Supporting Care Day 2019

Staff from across SCRA are marking Care Day 2019 in a number of ways.

Today, Friday 15 February, some staff are wearing pink or red, they are decorating their offices, including Hearing suites and window displays. In addition, a number of SCRA staff will join in the Carelidh which is taking place this evening.

Lisa Bennett, SCRA’s Corporate Parenting lead, said: “As Corporate Parents, we support #CareDay2019 and celebrate all it stands for. We are proud to champion the ask of Equality, Respect and Love.

“In the work that we do, equality and respect are paramount to getting it right – in promoting and respecting the rights of children, young people and families, and looking at every young person as an individual with their own needs, hopes and ambition.

“Love is not always visible in this ‘system’ and it can be hard to mandate – but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. We challenge ourselves to shine an underpinning light of love on all that we do – our approach, our policies and our practice and hope that in doing so, even when it’s not visible, we will know and feel that it’s there.”

In September 2018, SCRA announced it was backing the campaign to treat care experience as a protected characteristic for children, young people and adults. The campaign, which is being led by the charity Who Cares? Scotland, aims to eliminate discrimination and prejudice towards care experienced children, young people and adults.

Principal Reporter/Chief Executive, Neil Hunter said: “If Scotland’s Children’s Hearings System is about anything, it’s about fairness, respect, rights, concern and always working to secure children and young people’s best interests. How we do that is what’s so important – with care and compassion, sensitivity and regard for each child and young person as a unique and talented individual.

“As a corporate parent everything we do should be measured on what we would expect for children and young people in our own lives who we love and care for. Nothing else is good enough.”