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Dear Friend,
What a busy year Staf has had! So much has happened over the past 12 months, but we’ve whittled it down to a quick blog – 2019 in numbers.
We’ve held two successful conferences on trauma-informed care and you can see a great video below on how one of the We Care conference sponsors, Seamab, are acting on their learning.
We’ve also now got three projects in full swing – read more about Project Return, Youth Justice Voices and Building Relationships here. We’re also now recruiting for the Building Relationships Advisory Group, email papoula@staf.scot to get involved.
This year also saw the first Shannon’s Boxes delivered. Shannon herself has now moved on to a new role mentoring other young people – we’re so proud of Shannon and know that she’ll continue to make a big contribution to improving lives in East Ayrshire and beyond. This isn’t the end of the story on Shannon’s Box – watch this space!
We know 2020 is going to be another big year for our sector, particularly with the conclusion of the Independent Care Review. We’ll make sure there are opportunities for you to connect and discuss best practice in response. To be involved book your place at the Supported Lodgings/Supported Carers, Implications of Continuing Care, and Care Leavers into Employment focus groups today.
Finally, I would like to say thank you to Staf’s members for supporting us this year. Have a very Merry Christmas and a fantastic New Year when it comes.
Until next year,
Jo |
| | | 2019 in Numbers - What we achieved together this year
It’s been another packed year at Staf, with exciting new events, new projects underway and the launch of our first-ever podcast.
We want to thank our members – your support and participation has made this all possible. Here’s a quick rundown of what we’ve achieved together over the past year.
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| | | A year in review: Staf projects |
| | Seamab: Putting trauma-informed care into practice
At the We Care Conference in October we interviewed representatives from our headline sponsors, to find out more about the work they are doing in their organisations to support a trauma-informed and trauma-responsive culture. Click below to view our second video from the event with Gary Gallacher, Head of Care at Seamab. |
| | | It’s okay not to be okay at Christmas
We know that Christmas and New Year can be a difficult time for many people, particularly if you’re struggling with your mental health. If you’re struggling right now, it's okay to say, and it's okay to ask for help. You aren't alone.
You can call the Samaritans on 116 123, Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87 or ChildLine on 0800 1111.
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| | | In focus: the latest news, reports and research on mental health and care-experienced young people
The mental health of young people in Scotland, particularly those in care and leaving care, has been the focus of a number of reports and announcements in the past month.
To keep you up-to-date we’ve brought together the latest news, reports and research relating to mental health and care-experienced young people from the past month. Here’s what you need to know.
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| | Scottish Government heeds Staf calls for changes to Job Start Payment
The Scottish Government has published its response to the consultation on the Job Grant, with Staf CEO Jo Derrick welcoming proposals for this new benefit to support young people into work.
In February, Staf responded to the consultation following discussion at our Care Leavers into Employment focus group, and we welcome that the government has heeded some of our calls.
Read more about the Job Start Payment here. |
| | How Staf put care leaver poverty on the agenda for the UK General Election
In the run up to the general election, we took a look at the major parties' promises to care leavers within their manifestos - and also asked Scottish parties to outline how they would tackle care leaver poverty.
This followed on from our political asks last month, where we called on parties to raise incomes of care leavers by ensuring that all care leavers in work are paid the real living wage, and to reform social security by scrapping the five-week wait for universal credit, replacing punitive sanctions with person-centred social security services, and exempting care leavers from the Shared Accommodation Rate. |
| | 'We need to nurture our staff who nurture our kids'
In a blog featured on Children in Scotland's website, Carole Dearie (Director of Services at St Mary's Kenmure, and Vice-Chair of Staf's Board of Directors) talks about how changes in one of Scotland’s secure care units have had a positive impact on both staff and young people.
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| | | | | Project Return Steering Group Session
Project Return is focused on changing how the care system understands and supports trauma. This is being done through our steering group which is made of both care experienced voices as well as workers. The care and/or justice-experienced members will drive this project by sharing their insight, knowledge and experience.
Click here to find out more about what the group have been working on to date, and how can you can get involved. The next steering group meeting will take place on 7th of January. Contact jenny@staf.scot with any queries. |
| | | Building Relationships Advisory Group
Staf's project focused on relationship-based practice has now entered its 'Building Relationships' phase and is recruiting members to the Advisory Group. The first meeting of the group will take place on 16th of January in Glasgow.
The Advisory Group will work together to design the standard of what support during transitioning from care should look like, and help Scotland place relationships at the heart of every care service. Care-experienced young people and workers are both welcome to join, with care-experienced young people receiving payment of £25 per session as well as travel expenses. Get in contact with Papoula on papoula@staf.scot for further information and to get involved. |
| | | More Than My Trauma with Dr Bruce Perry – Book Now!
In partnership with Aberlour, Children in Scotland, Clackmannanshire Council, Kibble and Seamab, we are hosting an international child trauma conference - More Than My Trauma – on 17-18 September 2020 in Glasgow, featuring world-renowned trauma expert Dr Bruce Perry.
This unique international conference is an opportunity to bring everyone with an understanding of adversity together to explore how we promote and support recovery from trauma. This exciting two-day conference will drive enduring organisational change in Scotland towards the development of truly trauma-responsive services for our children and young people.
Tickets are now on sale – book your place here.
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| | The Supported Lodgings, Supported Carers focus group is reconvening on 22nd January 2020 from 11am - 2.30pm, its members include most of the Scottish Local Authorities and third sector providers of this important and developing service. Staf CEO, Jo Derrick, and Head of Learning and Development, Pamela Graham, will be facilitating this meeting.
We provide a supportive forum to share good practice, local and national developments and discuss issues around Care Inspectorate inspections. This group is aimed at members and corporate parents who provide supported lodgings or supported carer services for care-experienced young people. Book your place here. |
| | | Meeting since 2014, the Implications of Continuing Care focus group offers a safe place to discuss issues and practice arising from Part 11 of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. The recent work of this group has discussed commissioning placements, fostering fees and payments and shared good practice from across Scotland.
At our next meeting there will be the usual opportunities to meet colleagues and share practice that supports service delivery. We will be focusing on Commissioning services, Scotland Excel and transitions out of Continuing Care and how they are managed. Book your place here.
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| | | Our Care Leavers into Employment focus group tackles the issues faced by young people in both accessing and sustaining employment. This group brings together workers from across the public and third sector to discuss and dissect current practice issues.
Our most recent focus group meetings have discussed the DWP's commitments to care leavers and the development of protocols with local authorities, and the development of national policy to support care leavers into employment. Book your place here.
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| | | Save the date - Local Authority Members' Forum
This event has been created exclusively for local authority managers to give you space to discuss the issues that matter to you, given your unique statutory responsibility in delivering service for care leavers.
Our next meeting will take place on the 1st April 2020, and we will feed back on the issues raised at the last Forum, including Continuing Care, the Care Experienced Bursary and out-of-local authority placements, as well as any other issues that are current for you. We also want to hear from you, our members, in shaping the day’s content. Get in touch with pamela@staf.scot if you have something you wish to add to the agenda. Save the date.
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| | | | If you only have time to read, listen or watch one thing this week, make sure it's one of the below. |
| Read: The 16th Kilbrandon Lecture (University of Strathclyde, 22 November 2018): A Fifty Year Journey: What have we learned? Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. Read the paper here. |
| Listen: Anna Carlile, Senior Lecturer at Goldsmiths University features on Lisa Cherry's podcast 'Creating Social Change One Connection at a Time' discussing schools, school exclusion and LGBT inclusion. Listen to the podcast edition here. |
| | Watch: Watch this short video providing an overview of research conducted with 234 care experienced students in universities across England and Wales, 'Pathways to University from Care'. You can watch the video here. |
| | | © 2019 Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum, All Rights Reserved.
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You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the links at the bottom of our emails, or by emailing us at unsubscribe@staf.scot with 'Newsletters' in the subject line. To unsubscribe from all communications, please type 'All' in the subject line. |
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