renfrewshire. I was delighted to be able to work in real partnership with the Renfrewshire Children’s Champions Board to co-produce the ground-breaking “Keeping brothers and sisters together” policy.

The issue of keeping brothers and sisters together was raised by the Champions Board as a priority from their survey work with those with care experience. At

O

the same time in social work staff were starting to focus on the same thing. So, over the last 15 months the Champions Board worked with staff from the council to create the Keeping brothers and sisters together policy in a genuine piece of co-production. Some of the highlights of the past 15 months have been the video calls with the Champions Board where together we agreed what we wanted to achieve, drafted the policy and then got it approved by the Council. The video calls were always real fun, but serious work was done in them. I can’t express enough my admiration for the members of the Champions Board for their leadership in developing this policy, for the respectful dialogue and for helping put in place the pledge and policy.

I know that we are on a journey to help shape a better future for all of our children and young people who are care experienced. The development of the Keeping brothers and sisters together policy in Renfrewshire shows that by working in partnership we can achieve so much.”

kay it’s your gal Theighan again. I just want to end this by saying to you all that us Care Experienced people are so powerful and important. With Care Experienced voices we’ve literally helped change lives. We’re a part of history now and I’m so unbelievably proud of us. To other Champions Boards across Scotland, you CAN do it and change is completely possible. Finally, to those young people from Renfrewshire that filled in that survey for us, I want you to know we truly could not have done any of this without you, so thank you!

19

NEWS & EVENTS

The First Care Experienced History Month Melissa Craib and Charlotte Armitage – Event organisers and Care Experienced members from Who Cares? Scotland

T

he first ever Care Experienced History Month took place in this April. During it, Care Experienced people from across the world came together with their allies to celebrate the legacy of our community throughout history.

The groundwork for the month started in 2019. This grew and we first started

20

telling parts of our history publicly on Care Day 2020 when we sat down with the First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, and Scottish Labour Party Leader, Richard Leonard, to talk them through a brief history of care in Scotland. We began the story in ancient times with King Hammurabi, before travelling to the 19th century to share the stories of the sons of the HMS Mars. We finished in the 1970s by telling them of the last children forcibly migrated to imperial colonies.

The First Minister told us on that day she had never heard the history

of our community shared like this before. She asked us to keep telling this story. This led to us delivering a similar presentation at the International Social Workers Federation’s annual conference in July 2020. Feedback from participants across the world highlighted there was a need to take this conversation across borders. And so, Care Experienced History Month was born.

The official announcement went live in September, calling for April 2021 to be the first-ever Care Experienced History Month, and behind the scenes the work had already begun.

In the months that followed, through an application process, we brought together two different steering groups (Scottish and International) that were made up of academics, historians and Care Experienced people.

Together, we created a series of online events, content, a website and educational resources all which told different moments of the history of Care Experienced people around the world.

The online events included a fourweek lecture series delivered by academics which spoke about the child migration scheme, an everyday life in Scottish Children’s Homes in the 20th century, Romania’s Care Experienced children in the 1990s and African mission children in Scotland during the 19th century.

To conclude the month, we marked the legacy of Care Experienced people throughout history by hosting the first International Care Experienced Day of Remembrance. This was celebrated around the world by people from the UK, America, Australia, India and Zimbabwe who took part by sharing

NEWS & EVENTS the official symbol of remembrance which was created by Care Experienced people.

One of our favourite projects which took place during April was the daily Untold Stories. These were stories of Care Experienced people nominated to be celebrated because their story was untold or their Care Experience was not commonly known. We shared the

stories of people such as Frank Teva Clark, Alan Turing, Fatima Whitbread, Simone Biles and Ernest Bevin. We’re looking forward to sharing more stories in 2022.

We hope that you enjoyed the firstever Care Experienced History Month as much as we enjoyed delivering it. We can’t wait to bring you on the journey next year.

Lorna Goodbrand- Care Experienced student and member of Scottish Steering Group

W

hen I first got the email confirming my place on the Scottish Steering Group for the first ever Care Experience History Month, it was fair to say I was pretty excited. Fast forward to our first meeting, and these feelings, though just as bright, had shifted slightly.

“What am I doing here?”, I asked myself as I sat in a Zoom call alight with discussion. In a virtual room full of veteran activists, social workers, and lecturers, I felt more like a turkey who’d been wrongly invited to the annual white sheep family get-together than a mere black sheep. As a 21-year-old Care Experienced college student, to say I felt out of my depth would be an understatement.

As conversations rose and developed during our meetings, something became apparent to me. Despite how I might have felt, I did in fact have something in common with those other people in those Zoom calls – anger and a desire for change. Though our ways of reaching this conclusion may have been different, we all agreed on one thing – people in care have been consistently mistreated throughout history.

Everyone in the group, whether from research or lived experience, knew about the injustices that our community has and continues to face on a daily basis. Mass migration of children to countries far from their homes to the lack of respect paid to their remains when they were buried together in unmarked graves is unacceptable. I sat there and thought, “Why don’t I know about half of these?!” and slowly it dawned on me, if I, a Care Experienced person working within a social work department, had no idea how deep these mistreatments and inequalities ran - how many people did? It was then the full implications of the History Month clicked into place.

Some may wonder, ‘Why does there need to be a whole month dedicated to the history of Care Experienced people anyway, shouldn’t the focus be on the here and now?’. It’s the same reason why I didn’t know that up until 1929 hundreds of children were being housed on a ship, groomed for the Navy less than 70 miles

away from me. The same reason why so many are confused about the link between care experience and criminal offending. The same reason why the Scottish child abuse enquiry remit covers within living memory.

History doesn’t exist in a vacuum. The effects of historic injustice towards our community don’t just echo, they scream.

We need to recognise where we came from to understand the systemic inequalities we still deal with every day. That’s why the Care Experienced History Month is so important. By raising awareness, we can hopefully connect individuals with Care Experience and show those in the power things need to still need to change. We must all learn from our past mistakes.

My time with the steering group is coming to an end and I can already see the effects of our first month, as Midlothian Council and I planning our involvement for next year. Though I might have started out on shaky legs, I will always value the time I spent working on the History Month and the unbelievably talented and kind people I got to share it with.

Thank you, guys, I’ll see you April 2022.

To find out more about Care Experienced History Month and the plans for next year visit www.careexperiencedhistorymonth.org 21

NEWS & EVENTS

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (Scotland) Bill challenged in Supreme Court Ryan Bazga, Assistant Editor

S

cotland has recently created a new law which will incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Scots law, meaning a wide range of rights pertaining to children and young people will be legally recognised in Scottish courts. Such rights as the right to be heard, the right to play, the right to protection from exploitation and the right to fair and equal treatment, are contained within the convention. Thanks to this bill, these rights will be entrenched into Scots Law and will have wide-ranging benefits for children and young people, which will also apply to all children with care experience.

Since these rights will be recognised as part of Scots Law, it now means that if they were to be infringed upon in any way, it would mean that children would have the right to go to court to ensure that their rights are upheld. This therefore means that various public authorities (local councils, the police, etc) must comply with these rights and will have special duties to uphold them pro-actively.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill was unanimously passed by the Scottish Parliament with support from all the political parties in Scotland. However, the UK Government has decided to refer the bill to the UK Supreme Court on the basis that some parts contained in it may be outside the powers of the Scottish Parliament.

However, it’s important to remember that this is about a technical matter relating to constitutional law it does not relate to the policy intention behind the bill.

The UK Government have been clear that protecting vulnerable children and protecting children’s rights is a priority it shares with the Scottish Government. What this is basically about is that the UK Govt believe that the Scottish Parliament has went beyond the powers it has and strayed into areas which the UK Government deems to be reserved to Westminster. Specifically, they think the bill could affect UK Government Ministers and limit the UK Parliament’s power to make laws for Scotland.

The Bill has now been referred to the Supreme Court, and the court will soon make a ruling either in favour of the Scottish Government or the UK

22

Government. The UK Supreme Court might decide that the bill is within the Scottish Parliament’s powers or it might say that certain parts need to be changed.

If the ruling is in favour of the Scottish Government, then the Bill will eventually receive Royal Assent and become law in Scotland. If the ruling is in favour of the UK Government, there could be a variety of different outcomes, such as the bill being referred back to the Scottish Parliament for amendment in relevant areas The Supreme Court hearing will take place over the 28th-29th June 2021. We’ll be sure to update you on the results in the Autumn issue of SpeakOut, in the meantime keep your eyes on our social media and our monthly members e-newsletter to find out more.

You can also find regular updates on Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) website, by visiting https://www. togetherscotland.org.uk/

NEWS & EVENTS

Presenting our new

Annual Participation Programme!

O

ur Annual Participation Programme is your one-stop-shop to take part in Who Cares?

Scotland’s influencing work to help create real change within policy and practice. Each year we create a programme of opportunities designed to influence policy makers around themes we know are important to Care Experienced people. The best part? You can choose exactly what you’d like to be involved in and how!

What issues will we be looking at?

We’ve created a calendar of all the themes we’ll be looking at over the next 10 months! n Sexual and Reproductive Health (17th May – June 25th) n Mental Health (5th July – 13th August) n Digital Wellbeing (23rd August – 1st October) n Care Experienced Parents (11th October – 19th November) n Education and Learning (29th November – 21st January) n Relationships (7th February – 5th March) How have these been chosen?

Each theme represents a key issue facing our members.

To find out what these are, we search for trends in our data, including issues raised with our Advocacy and Participation workers; areas identified by local Who Cares? Scotland groups; the results of our membership survey; and issues raised through our helpline.

How can I take part?

You can take part in these themes by: Survey We will send out links to an online survey at the beginning of each theme to gather your views!

Focus groups We’ll send dates and times of focus groups to you so you can discuss these themes with other Care Experienced people.

Local group sessions You can ask your local Who Cares? Scotland group if they would like to discuss one of the themes together!

Other work You might have a letter, poem or a song that speaks to one of our themes!

Send anything you feel is relevant to policy@ whocaresscotland.org during the theme’s month.

Just keep an eye out on social media and in your email from Who Cares? Scotland for links to our surveys and focus group dates!

If you have any questions, please get in touch! You can email policy@whocaresscotland.org, call Beth on 07980 956139, or speak to your WC?S worker!

23

NEWS & EVENTS

Our focus is still on helping you to succeed: Update from SQA on this year’s National Qualifications T his has been a hugely challenging year for learners across the country. The pandemic has had a significant impact on all aspects of our lives, but especially so on young people and your education.

We know that many of you, your families and your carers will have questions about how your National Qualifications are being assessed this year.

As a result of the pandemic, the national examination diet was cancelled and a different way to decide your National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher results was needed. We call this the alternative certification model.

The model has been created in partnership with the National Qualifications 2021 Group* – which includes representatives of teachers, learners, parents and carers.

Your teachers and lecturers are using a range of assessments that you have done over recent weeks as evidence of your knowledge, skills and understanding to decide your provisional results. This is referred to as using demonstrated attainment. Your provisional results will be

24

sent to SQA by Friday 25 June.

The fifth and final stage of the alternative certification model, the appeals process, was confirmed on Wednesday 2 June. You can find more information at www.sqa.org.uk/nq2021.

This year rather than follow a national examination timetable, your school, college or training provider has decided on how and when you will be assessed this year. This is being done to make sure you have the best opportunity to complete the required learning and be given the best chance to succeed in all your course assessments.

However, to make sure the standard of these assessments is consistent, SQA gave schools, colleges and training providers guidance, assessment resources, and support to help teachers and lecturers apply the agreed national standard to each course and use their academic judgement to decide your provisional results in

NEWS & EVENTS a way that was fair to you. Having these standards means that you, and any colleges, universities, or employers can trust the results you will awarded in the summer.

To give you and your school, college or training provider time to complete your learning and your assessments, our deadlines were extended as much as possible. Schools, colleges and training providers have until Friday 25 June to send your provisional results to SQA. However, if because of your personal circumstances, such as a medical condition, self-isolation or a bereavement, you are unable to complete all the required course assessments

by Friday 25 June, please speak to your teacher or lecturer, who will help you decide on the best course of action. After this discussion it may be agreed that you should complete your assessments at a later date.

Your school, college or training provider will then have until noon on Friday 3 September to send your provisional results to SQA. It is also important to say that no matter when your results will be sent, they will not be changed

by SQA, unless an administrative error is discovered.

Your school, college or training provider should have kept you up to date with your progress over the course of the year, and by the end of term they should also have explained to you how your provisional results were finalised. Following this discussion, from Friday 25 June, you can send a request to SQA asking for your results to be reviewed if you are unhappy with them. More information is available at www.sqa. org.uk/appeals.

You will receive your results by post, text, or email on Tuesday 10

August. If you have not done so already, sign-up for MySQA, and receive results by text or email on 10 August.

You can also keep track of all your SQA results using MySQA. Visit www.mysqa.org.uk.

We know this is undoubtedly a very challenging time, and a lot is being asked of you, your families, carers, your teachers and your lecturers. The pandemic has had a significant impact on all aspects of our lives, but especially so on your education.

Your mental health and wellbeing may have been affected during the pandemic. For support to help answer questions about your wellbeing, or your next steps, visit www.sqa.org.uk/ learnersupport.

Everyone at SQA is committed to ensuring that we do what is right and fair for you.

We all want you to succeed and to move on to the next stage of your lives with confidence.

How qualifications are awarded this year is different, but the outcome – the grade you will receive – will carry the same weight as a grade from any other year, and you can be sure everyone in Scotland’s education system is working tirelessly for you. * The National Qualifications 2021 Group includes the Association of Directors of Education in Scotland (ADES), Colleges Scotland, Education Scotland, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), National Parent Forum of Scotland (NPFS) School Leaders Scotland (SLS), the Scottish Council of Independent Schools (SCIS), Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), the Scottish Government and the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP).

This year rather than follow a national examination timetable, your school, college or training provider has decided on how and when you will be assessed this year.

Concerning the announcement on the 21st of June that the SQA will be replaced with a new agency – please be aware that we are in conversation with them, and Scottish Government, about what this may mean in the future for Care Experienced learners. There is no immediate impact on you, and it will not affect your results and appeals this year. We will keep you updated as things progress and how you may be able to add your voice to the shaping of a new agency. In the meantime, SQA is still a Corporate Parent and intends to meet its duties and responsibilities towards Care Experienced people as it continues to act as Scotland’s accrediting and awarding education body.

If you would like to talk to someone at Who Cares? Scotland about what this announcement might mean for you in the future or if you have any worries about your certification result, the appeals process or would just like to talk it all through, please contact our helpline on 0330 107 7540 between 12-4, Monday to Friday or email help@ whocaresscotland.org.

25

NEWS & EVENTS

Representing You! A

big hello to all of you as members of Who Cares? Scotland. We are proud, as your elected National Representatives, to provide you with some updates on the work we have been involved in, and we hope to make

more connections with you over the course of this year and next year.

One way you can get in touch with us directly is through our NRB email nrb@whocaresscotland. org. We would love to hear from you.

Supporting the Annual Participation Programme (APP) We have been working alongside Beth Agnew (Policy & Participation Officer) to support the development and engagement of the different themes of the APP. • We worked with Beth to understand the kind of information policymakers and the NHS would need to know more about, in order to shape sexual health and reproductive health policies.

• We also worked on the kind of questions we’d need to ask members and how best to ask for their ideas.

• For the first theme of the APP - Sexual and Reproductive Health, two of your NRB representatives, Marissa Roxburgh and Tia Mure

have held the first national engagement session with members.

• APP Theme 2 is on Mental Health and our first NRB meeting with Beth took place on Saturday 19th June, and helped develop the support for the next series of engagement sessions.

As always, your member contribution is vital in making change and ensuring the voice of the Care Experienced community is heard across Scotland, so please do get involved in the the Annual Participation Programme, we need to hear your opinions and voice!

Designing the Members’ Survey Ross Thomson (Impact Measurement Coordinator) recently supported us in a session on designing the Members’ Survey method for the coming year which would include.

• NRB supporting the design, analysis of results and comms to members (via the Members’ Assembly).

The starting point for this discussion included.

• What do we need to know from our members in order to represent them?

• Agree a shared proposal to go to management on: 1. How to best design the next Survey (‘by Members for Members’)

Planning Next Year’s Members Assembly This year’s Members’ Assembly (Feb ’21) was where you voted us, as your national representatives, into post for a two-year term.

At the next Members’ Assembly in 2022, we are looking forward to playing an even bigger role.

We have an email address that you can contact us on with any queries or suggestions; NRB@ whocaresscotland.org. The email is supported by WC?S staff on our behalf, so it can sometimes take a few days (or longer) to reply to you, especially if it is something we want to discuss at one of our fortnightly gatherings, but we will get in touch as soon as we can with an initial reply.

26

2. How to best collect data, including possible new methods like creating a Members’ Forum that the NRB can lead on 3. How to analyse the findings 4. How to present this back to members (at the Members Assembly, and through our comms).

We are excited to be involved in the on-going development of the Members Survey, as we believe it to be an important part of how we respond to you and ensure you have a say in how the organisation grows and develops.

Celebrating All WC?S Volunteers As volunteers ourselves, we want to take this opportunity to recognise, celebrate and thank all volunteers who support the work of Who Cares?

Scotland on behalf of you as members.

Volunteering is growing from strength to strength and a special thank you to Yvonne Atkins and Heather Donaldson, who coordinate and support WC?S volunteers across Scotland.

We are looking forward to connecting with members more and more as the year goes on.

Thank you everyone, The NRB

NEWS & EVENTS

NEWSFLASH Who Cares? Scotland’s Members’ Newsletter

Helpline In May we unveiled the new look for our helpline.

The support the helpline offers remains the same and we have a helpful video on our website which explains what the helpline can provide and how.

Articulation Scottish Universities’ Guaranteed Offer Guide With support from the Scottish Funding Council, our Training & Education team have released a series of guides for Care Experienced students on important topics, like: Articulation (the possibility of going straight into 2nd year of university with a HNC, or 3rd year with a HND) and the Guaranteed Offer.

You’ll find these guides on www.corporateparenting.org.uk.

Kirsty Capes Writes about Accessing her Care Records Kirsty Capes, author of newly released book Careless, has written an article for The Guardian detailing her experience of accessing her care records.

Her experience has been shared by many of you, which will be demonstrated once our care records research concludes in the summer.

Discretionary Housing Payments Do you live in your own tenancy and get help towards your housing costs from Universal Credit or Housing Benefit?

Does it still feel like a struggle sometimes to pay your rent? You may be entitled to more financial support. You can phone our helpline on 0330 107 7540 or email help@whocaresscotland. org for more information on this.

All Our Rights Report Published We were excited to share the #AllOurRights report from HRCScotland & the Scottish Human Rights Commission, supporting the development of new human rights law by the National Taskforce on Human Rights Leadership.

Members views were shared with the Taskforce through our ‘Navigating the World of Rights’ report from our Annual Participation Programme.

Scottish Youth Parliament Elections 2021 We’ve been looking for members aged 14-25 who are interested in representing Who Cares? Scotland and the Care Experienced community at the Scottish Youth Parliament!

Elections will be held in November!

Care Experienced Bursary Anne McLaughlin MP asked the Secretary of State for Education to make sure that students who receive the Care Experienced bursary are not disqualified from other support. We’re really glad Gavin Williamson MP has agreed to listen and so grateful to Anne for all her time on this.

Scottish Child Payment A new benefit called the ‘Scottish Child Payment’ is now available!

This payment gives qualifying parents/full-time carers £40 every four weeks, for each child they have under the age of six. Call their freephone helpline: 0800 182 2222.

Release of Covid-19 Recovery Report This report is a write up of the Annual Participation Programme’s findings and contains views from our members on how you accessed information about the pandemic, how you’ve felt about living under lockdown rules and how the support you received changed. It also details what can be done to better support the Care Experienced community as we move forward in 2021. You’ll find this report on our website.

27

NEWS & EVENTS

Volunteering with Who Cares? Scotland

Heather Donaldson, Volunteering Development Officer Volunteers’ Week 2021

For the second time, this year’s Volunteers’ Week celebrations were held digitally.

However, with volunteers situated all over Scotland (from Shetland to Motherwell and lots in between!), it was actually the perfect way to come together and celebrate our incredible volunteer team and all their achievements this past year!

What do our staff have to say about volunteers?

“I am so grateful for each and every one of you! I hope you realise how much of a difference you have made to our members and our staff.”

“Without you, we would be less, with you we are so so much more.”

“You all completely inspire me with how you fulfil your roles and also how supportive you are of each other. You are such a kind-hearted group of people and it shines through how much you care about what you do.”

28

What have our volunteers said?

“Continuing to be able to volunteer in some way has been really important to me at this time.”

“I have developed friendships for life at WC?S.” “WC?S has helped me to develop professionally, being the best version of me for the young people I work with.”

“I feel connected to something really amazing.”

A huge thank you to all of our Who Cares? Scotland volunteers – from Yvonne & Heather, all the staff at WC?S, and from all our members. You all inspire us and we are so grateful for all that you do!

NEWS & EVENTS

Meet Jim – Moray volunteer

V

olunteering with Who Cares? is the best thing I have ever done.

Being with our Care Experienced young people in Moray, both in person and virtually, with weekly Zoom sessions which have continued all through this difficult time, has brightened up all of our Mondays. The sessions have been well attended, full of fun and laughter and the adults in the group have had as much fun as the youngsters. We have a weekly sandwich challenge where the young people nominate a victim and a sandwich filling chosen by the group. Unfortunately, I am the victim next week and my treat is a cheese, apple, broccoli, sweetcorn, tuna and Nutella sandwich (I made the mistake of letting everyone know that my most hated foods are broccoli and sweetcorn). Honesty sometimes isn’t the best policy!

The relationships within our group have blossomed during this difficult time and it has been heart-warming to see our young people grow together and watch the trust and friendship between them build. I am truly grateful that I have been able to contribute and give a little bit of myself and am so proud that they have in return given me their acceptance, trust and made me feel part of their very special group.

As well as the fun side, we have also supported our young people in putting together a ground-breaking project which aims to improve formal meetings for Care Experienced young people.

This amazing and powerful presentation consists of three videos which they have put together themselves. What they have achieved is nothing short of amazing. In the first part of the trilogy they describe how they feel/felt about their formal meetings like Children’s Hearings and Review Meetings and

describe their feelings, worries and anxieties prior to, during and following their meetings.

The second part is their perception of a Children’s Hearing, which is called Fearing the Hearing, in which they play adult roles as well as the child. It is again all their own thoughts and words and the result is heart wrenching, emotional, while at the same time having some quite humorous observations about how people behave and act in “their” meetings.

Finally, and perhaps more importantly, they have put together an amazing piece which is called “Practitioner’s Guide” where they in great detail describe the many changes that they would like to see that would make their formal meetings better for them and would enable them to attend and participate in a more positive and meaningful way.

This has been presented twice so far - to attendees during the Festival of Care who were Social Workers, Children’s Panel Members, Reporters and other professionals, and again it was presented as the main part of the Highland and Moray Children’s Panel Members Forum which was attended virtually by 101 Panel Members, Social Workers, Reporters, Police, Council support staff and other practitioners.

I am so proud of our young group – what they have achieved and how it has been received. My hope is that it can be shared with all practitioners involved in caring for and supporting our vulnerable young people in Scotland because the message it carries is so powerful. It is an amazing piece of work. They are my heroes, and they deserve so much better. So far the reaction of those who have seen our young people’s presentation has been incredible and the overwhelming view is that things need to change.

I love working with and supporting these wonderful young people. Who Cares? We Care.

29

NEWS & EVENTS

The Virtual Kiltwalk 2021 T

he last weekend of April saw 94 of our incredible supporters and members take to the streets, trails, paths and mountains to take on the Virtual Kiltwalk 2021 and support Who Cares?

Scotland’s work across the country.

Our partners at Ashurst International Law Firm raised over £2,000 taking on a huge variety of challenges, including one brave team member who let his sponsors choose what he would do in return for a donation!

Our team and members in the Western Isles, led

by Donna Macleod Bray and Rachel Macdonald, took on two days of trekking around the islands. On day one, the team walked the grounds of Lews Castle, alongside Care Experienced young people, their families and their friends, partners, councillors and parents. Day two saw Donna take on a challenge on her own, taking on a marathon by walking 26.2 miles from Aird Tong to Garenin. Overall Donna raised £1753.50. Well done Donna! We think you’re amazing!

Thanks to all our walkers’ incredible efforts and the top up we received from the Hunter Foundation and Sir Tom Hunter we raised an unbelievable £24,663.87!

Thank you for sharing all your wonderful pictures with us over that weekend. We loved being able to see all your amazing views!

If this challenge has inspired you to pull on your trainers and you want to help raise much needed funds to support our work, please contact the fundraising team by emailing fundraising@ whocaresscotland.org – we’d love to hear from you!

30

ENTERTAINMENT

Who Crafts Scotland Jemma Kerr, Assistant Editor

W

ho Crafts Scotland is an online craft group that started during the 1st lockdown in early 2020. The group is for North Ayrshire young people.

The beauty of being online is that our young people do not need to live in North Ayrshire to attend.

We have young people from North Ayrshire who live across the country joining in with the weekly crafts.

The voices, opinions and ideas of our group are very important to us.

Our name was suggested and voted on by members. We are very much a democracy when decisions need to be made.

We are fortunate to have volunteers involved with Who Crafts Scotland.

Lee was the craft lead at the very beginning and now we have Robert in the creative seat. Liz comes along every week as a cheerleader and craft enthusiast. We also enjoyed having Lauren Hall along for several months.

It’s a real team effort at Who Crafts Scotland.

We wanted to make a logo as logos represent identity, they create a commonality amongst the group. It was important for us to have a logo that represented us as individuals, acknowledged our communities and bonded us as a group.

We started the design process by discussing logos and looking at examples of logos from NHS, Edinburgh College, Falkirk Champions Board and East Lothian’s Champions Board amongst others. We discussed each logo noting the features, images and text used. Each member was given a sketchpad to sketch in.

The young people worked on their designs during the online group. At the end of the session, we shared the designs and I collected in the images.

I worked with a Graphic Designer who turned the sketched images into digital vectors. As you can see from the pictures the vectors really capture the designs and bring them to life.

The designer was then given the brief

to design 3 logos using ideas from the young people’s designs.

Each of the designs have different elements and features taken from the individual designs. If you look closely the bear design is made up of one single thread, like a sewing craft. It features loves hearts and the Scottish flag. The flag design has texture and depth incorporating jigsaw patterns and different colour themes used by the children. The tower design features zoom tower, paint brushes and pencils and the Loch Ness Monster for good measure.

The 3 final designs were taken to the group to be voted on and critiqued. The 1st round of voting was a tie-break between the bear and the tower. We then voted on the remaining 2 designs. The overall winner was zoom tower.

Zoom tower represents each of us at home participating in the online group. The yellow and blue circles are the sun, sea and sand of North Ayrshire’s extensive beaches. Nessie is lovingly hugging the buildings as one of our members has a strong connection to Inverness. The text is coloured-in outside the lines as art is fluid, organic and often blurs the lines.

Who Crafts Scotland are really happy with our logo, we hope you like it too.

31

IN IT TO WIN IT…

ENTERTAINMENT

O

nce you have completed the IN IT TO WIN page please return it to us by Thursday 2nd September 2021 to be in with a chance of winning a £20 voucher of your choice! You can do this by giving the page to your WC?S APW, emailing a photo of your entry to membership@whocaresscotland.org or PMing us it on Facebook.

You can also post it to 40 Wellington St, Glasgow, G2 6HJ. Good Luck!

Riddle 1: I bring music wherever I go. I keep things very cold. I have wheels. People give my driver money, and he gives them treats. What am I?

Quiz Me

Riddle 2: I have cities, but no houses. I have mountains, but no trees. I have water, but no fish.

What am I?

Q2: Which three zodiac signs are summer signs of the Zodiac?

Riddle Me This

Where Am I?

Where’s Buddy gone on his holidays around Scotland?

Q1: Can you give the first line of Grease’s ‘Summer Nights’ lyrics?

Q3: What is the Guinness World Record for the longest barbecue?

Q4: The month of July was named after which historical figure?

Q5: What vitamin can you get from direct sunlight?

YOUR NAME: AGE: PHONE: WC?S WORKER: RETURN YOUR ENTRIES TO: Who Cares? Scotland, 40 Wellington Street, Glasgow, G2 6HJ

32

HHHHHHHH

HH

LAST ISSUES WINNERS ARE:

Sinead (17), Shanno n (24), Jodie (11), Alan (11), David (9)

HHHHHHHH

HH

…

N U F R O F T S U J

ENTERTAINMENT

SUMMER SEARCH BARBEQUE

M

H

L

U

T

O

E

N

X

Z

N

W

S

M

A

E

R

C

E

C

I

U

O

X

U

Y

C

L

I

A

V

Z

Q

X

I

F

N

P

R

N

J

M

O

A

W

D

T

O

S

R

I

L

L

V

W

I

K

A

A

M

H

F

T

C

U

U

O

B

X

I

C

R

I

X

H

J

N

E

B

F

Y

S

A

A

N

S

M

B

X

I

U

O

I

Y

V

T

E

G

R

A

S

S

C

Q

SUNSHINE

C

H

K

B

N

D

J

S

N

A

B

O

E

VACATION

D

G

P

I

R

W

V

D

K

R

Z

M

B

G

J

Q

R

N

P

S

U

M

M

E

R

R

T

L

G

Q

U

I

Z

M

B

K

A

G

A

T

O

H

J

X

N

M

U

O

T

Y

V

B

BIKINI DAISY FLIPFLOPS FUN GRASS HOT ICE CREAM PICNIC SUMMER

33

SO JUNIOR

JUNIOR

How To…With Emma

...Craft an Ice Cream Cone Who doesn’t love ice cream!? Here’s how you can make one that won’t melt in the sun!

WHAT YOU WILL NEED: 1. Paper plates 2. Colourful paint (to paint the ice cream shape) 3. Colourful paper (to cut out sprinkles or ice cream topping shapes) 4. Brown paper (or white paper you can colour in to look brown for the wafer cone)

5. Felt tips or colouring in pencils 6. PVA glue or glue stick 7. Scissors 8. Ruler 9. Paint brushes 10. Old newspapers

TOP TIP! Sit at a table while doing this activity.

STEP 1:

Take your paper plate and cut ice cream bumps or 'cloud' shapes out on one end.

TOP TIP! Ask an adult to help you with the cutting.

STEP 2:

Choose a bright colour to paint your paper plate with.

My favourite flavour of ice cream is mint choc chip so I painted my paper plate shape green! You can make lots of these ice cream cones so you can choose lots of different colours! Let your plates dry completely.

TOP TIP! Lay some old newspaper down when you paint to make sure you don’t ruin your carpet or floors.

Using a black felt tip pen/pencil and your ruler, draw lines up and down the paper to look like the diamond shapes on a wafer cone.

STEP 4:

Using your colourful paper, cut out some sprinkle shapes or 'ice cream toppings'.

Once your paper plate ice cream shape is completely dry, glue your ice cream toppings to the plate.

STEP 5:

Using your glue again, add a few dots to the front top of the wafer cone paper and attach to the back bottom of the paper plate ice cream shape.

STEP 3:

Using brown paper or white paper you've coloured in to look like the wafer cone, cut out a big triangle, the same width as the paper plate.

34

BEST IDEA! You can hang these around the house using blu tack or pierce holes at the top and hang them like bunting with string!

SO JUNIOR

...Make Mermaid Lemonade Summer mermaid lemonade is the perfect soft drink to enjoy during the nice weather.

Let's have a look at how the mermaids cool down in the summer!

Ingredients: • A bottle of lemonade (keep in the fridge) • 3 cups of water (measuring cups) • Pink food colouring • Purple food colouring • Blue or green food colouring • 2/3 tablespoons of golden syrup • Edible colourful sprinkles (you can get these from the baking section of big supermarkets) • A straw • A slice of lemon First, we need to make some mermaid ice cubes. As the ice starts to melt your lemonade will change colour.

This will give our drink a really bright, mermaid vibe!

STEP 1:

Divide water into three different measuring cups (a measuring cup that has the wee spout which helps you pour).

Add a little bit of food colouring to the water. You should have one cup full of pink water, one cup purple water, and one cup blue/green water.

Top Tip! If you only have one measuring cup, use a glass or mug to keep the other colours of water in.

Just make sure you wash the measuring cup after pouring each colour of water into the ice cube tray.

STEP 2:

Pour each colour of your water, separately, into your ice cube tray.

You should have pink, purple and blue/green sections in your tray.

Allow the ice to freeze overnight in your freezer.

STEP 3:

Pour a little golden syrup on a plate and place to the side.

the ice cubes into your glass in colourful layers I.e. pink then purple then blue.

Add as much ice as you like!

STEP 7:

Take your lemonade from the fridge and carefully pour into your glass and over your colourful ice cubes.

STEP 8:

Add a nice paper straw and a slice of lemon on the rim and enjoy!

Send us pictures of your summer creations on social media or to membership@ whocaresscotland.org and be featured in the next issue of SpeakOut

STEP 4:

Grab a nice glass from your cupboard and dip the rim of your glass into the golden syrup so it’s lightly coated around the rim.

STEP 5:

Dip the glass into the sprinkles and swirl it around until the whole rim is covered in the sprinkles.

STEP 6:

Take your colourful ice from the freezer and put

The Fox that Lost his Lunch

By Luke, 12

The cunning fox hides in the beautiful purple lavender.

He sees a cute rabbit and thinks about bagging him.

The sly red fox runs straight ahead.

With one though on his mind, “I want that fluffy furball dead!”

The smug little rabbit plays amongst the grass.

He clocks his opponent approaching mega fast.

But the rabbit was smart, so he ran. He must have had a hunch!

The fox was raging because he had lost his lunch!

35

Sian Wild APW Shetland 07599044615

Kayleigh Griffin Advocacy & Participation Dev Officer Moray CB & Schools 07841 032 885

James Cameron APW Highland 07841 878 953

Paula Campbell APW Moray 07712870335

Rachel Campbell Advocacy & Participation Dev Officer Highland Schools 07597 577 843

Candy Preater APW Rossie 07712 866 835

Cindy McNaughton Senior Practitioner Dundee 07810 570222

Jantine van Loon APW Highland 07850 852 708

Heather Nailard APW Argyll & Bute 07769325000

Jordan Ray APW East Dunbartonshire 07849086681

Beth Simpson APW West Dunbartonshire 07787 560 467

Heather Donaldson Development Officer (Volunteering and Influencing) 07523 512 797

Caroline Breen APW Renfrewshire 07394 418 025

Donald Walker APW Renfrewshire 07712 865958

Lynsey Emery Development Officer 07980956140

Karen Kearney APW West Lothian 07523 512 796

Kari-Ann Johnston APW East Lothian & Champs Board Dev Officer 07841 033 100

Fiona Simpson APW Glasgow 07787 560 472

Jacqueline McLachlan APW North Lanarkshire 07841033020

NATIONAL OFFICE: 40 Wellington Street, Glasgow, G2 6HJ. Tel: 0141 226 4441 e.mail: membership@whocaresscotland.org DUNDEE OFFICE: 11 Castle Street, Dundee DD1 3AA Tel: 01382 202888

RENFREWSHIRE OFFICE: c/o West Primary School, Newton Street, Paisley, PA1 2RL 0141 887 5563

NORTH NORTH EAST NORTH WEST CENTRAL

Kieran Platts APW Fife and Cairn Mhor 07841 033 104

Sophie Morris APW East Lothian 07985 046739

Kim Campbell APW Glasgow 07712 870 343

Ellie Barrow APW Edinburgh & Harmeny 07970 515 440

Sheryl Kay APW South Ayrshire 07738 195 692

Ray MacLean Advocacy Coordinator North Lanarkshire 07523 512 800

Ewen Kerr APW South Lanarkshire 07970515442

LANARKSHIRE RENFREWSHIRE SOUTH EAST SOUTH WEST

Jemma Kerr North Ayrshire Dev Officer 07712 870 390

Laura Campbell North Lan Development Officer 07849086191

Lisa Allan APW North Lanarkshire 07790341265

IRVINE OFFICE: Sovereign House, Academy Road, Irvine, KA12 8RL

Sorcha Tams APW Falkirk & Clackmannanshire 07598 580 320

Caroline Ironside APW Stirling 07849 084 996

Prajapa Seneviratne Advocacy Coordinator North Mags Corr Lanarkshire 07849 087 753 APW North Lanarkshire 07841033018

Lynne Morris South Lanarkshire 07786 068 138

Sharon Edwards West Lothian APW 07779 451 117

Mary Bateman APW Falkirk 07739 078 247

Elle Scott APW North Lanarkshire (Mat Cover) 07849 086 188

Lynne Williamson APW Aberdeenshire 07712 869 576

Amy Goodwin APW Spark of Genius 07971474168

Lauren Hall Development Officer West Lothian 07731 153 702

Angelina Maytum APW Orkney 0784 9087478

Leah Strachan APW Dundee 07976 738 663

Jemma Kane APW Kibble 07540 823 286 Pamela Hynes APW Argyll & Bute & Crossreach 07739 078 244

Morag Cantwell APW Clackmannanshire 07523512612

Judith King APW Highland & Moray 07583 050 179

Donna Mcleod Bray APW Western Isles 07764 290 921

Paul Lamont APW Dundee 07787436681

Kelly Laing APW Perth & Kinross 07748 494 341

Jo McLeod APW Aberdeen & Aberdeenshire 07598 580 316

Kirsteen Wood APW Highland (MAT cover) 07523512610

Michelle McAtear APW South Lanarkshire 07841033107

Brenda Ann Murphy McKenna APW North Lanarkshire 07805 541 262

Calum Holt Development Officer South Lanarkshire 07769 325162

Kiera Kerracher APW Edinburgh 07849083003

Kerry Connor APW North Lanarkshire 07841 033 019 Susan Armstrong APW Midlothian & Borders 07712872078

Lesley-Anne Rafferty APW Edinburgh 07787560471 Sarah Bailey APW North Lanarkshire 07715 312 658

Denise McMillan APW East Ayrshire 07932 101 076

www.whocaresscotland.org

Lindsay Cook APW East Renfrewshire 07973 801 709