Beneath the surface
Looking back at her teenage years, Alice (not her real name) reflects on the hurt she experienced and the missed opportunities to do things differently. I was 13 the first time the police pinned me down on the ground, handcuffed me and put me in the back of a police van. I was 14 the […]
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From little acorns…
In this exclusive guest blog for CYCJ, Fiona Duncan (Chair of The Promise Scotland) reflects on Scotland’s care review journey so far, the thousands of voices that shaped this and the change that is happening to make sure The Promise to our care community is kept. “The true meaning of life is to plant trees, […]
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Relationships are the starting point
As we approach the one year anniversary of the publication of Scotland’s Care Review – and three months since the Secure Care Pathway and Standards Scotland launched – Chelsey talks about the importance of building genuine and honest relationships with young people, and the difference this can make. A young person once told a colleague […]
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Securing better futures
October 8, 2020 marks a very important moment for children and young people who experience secure care. That’s because it’s the day the Secure Care Pathway and Standards will be launched in Scotland’s five secure care centres, celebrating the hard work, creativity and passion that children in these centres put into helping to shape this […]
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Scotland – time for open hearts and minds
Today marks the launch of the Secure Care Pathway and Standards Scotland. These Standards have been three years in the making after a series of recommendations from the Secure Care National Project. The project identified the need for a specific set of standards for Scotland’s most restrictive form of care for our children. In late […]
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A space to be heard
What happens when a global pandemic gets in the way of youth participation work? Kevin Lafferty, participation consultant at Staf, talks us through the work he has been involved in with Staf and CYCJ’s Youth Justice Voices project during lockdown. Just as our Artivism project was about to end and our steering group Youth Just […]
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Keeping The Promise
In February 2020, Scotland’s Independent Care Review shared its findings. At its heart was The Promise, a commitment towards building the care system on a foundation of stable, nurturing and loving relationships. In the first of a four part blog series, CYCJ’s Ross Gibson considers what must happen next to ensure The Promise becomes a […]
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The Right to Relationships
In this blog to mark Care Experienced Week 2019, Bernie and Charlie write about the rights that all care experienced individuals should enjoy. They are members of the Why Not? Trust, which seeks to enhance personal relationships amongst those who have lived experience of the care system. As well as individual connections, the Why Not? […]
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Reflecting on CARE
In their joint guest blog, Andi Brierley and Luke Burgess reflect on the ‘CARE’ group in Leeds, drawing on their own experience of the care and justice systems. Andi: My role at Leeds YJS is to work with children in care that come into contact with youth justice and support them to desist from offending, […]
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