Craig and Aimee have been working together since May 2015. Aimee met Craig on her second day of joining the team at Scottish Borders Council and he was the first young person that she met.

I met them after work in the Scottish Borders to get to know them a little better and hear why they think relationships are so important.

What makes a good relationship between a worker and a young person?

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Craig: easy going

Aimee: I would like to think I’m easy going, so that’s good!

Craig: I think banter is a top one as well for me…if you don’t have banter, then you can’t be my worker.

Aimee: Being able to have a laugh and see the light when things are a bit hard, maybe. Craig is a wind-up merchant, so he will always make you laugh, actually, so I’d say that’s important…Communication

Craig: Aye

Aimee: We’re in touch a lot – speak probably, even through text –

Craig: Five times a week

Aimee: yea, we meet once a week…and text back and forth after you’ve finished work.

Cheryl: So is that once a week regardless? It doesn’t matter if it’s good times or bad times?

Craig: Aye

Aimee: Yea, Craig and I are quite partial to a coffee appointment, we go shopping, food shopping together, that’s important.

What are your most vivid memories of each other?

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Craig: I think taking Aimee to see my residential school in the summer holidays was our biggest memory, I think.

Aimee: I think so

Craig: One of our biggest memories. Just going back there and showing her what it was like. Em, what else?

Aimee: And it was quite emotional because for me, all of these workers that weren’t even on shift, they knew you were coming and they all flocked to Hillside and they were like “Aw, Craig’s back!”

Craig: Even the staff that had started, they knew who I was and it was quite nice

Aimee: So, I think that’s probably one of my fondest memories as well. And it was recent which makes it –

Craig: Even better.

Aimee: We’ve gone lots of nice places together actually, and I think that’s quite important, like celebrating milestones, like big birthdays. Craig’s had some big birthdays.

Craig: I think the biggest one I spent with you was my eighteenth. We’ve done so many it’s hard to remember them all.

Aimee: I think we’re good to each other. We like a little Costa coffee, we like a cake. That’s what’s important.

What do you do for each other that really makes a difference?

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Craig: Being my secretary.

Aimee: I am your secretary, your PA, administrator, financial accountant…

[laughter]

Aimee: I handle the paperwork for you

Craig: Aye

Aimee: So, like that side of things, budgeting, that can be more…

Craig: And I just handle the business side.

Aimee: Yea, on the business side of it. Yea, it can be a bit challenging. Craig actually got his first own home this year. So we all continue to learn. I’ve lived on my own, you know, in my own place for years and we all continue to learn. So I’m just helping Craig learn, really. As a PA. Yup, that’s it. I think for me, Craig is always really honest. So if he’s not done something how he wished he’d done it or you want to plan something out, you always come to me and like “hmm…let’s talk about this and how are we going to fix it.” So I think that’s something that’s really important. I know that I can always rely on Craig’s honesty and that he’ll come to me if there’s a situation. I would never not know about it.

Craig: If I’m stuck with something, like something at work, or something at home and I don’t know what to do about it, then I can always get in contact with Aimee and she, like, gives me advice on how to go about it.

Why do you think relationships are important?

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Craig: The longer you work with somebody, like the relationship gets quite, how do you put it, quite strong. And it’s like if you get on easy with them then it’s better.

Aimee: What’s important about our relationship is the real, like, honesty and transparency, so if, I don’t know, you spent all your money and I’m like “Come on Craig, we really need to budget”. We’re always really honest with one another about what the issues are. And I think that makes it a lot easier. So there’s nothing that I couldn’t put to Craig, or I don’t think there’s very much that you wouldn’t want to talk to me about. I think we’re quite open. I think relationships between workers and young people, or young people and anyone else, they can be really difficult. And I suppose what’s special about ours is that we have a mutual respect for one another, you know, for each other’s opinions, each other’s views. And I think that’s really important, that I know if I put something to Craig that he really hears me and that hopefully he feels the same way. There’s never any agenda behind our conversations.