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 is the Corporate Parenting team’s Engagement and Participation lead. Her work in 2025 centres around the council’s Promise Champion network to raise awareness and ensure staff are collectively fulfilling the council’s statutory duties as Corporate Parents in North Ayrshire.
Corporate Parenting team staff briefing
The Corporate Parenting team’s Spring Staff Briefing can be read online now with news highlights of everything this year so far…
Jenny’s team have been busy providing networking events and were proud in June to also host the team’s first ever Employability and Skills Event for the Care Experienced community.
A great turn-out at Volunteer Rooms Employability Event
Held on Wednesday 23 April, the team invited 25 local partners to share their employability and skills supports with care experienced people of all ages.
Parents and carers attended alongside corporate parents to discover what’s on offer locally.
The event had a stall format where stallholders attended to share information, resources, freebies, taster activities, course sign-ups, advocacy, feedback opportunities, welfare rights advice and more…
Part of the council’s wider Corporate Parenting Strategy to meet its statutory duties to keep The Promise to Scotland’s care experienced community – the event was designed for those living and studying in North Ayrshire.
‘Care Experienced’ is a now widely used term to describe any person who has experience of being in care, regardless of the placement length, type or age.
Care may have been provided in one of many different settings, such as residential care, foster care, kinship care or through being looked after at home with a supervision requirement.
The support provided at the event also demonstrates our commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) – legally binding international legislation that sets out the rights of children and how we can uphold, safeguard and respect them.
Feedback from partners attending the event was fantastic:
- “Overall, a great opportunity to engage with care experienced people of all ages.”
- “We enjoyed finding out about other organisations and made some new connections.”
- “We appreciated the chance to advise others about our service.”
Attendee feedback was also brilliant, with young people and carers sharing:
- “There were lots of different services to speak to – some I had never heard of before. It was really beneficial.”
- “I liked speaking to the different services in the room about support they can offer me after leaving school.”
- “Events like these are great to get useful information that helped me as a carer for my young person.”
- “Some of the staff I met work in my school already. It was good to see them here and have a chat with them about how they can help me in school and after school.”
- “It was good to see how much support is on offer for care experienced people. There are so many dedicated services here to help.”
Jenny shares: “’The Corporate Parenting team would like to express their sincerest thanks to the partners who collaborated with us and the Corporate Parents, parents/carers and care experienced people who joined us for our first employability and skills event.
“We have such a wealth of local services who offer a variety of inclusive supports, and it was great to unite everyone on the day to network with each other and provide information for attendees.
“You can find out about future community events such as these by downloading our CE4U app or by following us on social media.”
Visit the Corporate Parenting 2023 – 2026 plan to find out more about our priorties.
Jenny can be contacted directly via email if you want to share what your team is doing to #KeepThePromise, nominate a Promise Champion or discuss partnership working. Contact: jennylewis@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
The Promise Scotland is responsible for driving the work of change demanded by the findings of the Independent Care Review.
North Ayrshire is establishing a new Promise Champions Network to #KeepThePromise we have made to care experienced infants, children, young people, adults and their families – so that every child grows up loved, safe and respected, able to realise their full potential.
How you can play your part…
Time requirements from colleagues are minimal. If you do not yet have a Promise Champion representing your team, staff are encouraged to nominate one now. The team are also seeking best practice examples of what each team/Service/establishment are doing to #KeepThePromise – this feedback will then be used to inform future updates and events.
Email Jenny: jennylewis@north-ayrshire.gov.uk to get involved.
Share your #KeepThePromise case study
If you have a story or case study you would like to share about the support your team is providing for care experienced children and young people, please email: communications@north-ayrshire.gov.uk for your chance to be featured upcoming promotion.
Save the date: Promise Learning Collaborative (great opportunity for teachers, youth/support/social workers and anyone working with care experienced people)
The Promise will be hosting an event in Kilmarnock on Thursday 28 August 10am until 3pm (venue TBC).
The in-person networking and training session has been designed for teachers, youth, social and residential workers and policy makers to help corporate parents to better understand their statutory duties surrounding scaffolding and #KeepingThePromise for Scotland’s Care Experienced Children and Young People.
Register your interest online now, itinerary and further info will follow.