Subject: NEW learning resources & dates for your diary

November newsletter

Dear Friend

Firstly, thank you for being part of this year's Staf National Conference. It was another great event with valuable insights shared and connections made. We are delighted so many of you made it, but even if you couldn't be there, we have shared resources from the day on our website.

Among many highlights, it was our privilege to launch the brand new outputs from our friendship research project with the University of Edinburgh, featured in more detail below.

We are already planning our next big get together - the Staf Summit on Tuesday 17 March 2026 - so please save that date in your diaries. Bookings will open before the end of the year.

I also want to thank everyone who contributed to our Moving On route map discussions, both at the conference and through our series of engagement sessions. Your invaluable input is shaping the development of the route map, which will be shared with The Promise Oversight Board by the end of the year. We look forward to sharing updates on its progress from January onwards.

Our regular focus groups and forums are back, and we will be sharing more about themes and topics, so keep an eye on your emails and Staf's socials for details. Our members tell us how much they value the peer support and learning these groups offer, so we know they will continue to be one of the important ways we support you into 2026 and beyond.

As always, if you or a young person you support would like to get involved in any of our projects or events, or join us as a Staf member, please get in touch. We are always looking for fresh faces and perspectives to contribute your valuable insights, knowledge and creativity to our important work.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership, as we work together towards keeping the promise, and delivering real, positive change in the lives of care experienced people.

Best wishes

Jo Derrick
Chief Executive

We launched WeLearn - sign up for free online learning

You can now register for our newest resource - WeLearn - the online learning portal created exclusively for Staf members.

WeLearn is designed to support your professional learning journey by giving you easy access to a wide range of modules, resources and interactive learning experiences, all created with experts by experience, including:

Anti-discriminatory practice - gender based violence and anti-racism
Participation & rights
Continuing care & Aftercare
Housing

The content is continually being updated, with more modules coming soon on:

Supporting UASC
LGBTQIA+ inclusivity
Employment, education & training
Trusted relationships
Financial wellbeing

Please get in touch with your feedback, if you would like to contribute to a module or if you are having any issues accessing WeLearn. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to its development so far and already signed up to start learning.

What do we mean by participation and rights?

Ever wondered what the Participation Network is all about?

At our summer 2025 gathering event - Thinking Outside the Tick Box: Moving Beyond Consultations and Surveys - we made 3 new videos to help you learn more. They all feature people with lived experience of the care system, alongside members of the workforce who support them.

In this first video, those people share what motivated them to join the network. It also captures the discussions around the theme of that day - how to think more creatively about meaningful participation, and move away from surveys and consultations.

We made 2 more videos with speakers, delegates and steering group members, which explore the importance of participation and rights. These videos also feature in the participation and rights module on WeLearn, our new online learning portal for Staf members.

Have a look at our new videos here.

These videos encourage discussion and inform practice to ensure we uphold children and young people’s participation rights. We encourage you to reflect on your participation journey, and how you can take action in whatever your role with children and young people may be.

Please share the videos with anyone you know who wants to learn more about participation and rights. They are also useful to show at meetings and events with participation at the heart.

A massive thank you to all those who took part in filming and to Media Education for producing the videos.

To learn more about the Participation Network, contact ruth@staf.scot or sign up to our mailing list.

A refresh for our Resource Hub

Our LCT Resource Hub is currently undergoing some changes – and it’s going to be better, bolder and packed with even more valuable content.

Soon you will be able to explore a new, reimagined Hub, designed to empower everyone working to improve the lives of young people with care experience.

Every resource is still rooted in the voices and insights of young people themselves – but with even more ways to learn, connect and act.

The updated Hub will have a news section where we’re launching a space for you to share your voice. Whether you’re working on an exciting project, launching new resources or spreading the word about funding opportunities – we would love to hear from you.

Got something to share on the Hub? Please get in touch with dawn@staf.scot.

Youth Justice Voices - catch up & join in

Youth Justice Voices North East were asked to attend and present at the recent Safer Horizons event, planned and delivered by The Scottish Violence Reduction Unit and Police Scotland, in Aberdeen. It brought together people from different local services and organisations, to discuss and work collaboratively to address issues for young people in Aberdeen. Our YJV NE steering group presented the work of Youth Justice Voices, showing our work over the past 6 years and the recent creative work by YJV NE, and facilitated a game around stigma, and discussions around reducing stigma for young people. To find out more, contact hannah.kouris@staf.scot.

Inside Out have been working on creating the character 'Stigman' for our exploration of stigma project. The boys created the character as a means of discussing different scenarios in relation to stigma, focusing on societal, experienced and self stigma. The boys will be creating zines around stigma scenarios and look forward to sharing these in due course.

Youth Just Us recently presented at our conference and have been busy planning the 'Not Just Us' stigma project timeline. They have created surveys, videos introducing the project and information leaflets. They will be speaking to young people, workers and the public around their experiences and perceptions of stigma, to create workshops exploring the impact of stigma further with relevant services, young people and organisations.

If you or someone you know is interested in engaging with Youth Justice Voices steering groups around the exploration of stigma, we would love to hear from you.

Youth Justice Voices are always looking to add more voices to our steering groups. If you are care and justice experienced, or know someone who is, and you would like to find out more about getting involved, please contact katrina@staf.scot.

Explore more about Youth Justice Voices on our website.

NEW free friendship research & resources

Launched at our recent conference, the team behind Transforming Friendship Focused Support - our newest research project in partnership with the University of Edinburgh - has developed a suite of creative friendship resources you can now access on our website.

Underlining the importance of relationship-based practice, workers and young care experienced people teamed up with researchers to look into how we can best support friendships for those leaving care.

Part of the project involved launching an art and writing competition for care experienced people. Have a look at our special creative commendations we also shared at this year's conference.

Staf events in January & February

Implications of Continuing Care Focus Group

Tuesday 20 January 2026

Participation Practitioners' Forum

Thursday 29 January 2026

Supported Lodgings, Supported Carers Focus Group

Tuesday 24 February 2026

Local Authority Managers' Forum

Wednesday 28 January 2026

Care Leavers into Employment, Education and Training Focus Group

Tuesday 10 February 2026

Steering Group

The Steering Group have completed reviewing full applications from the current round of funding and will now support 9 new one-year projects up to £15,000 each. When all projects have signed their award letters, we will share information on what has been funded.

Gemma from the Steering Group and Susanne presented at the MCR Pathways Summit event in the Royal Concert Hall this month. This was an opportunity to share the NLN process for funding. They shared the stage with MCR Pathways staff who lead on the NLN-funded ‘Young Person Voice Project’. Gary was asked to sit on a panel where the concept of ‘trusted adults’ was discussed.

Barry, Gary, Gemma, Neli, Paige, Renee and Susanne went to the Staf National conference, where we delivered an hour-long workshop on ‘Connection, Voice and Relationships’. This was a great opportunity to talk about what we do and how we do it. The workshop was interactive and involved animation, presentation, videos and discussions.

Gemma from the Steering Group has organised a quiz for next month. This one has a bit of a twist and relates to language in the care experience community. It should be fun and super interesting!

Consultants

In November, we sent out merch packages to various individuals and projects who have engaged with us recently regarding our promo.

As planning continues for the next Participation Network event, the NLN Consultants continue to be involved as part of the Steering Group.

Renee has been considering imagery for the planned NLN resource on ‘How we work’. More info to follow.

Members of the Steering Group and the Consultants have met to discuss a tendering document for the project’s evaluation. More info to follow soon.

Partnership working

The leads from the remaining Life Changes Trust legacy project met to have an informal evaluation exercise supported by Youthlink Scotland. More information on this will be available soon.

Susanne and Gary went to meet staf from GXO Logistics Services at their premises in East Kilbride. GXO and the NLN are looking at what we can do to support each other.

We have a couple of really good blogs ready to publish and a couple that are currently being worked on. As always, if you know anybody connected to your organisation or partner organisations who would like a space to have their voice heard on the topic of leadership, please get in touch.

For more information, please contact gary@thenln.org.