Dear Friend
Happy New Year and welcome to the January edition of the Staf newsletter
We hope you enjoyed a joyful festive season and had a well-deserved opportunity to relax and recharge. As we step into 2025, we’re thrilled to share news of new initiatives, events and collaborations, all aimed at improving the lives of young people leaving care and transitioning into adulthood.
We’ve had a busy start to the year, shaped by a range of impactful initiatives. This month, we hosted two focus groups where many of you joined us to discuss the 'definition of care experience’ and ‘future of foster care,’ contributing valuable insights to guide Staf’s Scottish Government consultation responses.
In addition, our participation team has been busy hosting further consultation discussions with members and the care experienced community. The team also held our final ‘Moving On’ Change Programme blueprinting workshop in South Lanarkshire. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in these important discussions. Your input is invaluable, and we look forward to sharing our consultation responses with you soon, along with the next phase for ‘Moving On.’
This year promises to be a dynamic and impactful one for Staf and our members. In the months ahead, we’re excited to deliver key projects and events. Reflective Supervision Residentials: In 2024, our residentials in Aberdeen, Stirling, and Kilmarnock received excellent feedback, with participants appreciating the practical tools and networking opportunities provided, along with the space to reflect on how this informs their practice. Building on this success, we’re hosting more fully funded residentials in new locations across Scotland in 2025. Spaces are limited, so don’t miss your chance to join us. Book your spot now.
'Let’s Talk' Animations and Learning Guide Launch: We’re excited to launch ‘Let’s Talk’ - a collaborative project between Staf, One Community Scotland and the Scottish Violence Reduction Unit. This project brought together young people from care, justice and ethnic minority backgrounds to explore stop and search, in partnership with the Stop and Search team. Join us for the launch webinar on 13 March to discover the animations and accompanying learning guide. Book your place here.
IFCO Conference 2025: Staf and The Fostering Network are partnering with the International Foster Care Organisation (IFCO) to host an international conference this in Glasgow this June. I am keen to ensure the programme consists of speakers sharing best practice on supporting transitions to adulthood, and actively encourage you, our members and supporters, to share your knowledge and insights with a UK and international audience. The call for papers is open until 12 February and you can read more about the submission process here.
Looking ahead, keep an eye out for further announcements about our 2025 forums and focus groups, which will continue to provide platforms for collaboration and discussion.
As always, our mission is to work alongside you to create a care system where young people can thrive. Your contributions, insights and feedback remain at the heart of our work, and we deeply value your ongoing support.
If you would like to learn more about any of our initiatives or get in touch with a member of the team, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We look forward to connecting with you in the weeks and months ahead.
With best wishes
Jo Derrick
Staf CEO | | | | Brave Hearts in Care: Building Trust, Confidence and Connections Staf is partnering with IFCO and The Fostering Network for this conference, which aims to enhance the outcomes for children and young people in foster care, by focusing on the critical importance of relationships. Through collaborative discussions, innovative practices and shared experiences, we strive to strengthen the entire care system, ensuring a supportive and nurturing environment for every child. You can now register your interest in attending or make a submission. | | | | | | Reflective Supervision Residentials - new dates for 2025 As part of Staf’s Supportive Workforce initiative funded by the Promise Partnership, we are offering Reflective Supervision Residentials across Scotland to support the Throughcare and Aftercare workforce with your supervision needs. Following the success of our 2024 residentials in Aberdeen, Stirling and Kilmarnock, we are offering new dates for 2025. Dundee 4-6 February Edinburgh 25-27 February – Limited spaces have opened up, so if this location suits your team, we encourage you to book soon. Glasgow 11–13 March – Fully booked *NEW DATE* Glasgow 18–20 March
We are pleased to announce an additional Glasgow residential to open up spaces for those who haven’t been able to join us so far. Each team is invited to nominate up to two individuals to attend one of the residentials. If there are additional team members interested, please let us know. We understand that committing to the full residential may not be possible for everyone, so we’re happy to accommodate flexible attendance if that would enable you or your colleagues to join. Please feel free to reach out by emailing Jenna at jenna@staf.scot if you have any questions or need further information. We are excited about what we have planned and look forward to welcoming you all. | | | | |
Earlier this month, the NLN team hosted a reception at the Scottish Parliament, sponsored by Michael Marra MSP. The event was a major milestone, with presentations from Steering Group members and Consultants sharing ‘Our Story So Far’ to an audience of 60 supporters.
This was also a special moment for Barry Black, who concluded his full-time role with the NLN at the event. We thank Barry for his incredible contributions and wish him the best in his next steps.
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The event also featured the launch of the new NLN animation, co-produced with Braw Talent. NLN Consultants Tiffy and Renee joined Darren from Braw Talent to discuss how the animation was created and their experiences working on it. Plans are now underway to share the animation more widely. If you would like to help, please get in touch.
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Our LCT Resource Hub was developed to provide anyone interested in improving the lives of people with care experience, the opportunity to benefit and learn from the investment of the Life Changes Trust care-experience programme, including those with lived experience. The Hub ensures the knowledge and evidence gained throughout the Trust’s lifetime is not only preserved but actively built upon.
To continue the Hub’s development, we would like to showcase other resources that are beneficial to the Hub’s audience, and we are inviting you to help make this happen.
The Hub welcomes new resources that support children and young people in care, leaving care and who have left care. If you or your organisation have a resource that you would like to share on the Hub, such as informative articles, case studies, guides and how-tos, videos and webinars, funding opportunities and grants, or reports and research, please click below to submit the resource.
If you would like more information about the Hub, or to have a chat about a possible resource for the Hub, please contact dawn@staf.scot. | | | | |
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