Today is Care Day – a celebration of the achievements of children and young people who have experienced care.
Events will take place across Scotland, including Shetland, with two events hosted at Lerwick Town Hall later today.
In a session entitled ‘Creativity and Care’, young people with care experience will also explore how arts and creativity have helped them to express and share their experience.
The ‘Meids Pledge’ will be signed by senior staff from public bodies in Shetland, including Shetland Islands Council, NHS Shetland, UHI Shetland, Skills Development Scotland and Police Scotland.
The pledge has been created especially for this year’s Care Day, taking inspiration from the Shetland dialect term ‘meid’ – a landmark historically used to help fishing vessels establish their position at sea.
In the context of care, a ‘meid’ has been reinterpreted as a Corporate Parent, helping young people to know where they are, or where they want to be, and helps them to steer their way to safety. Under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, a range of public organisations in Scotland became Corporate Parents to care experienced people.
The Meids Pledge was written jointly by Maggie Sandison, Chief Executive of Shetland Islands Council, alongside a group of care experienced leaders supported locally by national advocacy charity Who Cares? Scotland.
- “I listen and take your views seriously
- I act with love to help you thrive
- I have high aspirations for you to live the life you deserve, and I will celebrate your successes
- I will work together with others to provide everything that a good parent would
- It is my duty and my privilege to fight your corner – I will remove barriers and give you every opportunity to reach your potential and to access all opportunities for career pathways
- I will work with other Meids to improve things for all care experienced children and young people by delivering The Promise in Shetland
- I will ensure all our services are “going the extra mile” to meet the needs of people with care experience in our community”
Davie Sandison, Chair of the Council’s Education and Families Committee said:
“As Meids, we want the same things for the children and young people in our care as any good parent would want for their child. We want our children to be resilient; to have a healthy and happy childhood, to feel valued and loved, and to have the chance to grow, develop and learn so that they can find their own way in the world as an adult.
“It’s important for everyone - not just for the Council but anybody who plays a part in making decisions for young people in Shetland, to recognise the special and important responsibility we have in supporting our care experienced children to do well. As with all parents we know we will not always get things right, but today, we are pledging to do our best”.
The locally designed Care Day flag is flying at Lerwick Town Hall today and will be lit pink for Care Day this evening.
Notes for Editors
Who Cares? Scotland is Scotland's only national independent membership organisation for Care Experienced people. For more details on Care Day, please look up - www.whocaresscotland.org/care-day/
The term "Care Experienced" refers to anyone who is currently in care or has been for any length of time regardless of their age. This care may have been provided in many different settings, such as:
- Kinship Care - Living with a relative who is not the child’s mum or dad
- Looked After At Home - With the help of social work
- Residential Care - Living in a residential home or school
- Foster Care - living with foster carers
- Secure Care - Living in a secure accommodation
- Adoption - Living with adoptive parents