Understanding and Responding to Care Experienced Children and Young People’s Wellbeing – Learning from the Bright Spots Programme in Scotland

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In 2022 and 2024, the Bright Spots programme was piloted in Scotland   to help local authorities better understand the wellbeing of children in care and young care leavers in their area and improve support. The programme was originally established by Coram Voice in England in 2013 and was adapted to reflect the Scottish context.

In Scotland, six local authority areas, working with CELCIS, took part in the pilot. Over a thousand children and young people between the ages of 4 and 26 shared their views and experiences through their own words using surveys originally co-produced with care experienced young people. The local insights gathered from this were shared with practitioners and children and young people, and local authorities in each area have been working to respond to what their children and young care leavers told them.

Analysis of what they shared in all six areas has been done by CELCIS to understand what affects the wellbeing of children and young people, including their relationships, trust, safety and health. Comparisons are explored between their experiences and those of children in care and care leavers across the six areas, in England and Wales, and with the general population of children and young people.

Join us on the day the reports of this analysis are published by CELCIS and Coram Voice to learn more about this programme of work. We’ll hear about the ‘bright spots’ of what seems to be going well for children and young care leavers and what matters to them, and insights about where there is more to be done locally and nationally to ensure all children in need of care and protection can thrive in their childhood and adulthood. To understand the impact of these findings, we’ll be joined by several of the local authorities to hear how what their children and young people said has shaped how the local authorities are supporting and working with children, young people and care leavers and the difference this is making.

Who should attend this webinar

This a free, online event for everyone with an interest in understanding what children and young people with experience of care have to say about their wellbeing, and how this has been heard by local authorities to information how they support children in care and care leaver.

People working in the public sector and third sector in Scotland may be particularly interested.

• Social workers
• Teachers and other education practitioners
• Health practitioners
• Children’s rights and advocacy workers
• Participation practitioners
• Parents and Carers
• Residential Child Care workers
• Foster Carers
• Kinship carers
• Social care students
• Policy makers
• Everyone with an interest in, and a responsibility for, keeping The Promise of the Independent Care Review in Scotland.

Book your place

 

Background reading

• Find out more about the Bright Spots programme: https://coramvoice.org.uk/bright-spots-programme/
• Find out more about the background to the pilot in Scotland: https://www.celcis.org/Brightsp

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Attendance at the webinar can also be included as part of your Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) with the SSSC. 

CELCIS, the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection, is a leading improvement, innovation and research centre for children and young people’s support, care and protection, based at the University of Strathclyde.

CELCIS is a fully accredited CPD provider with the CPD Certification Service (CPD UK)

 

Book your place