100 Days of Listening: What was heard and what’s next
During Care Experienced Week 2023, the 100 Days of Listening was launched to better understand what support is needed and how to make meaningful change to the support available to care experienced people moving on from care.
The 100 Days of Listening was the second of the five phases of the ‘Moving On’ Change Programme which seeks to give moving on experts, whether they are part of the paid or unpaid workforce, or whether or not they have experienced care, a voice.
In October, The Promise Scotland spoke with Thomas Carlton who is on secondment to Staf to lead the Moving On Change Programme. Now we sit down with him once again to mark the publication of the 100 Days of Listening Output Report and find out how the Moving On team plans to turn this listening into action.
A Conversation with Thomas Carlton
How was the 100 Days of Listening Conducted?
The ‘Moving On’ team, a small team from Staf and The Promise Scotland, spoke to over 300 people throughout 24 areas of Scotland. We travelled to meet them or hosted them in our offices. We spoke to individuals, groups and facilitated activity session with young people.
Everyone we spoke to volunteered their time and the team were keen to listen to as many Moving On experts as they could. We recognised that the experiences could be difficult to discuss for some of the participants, so we made sure to use an approach that focused on the Trauma-Informed Principles of safety, trust, choice, collaboration, and empowerment.
There was also an option of an online survey that individuals could complete to share their views. The survey was completely anonymous to protect confidentiality and was structured around what an adult needs to be successful in life.
The information gathered from activities, interviews and surveys was brought together in the report under the wellbeing indicators: Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected and Responsible; and Included.
Why was it important to undertake the 100 Days of Listening?
In the four years since the publication of the promise, there has been a positive shift in the way Scotland provides care and support to children, young people, families and care experiences adults. We saw over and over that in many instances there is a caring and compassionate workforce who are facing significant systemic challenges in delivering the care that is needed to keep the promise.
Listening to the 5,500 voices during the Independent Care Review helped us understand the challenges and gaps in the ‘care system’ and then enabled us to build a vision of what that ‘system’ should and must look like.
The 100 Days of listening looked to build on the essential principle of voice and listen to those who need to be heard. In listening, Scotland can better understand the current change opportunities within the context of care to deliver the promise for those moving on from care.
What did you hear?
We heard from around 365 ‘Moving On’ experts who remind us that the experience of moving on from care can be profoundly positive but at times still profoundly challenging. I am thankful to all those who trusted us to listen to their experiences and their suggested solutions for delivering the promise. I again was reminded of the selflessness of others who contributed, in the hope that a promise will be delivered for those who will move on from care.
In our analysis, we identified themes that were heard by the team across all the well-being indicators and were considered to fundamentally affect a care experienced person’s ability to move on from care in a safe, loving and respectful way. For each theme, the team pulled out the key aspects to inform ‘what matters’ for Scotland. These themes include System and Services, Housing, Finance, Practical Support and Life Skills, and other important considerations. It is best to read the analysis of each theme in the full report to understand the context and why each are important to Scotland keeping the promise to care experienced people moving on from care.
What’s next?
I continue to believe that the aspiration to ensure every child moves on from care in a safe, loving, and protected way is achievable. However, I also know that the work and commitment required to make this aspiration a reality by 2030 is significant.
This report has outlined some factors and potential solutions for Scotland to consider. This change will require a collaborative approach from all of us.
The ‘Moving On’ Change Programme’s third phase, the blueprinting phase, will use the information collected through the 100 Days of Listening to inform the creation of tests of change. The tests of change will be small in nature and will gauge whether the change opportunities identified through 100 Days of Listening can support the delivery of the promise. This will all contribute to the production of a shared set of standards and principles that will guide systems and practice to support those moving on from care.