The Keeping The Promise Award Programme for education and wider Children's Services
At this meeting of the Education Forum we came together to learn more about a partnership project called the Keeping The Promise Award Programme, which was originally developed by North Lanarkshire Council as a professional learning resource in response to The Promise. The West Partnership Promise Working Group, Education Scotland and CELCIS have since updated the original resources to create an accessible professional learning resource for all local authorities in Scotland.
The programme has been developed to widen awareness and understanding of the commitments Scotland has made to care experienced children and young people in The Promise. Although The Promise is well known, some practitioners in educational settings may be unsure of what they can do individually, and collectively, to Keep the Promise, and how our Promises translate into good practice in education.
Designed to support anyone working with children and young people, the programme:
- Addresses what we can do in our everyday practice to keep to these commitments.
- Provides a baseline knowledge about The Promise, corporate parenting, and care experience, while promoting non-stigmatising language throughout.
- Helps us to understand what all children and young people need and how we, the adults who work with and for them, can best support them.
- Looks at the simple things that all adults can do to provide help and support for children and young people.
At this Education Forum meeting, attendees heard from Janine McCullough, a Senior Education Officer at Education Scotland, who shared information about the Keeping The Promise Award programme and taking part.
Contributions also came from:
- Marianne Sankey, Class Teacher, Benarty Primary School, Fife Council
- Forbes Maginnis, Virtual Head Teacher, Clackmannanshire Council
- Louise Chisholm, Virtual Head Teacher, Argyll and Bute Council
- Fiona Robertson, Promise Delivery Partner, The Promise
- Susan Doherty, Family Learning, Education Scotland
- Yasmin Ali, Learning Directorate, Scottish Government
- Maurice Gilligan, Promise Manager, Renfrewshire Council
Together as a group, we were then invited to:
- Think about how and when we can use the programme in our own settings.
- Discuss potential ways of measuring whether we are keeping The Promise.
- Explore some of the ways the programme can be extended into family learning and youth services.
Download the notes from the breakout rooms
Download the presentation slides
About the Education Forum
At CELCIS, we are privileged to convene and coordinate a free, open-access network of practitioners and leaders who are involved or interested in the education of children with experience of care, and their families. We encourage and facilitate opportunities for practitioners to come together in a reflective, challenging and enabling space.
Membership is free and open to anyone with an interest in this area of education. We have members who are students, foster carers, health visitors, teachers and academics - so many different roles are represented.
To find out more about the Forum, visit the Education Forum webpage