2016
Listen… Can You Hear
Their Voices?
Care Experienced Young
Person’s Project
Saffron Rohan and Simone Smith
Published: August 2016
Contents
This is the story of the work of the Voices a
care experienced young people’s project which
has tirelessly worked to ensure that the views,
experiences and opinions of care experienced
young people are not only heard but used to
improve outcomes for young people.
Here at Staf we are extremely proud of the
work that they have undertaken and the way in
which they have used their collective voices to
affect change.
Over the last 2 years they have travelled the
country from Dumfries to Inverness, presented
at a wide variety of forums, events and
conferences, had an audience with the then
Minister for Children and Young People and
have found themselves trending on twitter.
Scotland has certainly felt their presence.
1
In the Beginning
2
Our Travels
3
Sessions with young people and Findings
4
Key themes
4.1
Postcode Lottery
4.2
Children’s Hearings
4.3
Foster Care
4.4
Relationships Matter
5
Impact and Outcomes so far
5.1
Events/Conferences
5.2
Social Media
5.3
Further Impact
6
Young People
6.1
Voices Steering Group and next steps
6.2
Young people we visited
7
Recommendations
8
Executive Summary
9
References
Appendices
1
ppendix 1
A
Questionnaires /Evaluation given out at Regional Sessions
We are delighted to be able to share this
report with you and urge you to look at
the recommendations that the Voices are
making. This is just the beginning for this
work and we look forward to working
across our membership to promote and
action their findings.
2
ppendix 2
A
Staf’s Vision and Mission statement
3
Appendix
3
Full list of interview questions from individual interviews with young people.
Norma Corlette | CEO
Thank you!
03
1
In the Beginning
Staf, as an organisation has always aimed to have
young people’s views at the heart of their work. Prior to
the beginning of the Voices project Staf ran the ‘Debate
Project’ (from 2002–2013).
The steering group for the Voices project first came
together in 2014 when the project was formed at the
Scottish Government building in Edinburgh. The steering
group consists of a group of care experienced young
people who want to improve things for themselves and
other care experienced young people across Scotland.
May 2014 —
The Scottish Government
Building in Edinburgh
where the steering group
first formed. We’ve come
a long way since then!
2
Our Travels
So far the Voices has conducted regional forums with
young people in 10 local authority areas across Scotland.
For those we couldn’t reach we sent out a survey for
their young people via survey monkey. Here is a map
showing the different locations in Local Authorities that
the Voices visited:
It was agreed that the initial focus of the project would be
young people staying put in their care setting, tying in with
a focus around new legislation. The new Children and Young
People (Scotland) Act (C&YP(S)Act 2014), with particular
attention to Section’s 9 — Corporate Parenting, 10 —
Continuing Care and 11 — Aftercare.
The group wanted the first remit of the project to be about
enabling and empowering themselves and their peers to
remain in their care setting until they are ready to move on.
The project was initially called ‘Soundings’ but the steering
group decided that ‘the Voices’ was a name that better
represented the aims of the project.
04
05
Here are just a few of the places
we visited throughout Scotland.
Aberdeen City Council
Perth and Kinross Council
East Renfrewshire Council
Dundee City Council
The Highland Council
This pie charts shows how many young
people we interviewed in various
local authority areas.
Local Authority and Third Sector organisations
visited during the Voices consultation sessions
Aberdeen City
Dumfries and Galloway
Dean & Cauvin
3
4
Dundee
East Lothian Council
4
6
East Ayrshire
East Renfrewshire
3
East Lothian
Inverness
2
6
Midlothian
3
Perth and Kinross
West Dunbartonshire
Dean & Cauvin
4
4
2
4
Y Sort-It
06
07
Sessions with Young People
and Findings
3
Questionnaires
During regional sessions with young people we did
several things:
Training in the form of a presentation on the C&YP (S) Act 2014
Group discussions and a corporate parenting exercise,
from which some definite themes emerged (filmed)
Questionnaires before and after the session
Individual interviews with young people - 39 in total!
Training and Group Discussions
The sessions were designed and delivered by young people
to young people. Members of the steering group delivered
the presentations and told their peers what they could
expect as a result of the new Act, in terms of their rights to
care provision, continuing care and the duties of named
corporate parents. The presentation focused on three
sections of the act: part 9 — Corporate Parenting, part 10
— Aftercare and part 11 — Continuing care.
During the presentation we conducted a group discussion
to ask what practical things corporate parents could do to
help young people leaving care.
In these discussions a lot of similar themes came out
showing that there is a lot of work to be done in a number
of areas, these are explored in section 4 of this report.
The group discussions were also filmed so that all the
feedback and comments from young people could
be captured.
08
The session questionnaires asked young people:
• H
ow much they felt they knew about the C&YP(S) Act
and in particular about Throughcare, Aftercare and
Continuing Care.
And
• H
ow much they felt they knew about who their
‘corporate parents’ were.
Young people were asked to mark their level of knowledge
on a scale of 1–10 with 10 being the highest. This was
done before and after the session to measure if levels of
knowledge and understanding had increased.
As part of the evaluation process we also asked young
people to comment on anything they particularly enjoyed
about the session or anything they think could have been
done better.
Below are some statistics showing the young people’s
knowledge increase from the sessions and some feedback
we received.
In terms of corporate parenting and
the C&YP Scotland Act 2014, 26 people
said they had heard of it, with 7 saying
they were unsure and 6 saying no.
Young people’s average level of
understanding/knowledge regarding
corporate parents was 6.6 out of ten
prior to the session. rising to 8.2 after
the session
Ratings of prior understanding or
knowledge of through care, aftercare
and continuing care prior to the session
held an average of approximately 6.6
out of ten.
This rose with of knowledge/
understanding of the above rising
to an average of 8.3 out of ten after
the session.
09
So 27 out of 39 (69%) young people felt they had an
increased understanding about Throughcare, Aftercare
and Continuing Care.
Individual Interviews
We saw a total of 65 young people during regional sessions
and 39 of them agreed to a recorded interview, we asked 11
questions in total. Below is a sample of 4 of the questions
asked during interviews. The rest of the questions can be
found in appendix 3.
9 out of 39 (23%) showed no change — however some young
people indicated that their knowledge was 10 to begin with
so had no scope to show an increase.
2 out of 39 (5.1%) felt they had less understanding of TC,
AC & CC.
For those of you who are good at maths, 1 young person
filled it out before the session but not afterwards as they had
to leave early.
Feedback:
Here are some quotes from young people taken from the
evaluation part of questionnaires. A copy of the evaluation
form can be found in appendix 1.
Q.
Q.
Q.
Q.
If you could give
advice to another
young person (perhaps
somebody younger
than you) who is
thinking about getting
ready to move on from
care what advice would
you give them?
Think about any person
or professional that has
played a significant
part in your life. Tell
us what they did that
was different? Why did
they stick in your mind?
What was significantly
different in your
relationship with them
than others?
Are the relationships
you have with carers
and professionals a
significant factor in
deciding if you want to
stay on in care? If so,
what helps?
Do you have any
advice that you would
like to give to foster
carers, residential
workers, social workers,
throughcare workers
which would help
them be the best
worker possible?
These are some quotes in response to the questions asked
in interviews.
Q. What have you enjoyed the most about today?
'Everyone caring about what they are talking about'
'Speaking about my experiences'
Q. Is there anything we could have done better today?
'Do late night meetings if possible so there’s more
young people and time to discuss more'
'Nothing was good overall'
Q. Is there anything in particular that you have
learnt from today?
'Who corporate parents are and the age Aftercare/
Continuing care ends'
'That the new law says I can ask for help until
my 26th birthday'
10
Q.
A.
Do you have any
advice that you would
like to give to foster
carers, residential
workers, social workers,
throughcare workers
which would help
them be the best
worker possible?
'Foster carers, make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons. If you’re doing it for
a pay check at the end of the month don’t do it!'
'Little things that showed me she cared made me want to open up, things like her
and her boss having arguments because she was going out of her way to help me
you know. Other professionals may not find…'
'I feel like the majority of people I lived with were doing it for a pay check, I
remember I had a family that had two different living rooms one for us and one for
their own children so for me you need to want to help people, treat them like your
own children, the whole thing about being loved and feeling loved is a high thing for
a child, it’s been proven through research lacking that can have serious problems
in the future.'
'It’s not trying to train the professional to be better to the young people, they have
already got it – the ingredients to do it. They sometimes just get mixed up between
the personal and the professional, but because of my social worker I was really
lucky as I had her my whole life. For the first year and a half I refused to have
anything to do with her but she made a point in telling me you can have these
tantrums you can cry you can shout you can runaway but I’m here for you I’m not
going anywhere. I think it was that she was stubborn and that’s what made our
relationship what it is, because she took the time to get to know me through my
ups and downs and she would text me asking how I was – even if it was at night –
it didn’t matter.'
11
Q.
A.
Have you got any advice
for another young
person considering
leaving care?
'I would say if you are ready then go for it. However, it is not a decision I would take
lightly as once you have moved you can’t go back. It is a decision that needs to be
seriously thought about and done over a period of time. Input from your staff team
can also be helpful as they have worked with you for a period of time.'
Furnishing First tenancy
£3,000.00
'Don’t rush! it is always going to be a lot harder than you expect, financially and
emotionally. It can be really hard to not end up having your friends in 24/7 and
stopping them from wrecking your place at the weekends. If you are going to
leave be prepared for the challenges and make sure you stay in control of whos
in and out.'
'You need to make sure you are ready for leaving care, it is really massive and a total
new experience, i would make sure you have somewhere to go and have a back
up plan incase it doesnt turn out how you expected it and make sure you are aware
of budgeting, door control etc as that will be something new you will have to face
which you haven’t done before but yeah if you are comfident enough and think you
will manage it i would say go for it and if not stay in care for a few more years till you
think you are ready for the change.'
Amount Given
'You have got to really seriously think about the decision you are going to make it’s
not a tiny decisions it’s something that will affect your life, it’s really really lonely
in your own place.'
Amount Given
£2,250.00
£1,500.00
£750.00
£0
Various Local Authorities
Key Themes
4
Postcode Lottery
4.1 One of the biggest themes that came out from group
discussions was the inconsistency in care provision for
certain things across Scotland. Particularly around the
amount young people get when leaving their care
setting and moving into their first tenancy.
After hearing some accounts of young people having as
little as £500 to furnish their first tenancy we asked all the
local authorities to anonymously disclose the amount they
gave their young people to furnish their first tenancy. All
apart from 4 disclosed.
We have used the data collected to present at various
events and even to carry out a workshop, all of which will
be examined in section 5.1 of this report.
Additionally, after showcasing this information, young people
from one champion’s board used the data we had collected
to ask for the amount they receive to furnish their first
tenancy to be raised from £1800 to £2500. This was the kind
of thing the project hoped to achieve, empowering young
people to have their voice heard and actively improve the
service they receive.
The results were quite varied, as you can see from the
graph (opposite).
12
13
Children’s hearings
Foster Carers/Placements
4.2 4.3 Another key theme that emerged from our regional sessions
was children’s hearings. Below are a selection of quotes from
young people on their thoughts on children’s panel hearings.
Another one of our key themes was about foster carers and
how the placement ends. There was mixed reviews about
being in foster care and the carers.
Here are some quotes about foster carers
14
'I just dread them.
They’re just
strangers speaking
about your life,
and they don’t
actually know you,
so I don’t like it.'
'They give a chance
to give a child a
voice but they
don’t listen fully to
situations we’re not
happy about'
'They can make the
waiting room a bit
better. Well, it’s not
really friendly is it?'
'I didn’t want my
head teacher there'
'There should be
info written out
for young people
about the Children
Scotland Act or the
CSO. What does
that actually mean?
There’s no leaflets.
That would be
useful'
'Nah I walked out
them all. Panels are
too formal, felt like
getting in trouble.
Thought oh crikey
here again.'
'Foster carers
should have a
limit to how many
children they can
foster if they have
so many in their
household'
'For young people
it’s a matter of
survival but for
foster carers it’s
more of a job —
sussing people out
— it’s life or death,
well maybe not
that extreme'
'The advice I would
give you is you
really need to be
sure what you’re
doing, the thought
of having your own
house is amazing
but when you’re
in there you feel
so lonely'
'We need to encourage a lot more people to stay in these
placements as it’s the best place for you even though it doesn’t
seem like it. That it’s a lot better to stay in a foster placement
instead of going independent at 16'
Many young people found the experience difficult, as even if
they were asked what their views were, they weren’t entirely
comfortable talking about personal issues in front of people
such as a head teacher who they didn’t even know on a
personal level.
There were a few unfortunate cases where young people
felt unhappy or isolated in placements. There was even one
or two instances were young people spoke of their foster
homes having two separate living rooms, one for the foster
children and one for the families own children to play in.
There were also a lot of remarks on panels being more
interested in what social workers had to say on particular
situations rather than the view or opinion of the young
people themselves.
Although when speaking to young people the majority of
them discussed positive experiences, saying that their foster
carers were their significant person as they made them feel
like they belonged there and that they treated them like part
of their family.
15
Relationships Matter!
4.4 For a variety of reasons there is often a gap between what
young people want to receive from a care relationship and
what can be offered.
Speaking to young people in the group discussions it
became clear to us just how much relationships matter
to young people, no matter who it is; whether it’s a social
worker, foster parent or throughcare worker.
Practitioners’ Gathering
October 2015
This was drawn by young
people to depict their
ideal worker
At the heart of every single positive story and experience the
Voices heard, was that just one strong relationship with one
person who was willing to go the extra mile and show they
cared. Examples of this included things like:
• S
ocial workers going the extra mile… taking young people to
the beach to walk their dogs.
• F
oster carers really caring – staying in touch after
placements end and showing genuine interest in lives
and school.
• W
e even spoke to one young person who gets invited to
their old foster placement every Christmas for dinner even
though the placement was relatively short and ended
years ago.
When asking young people about their workers/foster
carers there was always 4 things they said they wanted:
• LOVE • SUPPORT • TRUST • HONESTY
From speaking to young people and the work done at
practitioners’ gathering with young people and practitioners,
it is clear to the Voices that pushing the boundaries of
relationships with young people and being willing to go
the extra mile (as long as it’s safe and known to social
work team) can make an unimaginable difference.
A positive trusted influence can change the path a young
person goes on, leading them to a better life. For example,
we heard from one young person who had such a good
relationship with their social worker that when they ran away
from their foster placement they ended up at her house!
If this hadn’t been the case who knows where that young
person would have fled to or what danger they may have
ended up — Relationships Matter! ☺
16
Impacts and outcomes
of our work so far
5
Events/conferences
5.1 Since the steering group began the Voices have presented
the findings of the project at various events and conferences.
Some of the data collected has also been fed back to Staf’s
policy focus group.
Staf events include: Managers’ Forums, Practitioners’
Gatherings (2015), Summer Conference 2016 and Dinner
with Dialogue 2015. The forums and gatherings are for Staf’s
members to attend and learn from through sharing good
practise, guest speakers and networking.
17
Practitioners’ Gathering
March 2016
The steering group
Other events the Voices have been at are the 2016 Centre for
Youth and Criminal Justice conference where they presented
and the 2016 Social Work Scotland (SWS) conference where
they ran a workshop.
Saffron and Simone
speaking at National
CYCJ 2016 Conference
The Voices have also met with the former minister for
Children and Young People Aileen Campbell who we fed
back the research on furnishing a tenancy to.
The workshop at the SWS conference was very successful.
The data from furnishing tenancies was used and the
delegates were split into groups to work on an exercise.
For the exercise the groups were given Argos catalogues
and envelopes with various amounts of pretend money,
amounts that local authorities had actually disclosed as
amounts their young people receive to furnish a tenancy.
The groups then had to use the amount they had been
given to furnish a tenancy with all the basics that a
home would need.
Not surprisingly nearly none of the groups were able
to complete the task within the budget given.
Saffron and Simone with
Aileen Campbell and the
first Care Question ran by
Who Cares? Scotland
The sign-up sheet for
SWS Workshops – which
shows we were the first
to be fully booked!!!
18
19
Here are some pictures
and a caption from
Twitter that day
At all of the above events the steering group has had
the opportunity to present the findings that came from
the regional sessions and illustrated these findings using
the voices of young people. The individual interviews
footage was used to show the managers, practitioners,
senior influencers and other key parts of the LAC sector
what young people really think.
The Voices project will help Staf create a forum within
the sector that can support and encourage a cultural
change, helping young people let those who can
make a difference know where improvements can be
made to current processes and practises in place.
Here are some quotes from delegates and other
various people that have seen the Voices at events
and workshops.
Nick Newlands, Professional Advisor: Scottish Government
‘I was fortunate to witness the beginnings of the Voices Project in spring 2014 and
am astonished at their progress. A personal highlight was being invited to deliver
a presentation on behalf of the Scottish Government with Simone and Saffron at
a Staf event for practitioners and managers. They have really grown in confidence
and I hope they continue to ensure the views of care leavers are heard by those
offering Continuing Care and Aftercare services. The work they are doing to help
young people understand their entitlements in this area is invaluable in making
the Children and Young People Scotland Act a reality.’
Jonathan Hinds, Manager: Intensive Services (Young People) and
Criminal Justice, East Renfrewshire (attended SWS Workshop)
Here is a picture of
our twitter page when
the young facilitators
attended the dinner with
dialogue and pictures
of their yummy food!
20
‘I found the workshop led by the Voices to be very thought-provoking – the
views of care experienced young people in the presentation focussed our minds
on the importance of our young people’s voices being heard. The activity section,
where we had to use real budgets to furnish and set up a tenancy, just as our
young people are expected to do, was a real challenge and highlighted how
this experience often adds to the demands and pressures that young people
encounter at a time of significant change’
21
Social Media Impact
5.2 Mike Rodden, Honorary Member and Volunteer
‘It’s really important to get the views of young people in order to support them
in their care journey, and to do that, you must spend time with them.’
Dr.Iain MacRitchie, Chair and Trustee of MCR Pathways
‘Young voices with experience cut completely through the adult noise and less
important issues. Simone and Saffron were highly effective communicators
and connected confidently and seamlessly with a wide and varied audience.
They made time stand still and were both inspired and inspiring. The Voices is
an excellent platform for our care experienced young people to be heard and
understood. The more that are heard, the more decisive action will inevitably be
taken to ensure the outcomes for those disadvantaged, through no fault of their
own, are radically improved.’
Here is a picture of
Saffron and Simone with
Dr. Iain MacRitchie
22
By now, we are all aware that social media has had a
tremendous impact on our culture, in business and on
the world-at-large. Social Media is another way for
people to communicate.
Social networking isn’t for everyone but it’s now such a
massive part of all our lives, whether we embrace or reject
the notion, it can no longer be ignored. The Voices steering
group decided to hold a meeting and ask what the best way
was to contact each other, and all the different organisations
we have spoken to. We concluded that Facebook is better
to keep in contact with young people and Twitter is the best
source of contact for organisations. Social networking sites
such as Facebook and Twitter are good for business and
have a strong impact, the steering group felt like it was the
best way to let everyone know what we have been up to
and what we are/have been doing since starting off.
In February 2016 we created our own twitter page separate
from Staf to promote the work of the Voices. Since then we
have gained 107 followers. Fantastically, by May we had
8,457 twitter impressions, in March our page was viewed
527 times and in April we got mentioned 21 times! This has
showed us that even though we have only just started up
on social media, we are getting noticed!
23
Further impact
5.3 From the Staf delivery model you can see that young
people’s voices are a key part of the Staf strategy, linking
in with nearly all other aspects of the organisation. This
includes the dinner with dialogue, which allowed the Voices
to talk to those highest up in the sector about some of the
key themes and issues facing young people and present
the concerns raised about inconsistency in care provision.
From this presentation a discussion was generated around
solutions and actions to be taken.
The work the Voices does is key part of Staf as an
organisation, tying in with company’s vision and mission
statement which can be found in appendix 2.
Not only has the Voices project given young people an
opportunity to learn more about their rights and express
their views, it has made sure these views and issues raised
have been taken to the people who can make an impact.
It has supported managers, practitioners and other key
people in the sector to listen to what young people have
to say and know where changes need to be made.
24
25
Senior Influencers' in Sector
Simone Smith:
23 Years old from
East Renfrewshire.
Managers
Practioners
The Voices - Young People
‘I am co-facilitator of the Voices, our aim is to make sure young
people’s voices aren’t drowned out. My interest in taking part was
prompted by my own experience of the care system. I am currently
studying at the University of Stirling doing my Social Work Degree,
and working towards my goal of becoming a children and families
social worker. I am also involved in looking to establish East
Renfrewshire’s Champions Board and involved in working with
Life Changes Trust as part of a CEYP advisory group for Aspirational
Awards. I am also a young mother to my daughter Lilly.’
Saffron Rohan:
21 Years old from
Glasgow.
Young People involved
6
The Steering Group
6.1 Opposite you can see the members of the Voices steering
group and find out a little bit about them.
26
‘I am a co-facilitator of the Voices, to me this means making a difference
and using the voices of other care experienced young people (CEYP)
to influence real changes to the system and the sector. My personal
experiences have generated my passion and enthusiasm to improve
things for other CEYP. I previously worked at CELCIS for 2 years as their
first modern apprentice and also for a short time at East Renfrewshire
Council’s Economic development team on their ‘Family Firm’ initiative.
It was from these experiences that I decided to pursue higher education.
I have recently finished a HND in Business and will start studying at
Strathclyde Business School in September. Additionally, I am involved
in East Renfrewshire’s Champions Board and work with Life Changes
Trust as part of a CEYP advisory group creating an Aspirational Awards
scheme for Care Leavers.‘
27
Contributors
6.2 Stephen Rodgerson:
Dumfries and Galloway
Stephen is a care leaver and part of Staf’s Voices project, sitting on its
steering group. He also works as a modern apprentice with Dumfries
and Galloway Council’s’ Listen2Us Project. This group brings together
looked after young people from the region, providing a forum for them
to express their views and improve services. In his spare time, Stephen
also writes and performs poetry.
The next few pictures are some of the young people we
met/interviewed as part of the project, a big thank
you to all of them.
Jonny
Danny
Liam
Angie
Cloe
Anthony
Carrie
Chantelle
Breagha
Mel (Melissa) Main:
Dumfries and Galloway
Melissa is a care leaver from Dumfries and Galloway and part of Staf’s
Voices project, sitting on its steering group. Mel is also a member of
the Council’s Listen2Us Project that brings together looked after young
people from the region, to improve the services they receive. She is
studying for a degree in Health and Social Care and is passionate about
addressing the stigmas associated with being looked after and mental
health issues.
28
29
30
Caitlin
Jemma
Rachel
Sarah
Savanna
David
James
Katrina
Jaderson
Megan
Michael
Lee
Chloe
Layla
Shaune
Sean
Jay
Stacy
31
Recommendations
7
Based on the findings, the Voices have gathered the
following recommendations which have been made in
respect to sections:
4.1
Lisa
Murron
Postcode Lottery
In terms of the inconsistency in care provision across different
parts of Scotland; particularly regarding the amount young
care leavers get to furnish their first tenancy leaving care,
the Voices recommend that a national level be set by
Scottish Government. Based on the findings in this report
and workshop ran by the Voices at the Social Work Scotland
Conference, the Voices suggest a consistent mandatory
amount of a minimum £2500 be set for all local authorities.
Samantha
4.2
Children’s Hearing’s
In terms of what the Voices have heard from young
people across Scotland, they have made the
following recommendations:
Stuart
Heather
There should be more clear and consistent information
around children’s panels for the young person. Many young
people indicated that, at the time they did not have a clear
understanding of what a Child Supervision Order was
or meant for them, or who and why the adults were at
their panels.
Rebecca
Additionally, within the panel hearing, the Voices recommend
that there is more emphasis on the child/young person’s
views on the situation as opposed to so much focus being
put on the input of social work.
4.3
Foster Carers and Placements
In terms of foster care, the Voices have made the
following recommendations:
Chloe
32
John
Young people have suggested that foster carers should be
willing to attend some form of mandatory training in how do
deal with and understand challenging behaviour in children
and young people.
33
House inspections should be more thorough and all rooms
should be checked, additionally children should be asked
about what day to day life in the foster home is really like.
It is also recommended that young people with
care experience should be involved in inspections.
Finally the Voices and young care leavers across Scotland
recommend that foster carers should not treat the young
people in their care any different from any biological children
they may have in the house.
4.4
The report assesses the work of the project to date.
It also concludes the findings of the project, based on
the consultation with young people and the work done at
various events by the Voices. The report examines the work
undertaken with young people in various local authorities
and how their views were gathered, a full list of the questions
asked to young people in individual interviews can be found
in appendix 3.
Finally, the report briefly examines the impact of the
project so far in terms of Staf, Sector, social media and
young people.
Relationships Matter
Due to the emerging theme of the importance of
relationships from the regional sessions, the Voices
recommend the following:
The LAC sector, Scottish Government and individual local
authorities need to work together to encourage a cultural
change in attitudes towards relationships. This cultural
change should be amongst practitioners, managers
and foster carers and should push the boundaries of
the relationships they build with young people.
It is also suggested that training for managers and
practitioners should have more emphasis on the importance
of relationships and the benefits that long term sustainable
relationships have for young people and the positive impact
it can have on their lives if sustained.
Executive Summary
8
This report highlights that there is a lot of work to be done in
the LAC sector and that a positive cultural change is needed
across the board. The report emphasises the importance
of young people’s views and the benefits of these views
being heard. Recommendations based on these findings
are listed in section 7.
References
9
Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 Legislationgovuk. (2016). Legislationgovuk.
Retrieved 27 July 2016, from http://www.legislation.gov.uk/
asp/2014/8/contents/enacted (Legislationgovuk, 2016)
Staying Put Staying Put Scotland (2013). Providing care leavers with
connectedness and belonging. Scottish Government 2013
This report was commissioned by the Life Changes Trust to
investigate and evaluate the work undertaken by the Voices,
a care experienced young person led project.
34
35
Appendices
Appendix 1
Questionnaires/Evaluation given out at Regional Sessions
Appendix 2
Staf’s Vision and Mission Statement
Vision: Staf is committed to a Scotland which supports all children and
young people to live happy and successful lives on their own terms
Mission: All who are involved in the lives of looked after children and
young people have the expertise, passion and enthusiasm to help them
live happy, successful lives.
Appendix 3
Full list of interview questions from individual interviews
with young people.
Questions
1) Could you introduce yourself and tell us where you are from?
2) Could you tell us briefly about your care experience?
This could be Positive or negative? What type of care have you been
in (i.e. fostercare, children’s house, kinship care?) What age were you
when first received into care?
3) A
re you happy that young people with care experience now have the
option to stay in care longer?
4) W
hat are your views on the new Children and Young People
(Scotland) Act?
5) W
hat aspects of your care would have encouraged you to want to
stay in care longer, if any? Or, did you/do you feel ready to leave?
6) T
hink about any person or professional that has played a significant
part in your life. Tell us what they did that was different? Why did they
stick in your mind? What was significantly different in your relationship
with them than others?
7) A
re the relationships you have with carers and professionals a
significant factor in deciding if you want to stay on in care?
If so, what helps ?
8) If you could give advice to another young person (perhaps somebody
younger than you) who is thinking about getting ready to move on
from care what advice would you give them?
9) Do you have any advice that you would like to give to foster carers,
residential workers, social workers, throughcare workers or others
which would help them be the best worker possible? If so what
would you like to say?
10) Do you feel like your voice is heard?
11) Do you have anything else at all that you want to say to finish up?
36
37
Thank you!
The Voices project would like to take this opportunity to
thank everyone involved in the project, without whom it
wouldn’t have been possible.
So a big thank you to:
Paul Orr (Paul was seconded to Staf as the Strategic Lead
for Learning and Development and managed the project
until March 2016)
John Steel (John is one of the young people who facilitated
the project in the initial stages)
All of the Team at Staf
(Norma, Pamela, Sharon, Cheryl, Jigjit, Julian, Katie,
Mike and Alex)
All of the Young People that participated
(64 in total, many are shown in section 6.2)
The teams in all of the Local Authorities and
Third Sector organisations visited:
Aberdeen City
Dumfries and Galloway
Dundee
East Ayrshire
East Renfrewshire
East Lothian
Inverness
Midlothian
Perth and Kinross
West Dunbartonshire
Dean & Cauvin
Y Sort-It
Big Lottery Young Start Fund
The Life Changes Trust
(for commissioning this report)
38
Staf
Edward House, 2nd Floor, 283 West Campbell Street,
Glasgow, G2 4TT
[email protected] | www.staf.scot