Did you know that if you work for the local authority, Health, Police, Ayrshire College, Fire and Rescue and many more, you are a Corporate Parent to all children and young people that are care experienced in North Ayrshire?
Jenny Lewis recently joined the Corporate Parenting team as their Engagement and Participation lead, and each month she will be hosting monthly drop-in sessions and sharing updates via the new #KeepThePromise Column here on Staff News.
Read the latest update from the Corporate Parenting team and learn about what we can do below to ensure we are collectively fulfilling our statutory duties as Corporate Parents in North Ayrshire.
Welcome to The Promise (July) Staff Column | Written by Jenny Lewis CP Lead
Our Staff Column is relevant to all North Ayrshire Council employees as each one of you is a Corporate Parent with a responsibility for ensuring the best possible care and safeguarding for our Care Experienced children and young people.
The Corporate Parenting team are here to support you, your Team and the Council to #KeepThePromise.
Monthly drop-ins ongoing
We would like to share a huge thank you to staff who attended our latest drop-ins at both Kilbirnie Library and Ardeer Community Centre. Colleagues enjoyed hearing about the Promise’s status and local opportunities. We engaged in impactful conversations over a hot drink and biscuit and also enjoyed speaking to colleagues from Community Learning & Development at the recent drop-in at Kilbirnie Library.
The next drop-in is on Tuesday August, 20 at Largs Library 10.30am – 11.30am.
We encourage all Council employees to attend at least one drop-in throughout the year. Read more in the Latest News article.
Summer activities for children and young people
The Corporate Parenting Team have been keeping in touch with young people over the summer holidays via a number of events. Spaces are by nomination only due to being targeted towards those that are Care Experienced. Contact: laurissamonaghan@north-ayrshire.gov.uk to find out more.
Promise Plan 24-30 website launched
Plan 24-30 is now live in the form of a new website. Fiona Duncan, The Promise’s Independent Strategic Partner has been listening to initial feedback on the Plan over the past couple of weeks. Read her findings here.
The team are seeking feedback regarding the Plan’s relevance, usefulness, and accessibility. You can submit any feedback to this email address: plan2430@thepromise.scot. We will continue to share news on how the Plan will be updated and the role you play in contributing to its evolution.
Promise Champion meetings completed across Services
Our Promise Champions meetings in June are now completed. We met in smaller sector-focused groups to hear local & national updates and focus on stigma for the Care Experienced Community (see photographs attached).
Our next Promise Champions meeting is Wednesday, September 18, 10.00am – 12.00pm, at Saltcoats Town Hall where we will gather as a complete network again. We will have Clare Morris, Promise Delivery Partner for East, South & North Ayrshire, joining us to introduce Plan 24-30. Make sure you have a Promise Champion representing your Team so as not to miss out on this opportunity.
Share case studies ahead of Care Experienced Week
Care Experienced Week will take place between 21st-27th October this year.
To demonstrate our commitment to our Care Experienced children & young people, we are asking all Corporate Parents across North Ayrshire to complete a Case Study highlighting an example where you and/or your Team have supported Care Experienced children or young people to achieve a positive outcome. Please share your positive case study online here.
We’re also excited to continue to team up with colleagues on a small video project promoting our Care Experienced young people’s Language Charter and Anti-Discrimination and Stigma Policy. If you are a Care Experienced colleague and would like to be involved in this, please contact jennylewis@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
Read the Summer Briefing from the Corporate Parenting team
The Corporate Parenting Team’s summer Staff Briefing is now available to read online.
This briefing is an easy to download summary of the content also covered in the latest news article. Share with your teams to ensure they too are up to date.
Ayrshire College training sessions delivered
The Corporate Parenting Team recently enjoyed delivering training sessions to Ayrshire College colleagues on The Promise, Corporate Parenting & Supporting The Care Experienced Community.
Feedback included:
- ‘I have become more aware of the stigma Care Experienced young people face.’
- ‘I will be more aware of my own attitude towards young people.’
- ‘I will spend more time asking what our Care Experienced students need from us. Thank you for your time and knowledge and a reminder of the work you do.’
- ‘I will be more mindful of language and unconscious bias. I will think about what support, information, and resources my department can offer going forward. It was interactive without being too heavy. I liked the mix of presentation, activities, and videos.’
- ‘I will be more open-minded. The session was very accessible.’
- ‘I am now better aware of the opportunities NAC provides for our Care Experienced students. I will research to discover what support I can organise to benefit them. It was a fantastic, interactive training session. I think it’s great that our students will benefit from lots of extra support from NAC.’
Our partnerships are very important to us, and we look forward to providing training sessions to Police Scotland, the Connected Communities Team, and the School Counselling Team throughout August.
UNCRC is incorporated into Scots Law
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on 1 September 2020 and was passed unanimously on 16 March 2021, the primary purpose being to bring the UNCRC into Scots law.
The Act is a landmark piece of legislation that incorporates the UNCRC into Scots law, empowers our children and young people to claim their rights and will help to make Scotland the best place in the world to grow up. We will be the first devolved government in the world to directly incorporate UNCRC. The landmark Bill officially received Royal Assent on 16 January 2024 and will come into force on 16 July 2024. Fulfilling children’s rights is critical to our commitment to #KeepThePromise. Find out more in the Latest News article.
Final thoughts…
I am looking forward to sharing frequent updates with you about what is happening in our Council and best practice examples via this Staff Column, Promise Champions staff network, drop-ins and Staff Briefings. If you have any questions or need support, please drop me an email at: jennylewis@north-ayrshire.gov.uk. Let’s work together to #KeepThePromiseNA
Thank you for reading,