What children and young people say
Letter to our Corporate Parents
Stirling Champs board wrote a letter to their corporate parents which can be read here
Click here to listen and read Stirling Champ Board letter to their corporate parents.
Stirling Council values children and young people as equal partners in service provision. We know that to improve outcomes for care experienced children and young people we must work together to continuously improve services and get it right for every child.
What young people tell us;
‘Having a caring, reliable person who listens to me helps me in life and makes me feel good.’
Language is powerful
Children who have experienced care say they do not like a lot of the words that are used to describe them, their families and their homes. These words, like ‘contact’ to describe seeing their mum and ‘units’ to describe where they live, are very different to the words everyone else uses to describe families and homes.
There is widespread agreement that we should avoid using certain terms when describing our children and young people and ensure the words we use are easily understood, positive and don’t create or compound stigma. In particular we must stop using the acronym of looked after child that implies that they lack something. If you watch and read these, you will see why:
Relationships, relationships, relationships
What children and young people think must be at central to the decision making about their lives. They may need help to think choices through and to have their voices heard. They tell us (and so does research) that having a good relationship with at least one person, who listens to them and is in their corner is vital to improving outcomes.