Established in 2002, Care Experienced Week celebrates the experience of Care Experienced people and acknowledges that they do not leave their experiences behind when they leave formal care.
A care-experienced person is anyone who is currently in care or were in care at some point in their life, including those who’ve been in foster care or kinship care.
To celebrate Care Experienced Week 2022, we would like to spotlight our Care Experienced Children and Young People’s Service and the fantastic work they do every week to support Foster and Kinship carers and their children and young people.
Sunday 23 October – Learn how we can support YOU
For the first day of Care Experienced Week, we wanted to share information on how Children’s Health Scotland supports care experienced people. Our Care Experienced Children and Young People’s Service (CECYPS) offers health and wellbeing services that support Foster and Kinship Carers, including training workshops, mini taster sessions, information and 1:1 support.
We know that the health and wellbeing of many children and young people in Foster Care or Kinship Care may not be as good as that of their peers. Adverse childhood events and trauma experienced in their early lives have left many with emotional health and wellbeing needs which require specific help. 
“We would like to thank you massively for the help and support that you have given our whole family over the past year. We can never thank you enough for all you have done.” – Family of child with heart condition
You can learn more about our CECYPS by reading our leaflet or get in touch:
- Anne Wilson, Head of CECYPS: Call 07485 462435 or email: anne.wilson@childrenshealthscotland.org
- Sarah Nelson, Assistant, CECYPS: Call 07485 462434 or email: sarah.nelson@childrenshealthscotland.org
Monday 24th October – Let’s appreciate the KINDNESS of Foster and Kinship Carers
During Scottish Children’s Health Week 2022, the Care-Experienced Service decided to make a video with Foster Carers talking about the value of Foster Care support groups. The stimulus for this came about from a workshop we were conducting for The Fostering Network (TFN) where in talking about ideas for what helps support them, 2 Foster Carers suddenly started talking about the value of their Foster Care Support Groups, and the theme of Kindness or #BeKind naturally emerged. We have heard of and worked with Kinship Carer support groups many times, but we were not aware of the same thing in Foster Care, so we were delighted to follow this up and in due course approach these Foster Carers.
Kindness is a huge part of our Care Experienced Children and Young People Service. We recorded a discussion with two foster carers who run support groups in their area. Foster and Kinship carers are often overlooked groups, so we wanted to give them a chance to speak about their experiences, especially regarding peer support in their groups. You can watch this discussion below.
Tuesday 25 October – Health matters in Foster and Kinship care 
We offer a range of workshops free of charge based on topics often requested by carers themselves. These workshops are offered through local authority social work departments, third sector organisations (e.g., Kinship Care Advice Service Scotland (KCASS) or the Fostering Network) or can be requested through support groups. The topics covered in our interactive four-hour workshops include:
- Managing the Healthcare Needs and Rights of Children in Care
- Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing
- Consent and Confidentiality
- Play Techniques
- Getting it Right for Care Experienced Disabled Children
- Loss and Change
- Adolescence Matters
- Calming Techniques
Pages 6 and 7 of our Winter 2021 magazine contains and article with plenty of information on every workshop we deliver and how they can help you.
Wednesday 26 October – We’re speaking at the Scotland Policy Conference
Today, Anne Wilson (Head of Development and Lead of our Care-Experienced Children and Young People’s Services) will be speaking at the Scotland Policy Conference. The focus of her conversation will be “Improving the care experience for children and securing better outcomes – raising educational attainment, tackling mental health concerns, developing relationships, and workforce development”.
The keynote seminar for this conference will also focus on next steps for the children’s care system in Scotland and implementing The Promise. This year’s Care Experienced Week puts great focus on The Promise to ensure that Care Experienced people have a right to access supportive, caring services for as long as they require them. #LifelongRights
Thursday 27 October – Attend the ‘Calming Techniques’ workshop virtually 
We want to share the ‘Calming Techniques’ webinar which we delivered to carers earlier this year and which we will also be delivering in November. The online version can be found on the Kinship Care Advice Service for Scotland (KCASS) website and Youtube channel. Many carers found this to be a valuable session, so we wanted to make sure everyone had a chance to watch.
Friday 28 October – Workshops until the end of 2022
Today we would like to let you know of our many upcoming workshops planned until the end of this year. If you want information on joining any of these workshops, please email sarah.nelson@childrenshealthscotland.org.
2nd November – ‘Understanding Trauma’, Online, with The Fostering Network
3rd November – ‘Calming techniques’ Online and in Fife, for Foster Carers
9th November – ‘Calming techniques’ Online, with The Fostering Network
11th November – ‘Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing Part 2’, face to face for Kinship Carers in Bellshill
15th November – ‘Loss and Change’, Online, for Kinship Carers, with KCASS
17th November – ‘Trauma’, face to face, for Kinship Carers, in Falkirk
1st December – ‘Loss and Change Part 1’, face to face, for Kinship Carers in Cumbernauld
6th December – ‘Adolescence Matters’, Online, for Kinship Carers, with KCASS
15th December – ‘Xmas Activities’, face to face, for Kinship Carers in Falkirk
Saturday 29th October – Join us at the 2022 SIRCC Conference
The Scottish Institute for Residential Child Care (SIRCC) Conference will be ONLINE and FREE this year. SIRCC is a key annual conference for all those working and living with, and within, the residential child care community in Scotland. Recovery and resilience for organisations and for individuals has been identified as our theme by this year’s planning group.
Anne Wilson and Sarah Nelson, from CECYPS, will be hosting a virtual exhibition at this conference on 10th November. In the morning, they will be focussing on our Care Experienced service and what we offer with deeper dives in as delegates express interest. The afternoon slot will concentrate on the our Calming Techniques webinar with opportunity for delegates’ discussion.
If you are interested in attending the SIRCC Conference 2022 or learning more, please visit their website.
