I can’t quite believe that I am already two months into my new role as Service Lead for The Promise in FCA Scotland. Time seems to be flying by already, and I thought it would be helpful to provide an update on what I have been up to so far.
The month of May saw FCA Scotland celebrate both Foster Care Fortnight and the launch of our Language That Cares speaking charter, which fits in brilliantly with the principles of The Promise. During Foster Care Fortnight, myself and a couple of our carers were able to attend an online event facilitated by the Fostering Network to discuss The Promise and what this means for foster carers in Scotland in more detail.
This is just one of the many networking events I have been able to attend over the last eight weeks, including virtual and face to face sessions with Promise colleagues across Scotland, and a webinar on the Redesign of the Children’s Hearing System chaired by Sheriff David Mackie in conjunction with SCRA and the Scottish Government’s Office of the Chief Designer.
I have also continued to be involved with our Adult Placement Service, participating in meetings facilitated by the Scottish Throughcare and Aftercare Forum, as well as our own FCAS Adult Placement Hub, where we have identified actions around the ways that young people feedback for foster carer reviews; and are hoping to identify YP Champions to support the Adult Placement Service. I also supported a request from CELCIS who asked if one of our carers would be able to provide a blog for their website about their attendance at Continuing Care training, which if you would like to read yourself you can access here.
Over the last couple of weeks, I have also attended all four of FCA Scotland’s carer support groups, where I was able to take along copies of The Pinky Promise and start discussions with our carer group regarding The Promise and how they feel FCA Scotland should be progressing this moving forward. I have now sent out a survey giving all carers and young people the opportunity to provide any feedback around The Promise, and am looking forward to receiving these responses.
The summer holidays are now fast approaching and I am looking forward to working with our amazing Children and Young People’s Support Team to attend many of the fantastic events they have planned for our young people, as well as facilitating two specific participation events in order to give our young people a chance to share their views about The Promise.
I am also working hard to make The Promise more visible within our Cambuslang Office so please keep an eye out for our new Promise posters and features if you are visiting the office.
If anyone has any queries or suggestions regarding The Promise, then please do not hesitate to get in touch [email protected]
