It’s been another packed year at Staf, with exciting new events, new projects underway and the launch of our first-ever podcast.

 

We want to thank our members – your support and participation has made this all possible. Here’s a quick rundown of what we’ve achieved together over the past year.

 

• 5 new projects got underway: Youth Justice Voices, Building Relationships and Youth Justice Voices, Home and Belonging Evaluation (in partnership with Children in Scotland) and Shannon’s Boxes.

 

• 45 Shannon’s Boxes delivered to young people in East Ayrshire to make entering care a little easier

 

• A combined 737 bookings were made for our events in 2019

 

• Had just under 300 bookings over 2 conferences on trauma-informed care

 

• We sent members 11 newsletters – jam-packed with policy news and practice resources

 

• We produced 3 episodes of The Forum podcast looking at relationship-based practice, love in the care system and an exclusive interview on the care-experienced bursary with Deputy First Minister John Swinney

 

• Held 2 Local Authority Members’ Forums – exclusively for local authority throughcare and aftercare managers

 

• Facilitated 3 Care Leavers into Employment Focus Groups, 3 Implications of Continuing Care Focus Groups and2 Supported Lodgings, Supported Carers Focus Groups

 

• Held 1 Celebrating Connection Practitioners’ Gathering to mark Care Experienced Week

 

• We submitted 4 Scottish Government consultation responses on Continuing Care, the Job Grant (now referred to as the Job Start Payment), UNCRC incorporation and Children’s Services Planning

 

• Called for key 5 things to be included in the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government – and welcomed the changes announced, particularly the removal of charge for dental treatment

 

• Called for political parties to commit to 4 changes to tackle care leaver poverty in their General Election manifestos, securing responses from all of the major parties and a care leaver section in the SNP manifesto

 

• Our tweets were seen 890,000 times on Twitter and our website had over 50,000 page views

If you want to be part of our network and connect with other people across Scotland supporting care leavers, you can join Staf today, find out how here.