Our Stories: Programme 1 – Care

Corporate Parenting

It has been another busy year of Corporate Parenting activity in SCRA.  We continue to undertake a wide range of activities to deliver as well as promote our Corporate Parenting responsibilities.

Our Modern Apprenticeship and Work Experience programme exclusively for care and/or Hearings- experienced people has been running for almost 15 years.  In July 2024 we hosted a highly successful six month work experience placement for a young person in our Stornoway office and Hearings centre, who went on to permanent employment in the health and social care sector.  We will be recruiting to our MA programme in 2025/2026.

In August 2024, to mark the 10 year anniversary of the Children and Young People (Scotland) 2014 Act, Who Cares? Scotland hosted their first Corporate Parenting Awards.  SCRA were shortlisted for both the Care Conscious Employer award and the Lifelong Rights award, and won the Care Conscious Employer award.

In February 2025 we relaunched our highly successful and active Participation Group as the Corporate Parenting and Participation Group (CPPG). Working with partners such as Who Cares? Scotland, we are renewing our focus on fresh Corporate Parenting approaches, and work with partners such as Staf’s Participation Group and the Who Cares? Scotland Corporate Parenting and Participation Network to achieve this.

Engaging with staff on our Corporate Parenting and Participation Group, as well as our Voice of Experience Reference Group, we have piloted a training programme on Corporate Parenting to be rolled out across SCRA. As a proud Corporate Parent, we were once again delighted to join thousands of people at the Love Rally in Glasgow in October 2024. It is always a highlight of our Corporate Parenting calendar.

SCRA’s Voice of Experience Reference Group (VOERG) has had another busy and successful year.  Working with the NHS we supported the development of their trauma training programme for alternative carers in September 2024, and in February 2025 we celebrated Care Day with a visit from partners at the Children and Young People’s Commissioner Scotland and our Principal Reporter.

The Neurodiversity Champions Network has worked hard to continue to refresh and roll out In-Hearing Room Sensory Kits and take away sensory items across Scotland for children, young people and families attending Children’s Hearings.  We have also worked with partner agencies such as Salvesen Mindroom and FASD Scotland to improve our understanding of neurodivergent conditions to tailor and improve our service delivery.

SCRA’s unique book gifting programme has entered its second year and in 2024/25 we distributed and gifted hundreds of books for older children aged six plus. Our fantastic partnership with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library continues for children aged five and under, and in 2024/25, thousands of books were given to young children attending Hearings for them to keep.

SCRA has been proud to host and support Our Hearings, Our Voice (OHOV) since 2018. In October 2024, to mark four years since publication of the 40 Calls to Action, we prepared our fourth update for OHOV. We continue to work with young people from OHOV on a number of projects, including the Taking Control of my Hearing scrapbook and magazine, information leaflets, cartoon animations and VOICE magazine.

We are an active and founding member of Stand Up For Siblings and the Community of Practice for Siblings. It was a busy year for the Community of Practice for Siblings as the community continued to grow. SCRA’s Press and Communications Team continues to support the partnerships.

The Transforming Connections trauma training programme (in partnership with the NHS and their education team NES) was nationally rolled out throughout the second half of 2024 and in to 2025.  NES’s and SCRA’s work to Keep The Promise led to Trauma Skilled level training for all staff in SCRA to support care experienced children and young people, enhancing the skills and service of SCRA staff as well as developing a network of trainers to assist in the role out.

Inclusion and Diversity

At SCRA, we remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering an inclusive, accessible, and equitable workplace and service environment. In 2024/25, we made significant strides in embedding inclusive practices, enhancing accessibility, and strengthening our equality and diversity initiatives.

Meeting Our Equality Duties
We continued to meet our public sector equality duties by publishing key reports, including:

• Mainstreaming Equality
• Gender Pay Gap
• Gender Representation on the Board
• Workforce Statistics

We also launched our British Sign Language (BSL) Action Plan and agreed on our Equality Outcomes for 2024–2027, setting a clear direction for future progress.

Enhancing Accessibility
To improve access to our services, we now offer Visual Information Guides for 33 Hearing Centres and continue to promote the ReciteMe accessibility software on our website. Our Disability Group, in collaboration with the British Deaf Association (Scotland), launched a  BSL video dictionary and refreshed the BSL section of our website. We also reintroduced sunflower lanyards to support individuals with hidden disabilities. We were proud to retain the enei (Employers Network for Equality and Inclusion) silver award – a big thank you to our Inclusion Ambassadors for all their hard work!

Neurodiversity and Sensory Support
Our Neurodiversity Champions Network has grown to 44 members. This group has successfully reintroduced sensory takeaway kits and neurodiversity kits in all Hearing rooms, ensuring that children and young people have the tools they need to feel comfortable and supported.

In addition, our Neurodiversity Champions came together for their first away day in December 2024 with invaluable training about FASD (Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder).

Anti-Racism and Cultural Inclusion
In February 2024, we held our first anti-racism development session, marking the beginning of a three-year programme. We also launched a successful Black and Asian Workers Group pilot, which has received positive feedback and is expected to continue beyond its initial six-month term. In October 2024, we were delighted to join the Scottish Government’s Sikh Network at a visit to Glasgow Central Gurdwara.

LGBTQ+ Inclusion
In 2024, our LGBTQ+ staff group relaunched and held a series of Pride picnics across the country. We are actively working towards reaccreditation of the LGBT Youth Scotland Charter, reaffirming our commitment to creating a safe and inclusive environment for LGBTQ+ staff and service users.

Workforce Representation and Engagement
Our Employee Information Statistics Report shows an increase in applications from men, candidates from an ethnic minority background, and individuals with disabilities – progress aligned with our second equality outcome.

We also established quarterly meetings for our Inclusion Ambassadors and Locality Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Leads, fostering stronger engagement and information sharing across the organisation.

Progress on Gender Equality
As of March 2024, our gender pay gap has reduced by 2% (mean) and 2.21% (median)—continuing a positive downward trend over the past seven years.

Sustainability

We are early in our journey towards achieving Net Zero and are committed to embedding sustainability across all aspects of our organisation.  Our goal is to work in ways that are environmentally responsible, financially sustainable, and aligned with national climate targets.

This commitment is reflected in our strategic planning, operational improvements, and the work of our Environmental Ambassadors.

Our Strategic Approach
In January 2024, our Strategic Sustainability Group (SSG) reaffirmed eight priority areas that are guiding our sustainability efforts.

These priorities are now embedded in our Corporate and Business Plans:

• Property Use – Creating energy-efficient offices and Hearing Centres.
• Energy Consumption – Using resources more intelligently and efficiently.
• Travel – Promoting active and sustainable commuting options.
• Waste Minimisation – Emphasising reduction, reuse, and recycling.
• Sustainable Procurement – Factoring in environmental, social, and economic impacts in purchasing decisions.
• Biodiversity – Enhancing and protecting our natural environment.
• Staff Awareness and Behaviour Change – Building knowledge and encouraging sustainable practices.
• Data Capture and Analysis – Tracking progress and identifying areas for improvement.
• Progress and Local Action.

Targets and Accountability
SCRA is committed to meeting the following sustainability targets:

• 10–20% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 2022/23 levels within three years.
• Zero waste to landfill by 2030.
• Net Zero GHG emissions by 2045.
• To support these goals, leads have been appointed for each of the eight priority areas, with a clear directive to identify 3–4 actionable workstreams for 2024/25.

A monitoring and reporting framework is being developed to track progress and ensure accountability.

Making changes
We have already seen positive changes across our estate, driven in part by our Property Strategy, energy monitoring by our Business Development

Team and the efforts of our 25 Environmental Ambassadors across the organisation. Each Locality has developed tailored actions within their Locality Plans to support sustainability at a local level.

In January 2025, we launched a year-long environmental awareness campaign, with a different focus every month linking to our eight sustainability priorities.

The campaign has a dedicated section on our staff intranet which contains a host of resources and helpful information.

Estate & Environmental Assessments
Significant environmental improvements have been made to our buildings, including:

• Upgrading lighting systems to energy-efficient LEDs.
• Replacing outdated gas boilers with more efficient alternatives.

These upgrades contribute directly to our Net Zero objectives by reducing energy consumption and emissions. Environmental assessments have been completed for all owned properties—approximately half of our estate—providing detailed recommendations for further improvements.

Work is ongoing to assess the remainder of the estate, including leased properties, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of our environmental impact across all sites.