Lead the Way Manifesto

On 12th March 2016, the Scottish Youth Parliament (SYP) launched their five-year manifesto Lead the Way. This was developed through the SYP's largest ever consultation, which received over 72,700 responses. This provides the Scottish Youth Parliament with a clear mandate to represent the young people of Scotland and to ensure their voices are heard on the issues that affect their lives.

Find out more about the Scottish Youth Parliament, or download their manifesto by clicking on the links below.

Resources

Scottish Youth Parliament (external website)

Scottish Youth Parliament: Lead the Way (PDF)

Latest

Supported Lodgings, Supported Carers Focus Group

Tuesday 18 June|10am - 12pm |Online (MS Teams)
Participation Practitioners' Forum

Thursday 30th May 2024 | 10am - 11.30am | Online (Zoom)
Implications of Continuing Care Focus Group

Tuesday 21 May 2024| 10am - 12pm | Online (Microsoft Teams)
Extra £10.5 to improve education outcomes for care experienced children and young people

Consultation response: Raising the Age of Referral to the Principal Reporter

Staf's response to the Scottish Government consultation on raising the age a child can be referred to a Children's Hearing to 18.
Staf's response to the UNCRC incorporation consultation

Read Staf's full response to the consultation on incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child into our domestic law in Scotland.
Consultation on Children's Services Planning: provision of statutory guidance

Read our response to the Children's Services Planning: provision of statutory guidance consultation.
How Staf is amplifying the voice of young people with experience of the care and justice systems

Ruth Kerracher, Youth Justice Participation Worker, gives an overview of Staf and CYCJ's new project to amplify the voice of young people with experience of the care and justice systems.
Universal Children’s Day: how we’ll contribute to delivering children’s rights

Today is Universal Children’s Day, marking the day in 1989 that the Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly.
Children (Equal Protection from Assault) (Scotland) Bill – Ending the ‘Justifiable Assault’ of Children

Widely reported as the ‘Smacking Ban’, this Bill has recently been introduced to the Scottish Parliament by John Finnie MSP, with the aim to outlaw any form of physical punishment against children. Read our short summary of the Bill here.
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.
Introducing Children's Rights: A ten-minute training tool

The Scottish Government has published a ten minute training tool: 'Introducing Children's Rights'. Find out more and access the training materials.
Scottish Care Leavers Covenant

The Scottish Care Leavers Covenant is a bold and committed promise to young people who have experience of the care system: that they matter.
Getting it right for looked after children and young people

In 2015, the Scottish Government published this strategy, setting out its priorities to improve the lives of looked after children and young people. Find out more and download the strategy document.

Young Funder's Grant

Applications for the Young Funder's Grant are now closed. Alternative sources of funding are included here.
The Promise explained: what the Care Review means for the workforce

Scotland’s Independent Care Review has published its final conclusions. Five reports have been published and the main report ‘The Promise’ runs to 124 pages. To keep our members informed, we will set out the conclusions in a series of brief summaries.
Relationship Based Practice: What does it really look like?

Mary Glasgow facilitated one of our workshops at our Annual Conference 2017, setting out the principles of a restorative, child-centred and family-minded approach that aims to mitigate the effect of Adverse Childhood Experiences. Find out more and download Mary's presentation.
Grants of up to £750 available to care experienced young people

We are delighted to announce our Young Funder's Grant is now open for applications.
Get Involved

Here at Staf we have many ways for people with care experience to get involved.
Financial Support for Care Leavers
Our history

Find out more about Staf's history, and the exciting work we are undertaking today.
Local Elections 2022: Manifesto Round-Up

A look at the five main parties and their manifestos heading into the local elections 2022
GIRFEC: A Guide to Getting it Right for Every Child

GIRFEC (or Getting it Right for Every Child) is the national approach in Scotland to improving outcomes and supporting the wellbeing of our children and young people by offering the right help at the right time for the right people. Find out more about the GIRFEC approach.
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.