Skip over main navigation
  • Log in
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • Email Us
  • 0141 465 7511
  • Search
Staf (Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum)
  • Newsletter Sign-up
  • Book for an Event
  • Donate

We listen. We care. We love.
  • Twitter
Menu
  • Who We Are
    • About Staf
      • History
      • Members
      • Supporters
      • Vision and Values
    • Meet the Team
      • Board of Directors
      • Staff Team
    • Governance
      • AGM Minutes
      • Annual Review
      • Latest Accounts
      • Strategic Plan 2019-2022
    • Vacancies
  • What We Do
    • Care-Experienced Voice
    • Current Projects
      • Building Relationships
      • Project Return
      • Shannon's Box
      • Youth Justice Voices
    • Policy and Influencing
    • Training and Consultancy
    • View Previous Work
      • The Debate Project
      • Dinner With Dialogue
      • The Voices
      • Connecting Voices
      • The Importance of Relationships
      • #WeLove: sharing COVID-19 best practice
  • Events
    • Event Resources
    • Upcoming Events
      • All Upcoming Events
      • Conferences and Forums
      • Focus Groups
  • News and Blogs
    • Blogs
    • News
    • Newsletter Archive
    • Podcasts
  • Policy and Resources
    • Coronavirus Support and Signposting
    • Consultation Responses
    • Event Resources
    • Legislation Timeline
    • Policy Areas
      • Children's Rights
      • Corporate Parenting
      • Education
      • Employment
      • Health
      • Housing
      • Justice
      • Poverty and Social Security
      • Relationships
      • Trauma
    • Policy Engagement Group
    • Practice Resources
    • The Care Review
  • Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Current Members
    • Upgrade Membership
  • Admin
    • Log in
    • Email Us
    • 0141 465 7511
    • Search
  • Basket: (0 items)
  • Connecting Voices
  1. What We Do
  2. View Previous Work
  3. Connecting Voices

Connecting Voices

Care-experienced young people in East Ayrshire are benefiting from Staf’s first Connecting Voices project to share their experiences and influence support services in the area.

Supported by Big Lottery funding, and in partnership with East Ayrshire Intensive Support Service, the two-year project aims to help young people to stay in care longer and equip them with the tools and skills to make the transition to independent living. Empowered and enabled to share their experiences and stories in safe, creative ways, they are now playing a key role in shaping actions and attitudes in East Ayrshire.

The Connecting Voices team has led the way in showing how their experience and voices can play a key role in decisions around defining and implementing care services in the sector. This has been achieved through projects such as Kieran's '2 in a Million' comic book and engagement with the area's Corporate Parents.

2 in a million

“Relationships should be at the heart of the care system because that’s what every young person needs when in care.”
Kieran Cowan comic book author

Kieran Cowan comic book author

Connecting Voices enabled Kieran to tell his story of leaving care through a comic book created in collaboration with young artist and illustrator Tessa Mackenzie. In it, he takes us on his journey from feeling isolated and unsure of his place in the world to building a trusting relationship with two workers who made him feel loved.

These stories can be hard to tell, but Tessa’s compassionate ear, a safe space to tell his story and full editorial control over the comic enabled Kieran to bring to life the powerful and lasting effect a relationship can have for young people.

- Get inspired by Kieran’s 2 in a million comic book

Helping Corporate Parents help young people

The local Corporate Parent Strategy Group has already benefited from the views of the young people involved in the Connecting Voices project, who came together to share and discuss their views on what a Corporate Parent was, could be and should do. Getting their voices heard by decision makers was already a step forward, but also led to an opportunity to have a direct impact on policy: the young people are currently redesigning the East Ayrshire Corporate Parenting Promise.

The Connecting Voices group also identified that the description ‘Corporate Parents’ in itself made their support providers sound distant and ‘machine-like’. By creating a ‘corporate family tree’ together and inviting all 24 of their Corporate Parents to meet them for a meal, they were able to put names to faces, build stronger relationships and show how the human connection is at the heart of great care.

- Keep track of our projects via an Individual Associate Membership

Brothers and Sisters Separation and Contact

Between October 2017 and March 2018, Connecting Voices carried out six interviews with care-experienced young people, and their findings have been published in the report "Brother and Sister Separation and Contact".

Key findings from the report include:

  • Five out of six participants described feelings of guilt and shame associated with their experience of sibling separation.
  • Interviews were frequently punctuated with phrases such as "it's my fault" and "have I done something wrong?" illustrative of the heartbreak and raw feelings which continue to negatively impact the participants' adult lives.
  • 83% of participants reported that separation from their siblings has negatively impacted upon the relationships they now have with their brothers and sisters.
  • 50% of participants directly attributed the separation from their brothers and sisters to their spiralling and worsening behaviour or "acting up".
  • 50% of young people said that they had been the carers for their siblings in the family home before being separated and this made the separation particularly difficult.
  • 83% of participants believed that siblings should have daily contact and that where possible siblings should be kept together as a main priority.

"We used to need each other, then one day I wasn't there."

Read the report 'Brother and Sister Separation and Contact'

Published: 29th November, 2017

Updated: 1st August, 2019

Author:

Share this page
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Latest

  • The Role of Youth Work in Participation and Youth Justice

    The Role of Youth Work in Participation and Youth Justice

    Staf's Youth Justice Participation Lead shares the importance and role of of youth work in participation and youth justice.

  • New Youth Justice Voices Logo Revealed

    New Youth Justice Voices Logo Revealed

    Check out Youth Justice Voice's new Logo!

  • Local Authority Member's Forum

    Local Authority Member's Forum

    Wednesday 9th June 2021 10.30am - 12.30pm| Online (Microsoft Teams)

  • Brew and a Blether: for Carers

    Brew and a Blether: for Carers

    Brew and a Blether: Carers Catch Up | 8th June 2021 | Online via Zoom

Related

  • Youth Just Us & NKBL designing ‘Nae Danger’ game.

    Youth Just Us & NKBL designing ‘Nae Danger’ game.

    Youth Just Us worker Kevin Lafferty shares a fascinating insight into the groups' involvement in the 'Nae Danger' game created in collaboration with No Lives Better Lives.

  • Staf Projects: Year in Review

    Staf Projects: Year in Review

    To celebrate #CareDay we are highlighting the amazing work achieved by the care experienced young people we work with on our three project strands; Project Return, Youth Justice Voices and The Real Toolkit. Watch our latest video to see just what they have managed to do!

  • Shannon's Box

    Shannon's Box

    Created by Shannon when in role as our Youth Facilitator, Shannon's Box is designed to make entering care a little easier for children and young people. Find out more about this project.

  • The Importance of Relationships

    The Importance of Relationships

    We are working on a project to highlight the importance of relationships in the lives of care-experienced young people. Find out more about the project.

  • Project Return

    Project Return

    Funded by the Life Changes Trust, Project Return will bring together young people and practitioners to aid our understanding of trauma and trauma-informed practice, and to explore the supportive environments we know are required to support recovery and the development of relationships.

Most read

  • Implications of Continuing Care Report

    Implications of Continuing Care Report

    Staf has been working as part of a consortium of colleagues from across the sector which has been meeting about the implementation of Continuing Care. Following our Implications of Continuing Care focus group in February 2018, we produced a report looking at the issues and the good practice taking place across Scotland.

  • Scotland to host an International Child Trauma Conference in 2020

    Scotland to host an International Child Trauma Conference in 2020

    On 17-18 September 2020 we will be hosting an International Child Trauma conference with Dr Bruce Perry alongside partners Aberlour, Clackmannanshire Education and Psychology Services, Seamab, Kibble, and Children in Scotland. Find out more in this blog.

  • The Importance of Relationships

    The Importance of Relationships

    We are working on a project to highlight the importance of relationships in the lives of care-experienced young people. Find out more about the project.

  • Vision and Values

    Vision and Values

    Staf's Vision, and Values

  • Announcing Our New and Improved Website

    Announcing Our New and Improved Website

    Following almost a year of research, consultation and hard work, we are proud to say that our new website is live. Find out more about how we transformed our website.

  • Policy and Practice: Care Experienced Bursary

    Policy and Practice: Care Experienced Bursary

    The Care Experienced bursary was introduced to support care experienced young people in further and higher education. Find out more about the bursary, and how this relates to practice, here:

  • Our history

    Our history

    Find out more about Staf's history, and the exciting work we are undertaking today.

  • Support us

    Support us

    At Staf we are grateful to all those who support us. Find out how you can support us today.

  • Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill – Standing Up for Scotland’s Children or Simply Standing Still?

    Age of Criminal Responsibility (Scotland) Bill – Standing Up for Scotland’s Children or Simply Standing Still?

    Currently at Stage 1 in the Scottish Parliament, this Bill aims to change the minimum age of criminal responsibility (MACR) to 12 years of age from the current level of 8 – the lowest in Europe. Our article questions whether the Bill goes far enough, and whether it truly works to support Scotland’s children and young people.

  • Current Members

    Current Members

    Staf currently has over 70 members, including local authorities, third sector organisations and private sector care providers.

Tag cloud

Project Return

Latest tweet

Tweets by StafScot

Contact us

Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum

Edward House, 2nd Floor, 199 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow, G2 3EX

T: 0141 465 7511

Email Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • Sitemap
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy and Cookies Policy
  • Terms & Conditions


Accessibility: 
Black on white version | White on black version | Reset to standard style


Registered in Scotland as a Company Limited by Guarantee. Company Number: SC286432.

Recognised as a Scottish Charity. Scottish Charity Number SC 030522