CELCIS's commitment to keeping The Promise

Learn more about CELCIS’s response and our offer to work in collaboration with The Promise and those working to support children, young people and their families across Scotland to realise the ambitions set out.   Read More ...

Author : CELCIS

The cost of the implementation gap for young people

Megan Sutherland is Vice Chair of Who Cares? Scotland. She recently moved home and found it wasn’t easy to register as exempt from paying Council Tax as a care leaver. Here she discusses what she feels needs to change for care experienced young people in Scotland.   Read More ...

Author : Megan Sutherland

Our Stories Matter: Telling Truths and Countering Stereotypes this World Book Day

This World Book Day UK, Callen James Martin, a writer and Submissions Coordinator at The Good Literacy Agency, discusses why it’s important for care experienced people to own their stories and how they can be better represented in books.   Read More ...

Author : Callen James Martin

My journey from care leaver to author

On World Book Day UK, Kirsty Capes, author of the upcoming novel, ‘Careless’, and marketer at HarperCollins, discusses how her childhood experience in care led to a career in writing.   Read More ...

Author : Kirsty Capes

How Life Story Work can help care experienced children

In National Storytelling Week, Jennifer Bell, a social worker in a fostering team at North Ayrshire Council, with a special interest in Life Story Work, discusses why it’s vital for care experienced children to know about and understand their life journey.   Read More ...

Author : Jennifer Bell

Digital inclusion as a right leaves me hopeful

Olivia Khan is a Rural Business graduate who worked at the Champions Board in South Ayrshire before moving to Berlin. Olivia stays connected to her care roots with a freelance role and in 2021 launched a creative project with a group of five young people. She makes the case for new tech friendly and tech literate care world.   Read More ...

Author : Olivia Khan

The digital divide| The impact on the rights of care leavers in Scotland

Findings from research carried out to understand care leavers’ experiences of digital exclusion before and during the COVID-19 restrictions in Scotland in 2020.   Read More ...

Author : Dr Autumn Roesch-Marsh, Kenny McGhee and Dr Fern Gillon

Children 'get animated' in lockdown

Nikki Hepburn, Art teacher at Harmeny Education Trust, is a residential school providing care and education to children aged 5-14 who have experienced early years trauma, describes an animation project, funded by Creative Scotland, which created an innovative and accessible way for young people with complex social, emotional and behavioural needs to tell their own stories.   Read More ...

Author : Nikki Hepburn

The national Children’s Hearings advocacy service

The introduction of the advocacy service is an important additional support. It’s already the case that hearings must consider views of children and young people as far as possible and they are able to do this in a number of ways – through the child, their parents and families, through social workers and other professionals.   Read More ...

Author : Maree Todd, Scottish Government Minister for Children and Young People

Voluntary Accommodation of Infants, Children, and Young People in Scotland (Section 25): An initial exploration

Findings in relation to the purpose, frequency, and variation in us of section 25 orders.   Read More ...

Author : Micky Anderson, Brandi Lee Lough Dennell, and Robert Porter

An evaluation of the We are Citizens! Ensemble care experienced theatre company project

In 2018 the Citizens Theatre, in partnership with CELCIS, was awarded funding from the Life Changes Trust’s Creative and Active Lives initiative, to establish Scotland’s first professional theatre company for young actors with care experience. This was a bold and ambitious project. The vision was to establish, develop and nurture a unique Theatre Company for the many diverse voices of young people enabling them to be listened to, heard, and celebrated for their artistic talents.   Read More ...

Author : Dr Louise Hill, Dr Leanne McIver & Dr Brandi Lee Lough Dennell

CELCIS response to call for views on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill

CELCIS strongly supports this progressive approach to promote systemic change through legislation for the promotion of children’s rights through incorporation of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). With a comprehensive approach to implementation, this historic Bill can embed children’s rights across our public services, change how we view and realise rights in Scotland, and raise the status of all children in Scotland, including those in need of care and protection.   Read More ...

Author : Kate MacKinnon, Paul Sullivan, Rosie Moore, Elaine Adams, Miriana Giraldi, Kirsty Deacon

Listening to the voices of care experienced LGBT people in Scotland

As the LGBT Youth Scotland Care Commission concludes its work with a new awareness film, Commission member Charlie Mackenzie, discusses what the group has achieved in its two years and the personal impact the Commission has had.   Read More ...

Author : Charlie Mackenzie

SIRCC 2020 Online | The Extraordinary Ordinary

We asked the residential community what the extraordinary ordinary has meant to them in recent months. Find out what they said.   Read More ...

Author : CELCIS

Raising the age of referral to the Children’s Reporter – CELCIS Consultation Response

CELCIS has responded to the Scottish Government Care and Justice consultation on raising the age of referral to the Children’s Reporter to 18.   Read More ...

Author : Paul Sullivan, Kate MacKinnon, Rosie Moore, Elaine Adams

SIRCC 2020 Online | Write right about me

A recording of the Webinar in which Who Cares? Scotland, Aberdeen City Council and CELCIS learned together about current recording practice in residential child care.   Read More ...

Author : CELCIS

Digital access is a lifeline

Care experienced student of social care Chris Marshall explains why digital is an essential connection in life. People don’t realise how hard it can be for a young person to be able to get a good bit of technology but for a care experienced person this can be even harder.   Read More ...

Author : Chris Marshall

CELCIS response to the Scottish Parliament's Economy, Energy and Fair Work Committee consultation on the economic impact of COVID-19 on young people

Although the impact of COVID-19 will be felt by many, evidence suggests that young people will be disproportionately impacted by the effects of the pandemic; for care experienced young people, the effects will be particularly acute.   Read More ...

Author :

COVID 19: When adapting our work, we all learn from listening to children and young people

Jacqui Dunbar is the Project Lead at Our Hearings, Our Voice, an independent board for children and young people who have experience of the Children’s Hearings System in Scotland and want to help improve it. She works directly with 11 children and young people, 9 who are members of the board and 2 who are advisors for Our Hearings, Our Voice.   Read More ...

Author : Jacqui Dunbar

Independent Care Review Evidence Framework

The Independent Care Review (ICR)'s evidence framework, comprising of research and evidence collated and analysed throughout the review’s three years of work as it undertook a root and branch review of care system in Scotland.   Read More ...

Author : The Independent Care Review