New resources available to help reframe care and care experience
A new initiative – Each and Every Child - which aims to transform the current public narrative and perceptions around care and care experience by identifying and tackling challenging assumptions and attitudes has been launched today (18 May).
Funded by CELCIS, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Life Changes Trust, The Robertson Trust, Social Work Scotland and The Scottish Government, the initiative and its resources are informed by research with people with care experience, organisations, and the public, across Scotland, carried out by the Frameworks Institute.
A free, open-access ‘toolkit’ is available to support people and organisations to shape how they speak, write and communicate about care experience in ways that have the potential to shift public attitudes and improve the life chances of care experienced people now and in the future.
Claire O’Hara, Director, Each and Every Child, said:
“We know that how we talk about care experience matters. Research has told us that the wider public hold assumptions about care and care experience that can perpetrate stigma. To change these assumptions, we need to tell a new story. This toolkit will support you to understand how we all can tell that new story by introducing a range of evidence-based recommendations and framing techniques that everyone can use when speaking, writing, or communicating about care and care experience.
“This easy and accessible toolkit explains what framing is, how, when and why to use it, and how you can put it into action yourself to help ensure that each and every child in Scotland is able to thrive. It can be found, along with lots of additional information, research, blog posts, and a short introductory video, on the new Each and Every Child website.”
Claire Burns, Director (Acting) CELCIS, one of the partners behind the initiative, said:
"The use of language in any and all the ways we communicate is so powerful and can impact on people in ways we don’t even intend. We can see this so clearly in the research that has informed Each and Every Child.
“Understanding how we ‘frame’ what we say about care and care experience is one way in which we can all contribute to limiting the unacceptable, unfair and painful stigma, prejudice, ignorance and discrimination that people with care experience face.
“We have listened carefully to what people with direct experience have told us and Each and Every Child offers us all a new approach to stimulate positive change through this learning. I look forward to working with everyone across the public sector, from the children’s sector to policy-makers, social services to education and health, and everyone across Scotland, exploring and embedding this learning together to make things better for each and every child, young person and adult with care experience.”
The initiative’s website carries information including the research undertaken www.eachandeverychild.co.uk and Each and Every Child can be found on Twitter @eacheverychild and on LinkedIn too.