Wednesday 05-02-2020 - 09:49

Hello Everyone,

The care experienced community in Scotland has been undergoing an independent care review which was launched under the current Scottish government in 2017, this has involved the work of people across the care sector. These people have been working in groups, groups that were comprised of different experiences from young people with direct experience of our current care system to care, workers, to lecturers, to the children’s commissioner and beyond.

This is all relevant to you as there is a high chance that you know or work or are care experienced yourself, the findings of the review will hopefully bring about landmark changes that will have ripple effects for all of Scottish society, and will be relevant to thousands of individuals also.

The review was made up of ten groups with separate remits, all sharing one goal of finding a way to better improve the current care system for future generations of care experienced people, the groups were asked – after much consideration and discussion - to look at separate sections of society that have an impact on the care system, and it was decided that the groups should look at:

• Health and wellbeing – looking at everything from dental health to mental health and beyond.
• Stop: go – this group was tasked with finding actions that could be implemented sooner than later, without having to wait until the end of the independent care review.
• Stigma – this group aimed to tackle the stigma and judgements towards care experienced people.
• Best place in the world – this group aimed at finding good practice throughout the world that could be adopted in Scotland.
• Rights – this group was focused on implementing the rights of young people, and making sure that everyone knows about young people’s rights.
• Edges of care – looked at everything from children looked after at home, to children with little social work involvement and looked at children who are standing on the peripheries of care.
• Workforce – aimed to look at how we engage the workforce in change, and promote the positive practices that are already happening.
• Love – looked at how we meaningfully and fully incorporate love into the care system, and how we work to create an environment that allows both staff and young people to feel like they can love freely, as a family would
• Components of care - consider and understand the impact of each component within the current ‘care system’ in Scotland, and the journeys between them – mapping the life of a young person in care.
• Justice and care – look at the role the justice system has to play with relation to all young people within care.

The independent care review will be launching its recommendations and findings on Wednesday 5^th February, this will be a big moment for the history of care in Scotland, very noteworthy and has the potential to produce a massive and necessary change for the care system. The review has also promised to be a review like no other, so I hope it is.

Thank you for your time and please keep an eye out for the recommendations and the changes to come.

For further information, see here: https://www.carereview.scot/

 

David Grimm, care experienced officer.