The promise: How children and families are helping shape support in Falkirk
Children, young people and families are playing a greater role in shaping the support available to them, working with Falkirk Council, partner organisations and community groups as part of a shared commitment to keep the promise.
Their lived experiences, alongside the knowledge and experience of council staff and colleagues across the public and third sectors, are helping influence how services are designed and delivered, from helping families at times of crisis to creating greater opportunities for care experienced young people.
That approach was at the heart of a visit from Fiona Duncan, Independent Strategic Advisor - the promise, who spent Wednesday 2 September in Falkirk town centre meeting care experienced young people, families, frontline staff and senior leaders.
What is the promise?
The promise is Scotland’s commitment that all children and young people should grow up loved, safe and respected so they can realise their full potential.
It followed the Independent Care Review, which heard from more than 5,500 people with experience of care and members of the paid and unpaid workforce. Fiona chaired the review and now sets the strategic direction and culture of the work to keep the promise.
From listening to doing
During her visit, Fiona heard how lived experience and professional expertise are being brought together to influence and inform the support on offer to local children and families.
She heard about a range of initiatives developed through partnership working and supported by Scottish Government Whole Family Wellbeing Funding, including:
- Get To Focus, a group that grew from parents and carers sharing their experiences of the child protection system and their ideas for how families could be better supported.
- Family Firm, which provides paid work experience, alongside individual support to help care experienced young people step into the world of work and build their confidence and skills.
- Breathing Space, a trauma-informed space designed to support families at points of crisis.
Conversations also focused on the work of the Falkirk Champs, a group of young people with experience of living in care, and Amigos, a group of unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people. Both communities provide care experienced young people with an opportunity to share their ideas and influence the support around them.
Working together
Councillor Fiona Collie, Falkirk Council’s spokesperson for Health and Social Care, said:
Keeping the promise is something we all have a part to play in. No one service or organisation can do it alone, which is why the relationships we have with our partners, communities and, importantly, children and families matter so much.
“Listening to and learning from people’s experiences is a key part of that. By bringing lived experience together with the knowledge and expertise of our services and partners, we build a fuller understanding of what children and families need and how we can respond.
“Fiona's visit was a chance to see some really good examples of that partnership working in practice and to hear directly from the people involved.
Fiona Duncan, Independent Strategic Advisor, The Promise, said:
I know that there are thousands of people out there working hard every day to keep the promise. But I also know that this can be against a difficult backdrop of slow structural and system change. Being able to hear from them, learn from them, and share that is so important.
“We are over halfway to when the promise must be kept, there is not a minute to waste in creating change, so it’s vital that good practice can be replicated, and barriers can be understood and overcome.
Learning from Falkirk
The visit is part of a wider tour that will see Fiona visit all 32 local authority areas in Scotland. These visits will give her insight into what is working well in keeping the promise and what is proving more challenging, so local learning can help inform national change.
Following the visits, Fiona will produce a series of mini reports linked to Plan 24-30, Scotland’s shared framework for keeping the promise by 2030.