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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Care Experienced Student Bursary – helping to change lives in East Renfrewshire

How the Care Experienced Bursary is making a difference in the lives of care experienced young people.

Beyond Reimagining

Claire Burns, Deputy Executive Director, CELCIS, sets out what it will take to make change happen as she writes on Care Day 2020, reaffirming our commitment to support all families and the findings of the Independent Care Review.