This paper questions the ability of the new policy developments to facilitate the development of better relationships between social workers and young children.
This report explores the views of children, from lone mother households, attending befriending projects in Scotland and England.
This study is concerned with illuminating the barriers and enablers which determine whether youth work training has the impact intended on participants and the young people they support.
A unique programme of classes, workshops and special events tailored specifically to give young people aged between 15-19 the chance to step outside of their daily routine and think productively about their strengths and weaknesses, values and priorities, goals and dreams.
Guidance to support smooth transitions that are shared by all professionals. Published by the Scottish Transitions Forum.
A blog post about feelings of hope and success when becoming a parent for the first time
There are lots of things you can do to contribute to change the cultural, perceptual and bureaucratic barriers that do not enable social care and support practitioners to continue to have nurturing relationships with young people who are leaving care.
In the what we know section of this site read about people’s: views, experiences, thoughts and ideas about what positively supports workers maintain nurturing relationships with young people as they leave care. Reflect upon what this information means to you and how you could use this information to support the changes you would like to see and feel.
An overview of the work of those in the collective, and an evaluation of this project can be found in the Relationships Matter Story.
You can receive updates about this work by joining the Iriss mailing list, visiting the updates section of this website, and following the Relationships Matter Jam hashtag #RMJAM
This page describes the process we worked through to identify partners for this project and the ideas our partners co-designed to respond to barriers practitioners experience when maintaining nurturing, meaningful relationships with young people as they leave care.
‘For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate’
(Margaret Heffernan)
In 2014 Iriss put a call out for groups of workers and young people who wanted to attend the Relationships Matter Jam[1] and develop ideas that challenge barriers which prevent the continuation of relationships with young people as they leave care. Five of the teams that applied were selected. The teams were from: Hot Chocolate, Care Visions, Falkirk Council, Includem and Kibble. On 15th January 2015 we hosted the JAM in Glasgow and by the end of the day each team had developed a prototyped idea that they presented to the other groups.
People at the Jam also tweeted about their barriers and ideas throughout the day.
Barrier:Â What’s love got to do with it? Where is the ‘L’ in SHANARRI? If we are ‘getting it right for every child and young person’Â surely they need to feel loved? But what does that look like in a professional context? Some professionals feel awkward with the word love, never mind enacting this emotion. It may also make some young people feel uncomfortable, or may lead to misunderstandings. But should young people who are in and leaving care feel love any less than any other young person?
Questions:Â How can we show more love in a professional context? and; What do professionals and young people need, and what do they need to do differently, to show and feel love?
Idea: Below is a video of the Hot Chocolate team presenting their idea at the Jam.
The facilitator of this team has provided their reflections on their design process at the Jam.
Barrier: Workers feel judged if they choose to remain in contact with young people when they leave the service. âI feel anxious about what my colleagues, friends and family will say if I stay in contact with Ronnie once he has left the service I work for, or if I meet him outside of work time”
Question:Â How can Care Visions support staff to remain in contact with young people when they leave the service?
Idea:Â Below is a video of the Care Visions team presenting their idea at the Jam.
The facilitator of this team has provided their reflections on their design process at the Jam.
Barrier:Â Workers don’t know if they are allowed to offer ongoing relationships with young people they have cared for and supported when they move on from living in care. “Am I allowed to do this within my current role? It makes me feel terrible when young people ask if they can stay in touch and I can’t explain how they can do this”
Question:Â How can Falkirk Council give staff and young people clear guidance that both supports ongoing relationships as well as ensures these relationships are safe and manageable?
Idea: Below is a video of the Falkirk Council team presenting their idea at the Jam.
The facilitator of this team has provided their reflections on their design process at the Jam.
Barrier:Â We all have boundaries in different relationships, but what happens when professional boundries blurr with personal ones? Some workers are concerned that they should not become overly involved with a young person when they leave the serice they provide beacuse they feel their professional boundaries discourage the continuation of this relationships. However for some this does not feel right, âIf my child was in trouble, needed someone to talk to or somewhere to go, I would not turn them awayâ and âWe are told to trust and talk to staff about our problems and share our good times in the unit, but I canât fill you in on my life after I leave?â The boundaries of care and support will change in 2015 as support will be avalible until young people are 26, what does this mean to workers?
Question:Â How can Kibble support relationships for our young people to continue with the significant adults that have become part of their young lives? and; What guidance do professionals need from their organisations to continue to support young people after leaving their care?
Idea: Below is a video of the Kibble team presenting their idea at the Jam.
The facilitator of this team has provided their reflections on their design process at the Jam.
Barrier: Leaving care or home is not a linear journey and independence is never acheived by anyone; we are all interdependent. However some young people who find they need support after they stop accessing support can be reluctant to get back in touch with Includem to ask for help. âMy brothers kept on telling me âYouâve got to phone Includem, see if you can get any help.â But I kept on putting it off… I was too proud to ask for help again. It was the fact that weâd already been in Includem and theyâd signed us off, they already felt that we were able to stand on our own two feet and work our way through life”
Question:Â How do we ensure young people feel that getting back in touch with Includem is a normal thing to do, and they will be supported just like any other young person who has left home and come up against new challenges they are not sure how to deal with?
Idea: Below is a video of the Includem team presenting their idea at the Jam.
The facilitator of this team has provided their reflections on their design process at the Jam.
[1] The Relationships Matter Jam was inspired by the Global Service Jam model.
