Welcome
Shilla Zwizwai
Ambassador
Who Cares? Scotland
Today
• Who Cares? Scotland: Who we are and what we do.
• Looked After Children and Young People: My
experience and others
• Corporate Parenting: How can it change our lives?
Who We Are
Looked After Children and Young People
16, 041 people in
care.
No more than 0.5%
of Scotland’s
population.
(Scottish Government, 2014)
Background
Before Care
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I was born and raised in Zimbabwe.
I moved to Scotland at the age of 13.
Lived with my aunt & uncle.
Passed 8 Credit Standard Grades.
Took on 5 Higher subjects.
My expected results were As & Bs.
The Move
• My behaviour suddenly changed in school.
• My guidance teacher noticed the change and
reached out to me.
• I was eventually introduced to social services
and taken into residential care.
• On the day of the move, I had to pack my
clothes in bin bags.
• Spent the day in my social worker’s office
waiting for her to find me a new home.
High School
• Undertook 5 Highers – Physics, Chemistry, Maths,
English & Geography.
• Passed English but failed all other Highers.
• The travel distance between school and home
had increased immensely.
• I was told that the residential children’s home
was a “temporary” accommodation.
• I was too old to be there and I would get moved
once a new accommodation became available.
After Care
• Moved into my own accommodation at 19.
• Worked full time in call centres for 2 years.
• Went back to college after realising that the only way I
could create a better future for myself was through
education.
• Received an offer for an NC course in Criminology &
Social Sciences.
• Through care team paid my rent during my NC course.
• Struggled with applying for Discretionary funds as I
couldn’t provide some of the requested documents.
• Completed the course and a Grade A result.
Turning 21
• Letter from social.
• The end of through
care support.
The result of that letter
• Rent Arrears.
• Notice of proceedings.
• Couldn’t even afford a
Zone card into college.
What followed?
• I was offered an UNCONDITIONAL offer for an
HND course in Legal Services.
• My employer at the time asked me to pick
between full time work and pursuing my
education.
• I left work and started my course at City of
Glasgow College.
Who Cares? Scotland
Education Campaign
Speaking to Jim Murphy & Ian Gray about
the support Care Experienced Young
people require from their Corporate
Parents (Education).
Future Plans
• Completing HND course
and moving onto an LLB
Law course at University.
• Continuing work with
WhoCares?Scotland and
promoting Education.
• For most Care
experienced Young
People – Education is the
ONLY aspect of their lives
that is within their
control.
Looked After Children and Young People
•
They can be looked after at home or away from
home
Foster 33%
At Home 30%
Kinship 26%
Residential 9%
Other 2%
Are there different types of state care?
Becoming Looked After in Scotland
90%
Care &
Protection
10% Offence
Educational Outcomes
Post-Education and Employment
Looked after Children
Non-Looked after Children
• 79% left aged 16 and under
30% left aged 16 and under
• 82% initially in a positive
destination
91% initially in a positive
destination
• 74% in a positive destination 90% in a positive destination
after 9 months
after 9months
SFC allocates about £1.6bn in public
funds to Scotland’s 19 universities and
25 colleges each year for:
Widening access to further and
Skills development
Learning
and teaching
higher education
Other
costs
such as
staff,
Student
support
funds
Research and
and equipment
innovation
buildings
(for college students)
Educational Outcomes
Prison
Housing
30% of care leavers
experience
homelessness
Is the answer Corporate Parenting?
A public bodies’
performance of actions
necessary to promote and
support the physical,
emotional, spiritual, social
and cognitive development
of a looked after child or
care leaver, from infancy
through to adulthood.
(From Draft Guidance on Part 9 of
Children and Young People (Scotland) Act
2014)
24 Corporate Parents
Scottish
Ministers
A health
board
A local
authority
National Convener of
Children's Hearings Scotland
A board constituted under
the National Health Service
(Scotland) Act 1978
The Scottish Social
Services Council
Sport Scotland
Healthcare
Improvement
Scotland
The Chief Constable of
the Police Service of
Scotland
Scotland’s
The Mental Welfare
Commissioner for
Commission for
Children and
Scotland
Young People
The Scottish
Housing Regulator
Children's Hearings
Scotland
Scottish
Qualifications
Authority
Scottish Police
Authority
Bòrd na Gàidhlig
Principal
Reporter
The Scottish Children’s
Reporter Administration
Skills
Development
Scotland
Social Care & Social
Work Improvement
Scotland
Scottish Fire &
Rescue Service
Creative Scotland
The Scottish Legal Aid
Board
A “post-16” education body
Get in Touch!
Shilla Zwizwai
Szwizwai@whocaresscotland.org
0141 226 4441