Day: February 5, 2020

First Minister meets care experience challenge

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has met the challenge of listening to more than 1,000 care experienced young people as they discuss the changes they want to see to the system just days ahead of the publication of the forthcoming Independent Care Review.

The First Minister pledged in 2016 to meet at least 1,000 care experienced young people while the review did its work.

During that time, she also announced:

  • the removal of the upper age limit for the £8,100 per year bursary which care experienced students are entitled to
  • the introduction of the Children’s Bill which will ensure siblings and wider family relationships are protected where it is safe to do so
  • children’s rights will be embedded in law so that anyone in care, or leaving care, can access the support they are entitled to without having to fight for it
  • the introduction of the £33 million Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund to improve educational outcomes for young people with care experience, funding projects ranging from mentoring and counselling to practical skills like driving lessons

The First Minister said: “Thank you to all of the young people who took the time to raise their voice and share their very personal stories with me. You have helped to ensure we can provide a care system which will have love at its heart and give everyone in Scotland the childhood they deserve.

“The first thing I did after my initial conversations with care experienced people was to announce an Independent Care Review and I look forward to receiving the conclusions soon.

“But these conversations also made it clear to me that there were immediate actions we could take to improve the lives of young care experienced people across the country without delay while the Review was looking at the broader transformation required.

“That is why since 2016 we have improved access to funding support for further and higher education, committed to keep families together where it is safe to do so and introduced a fund to provide vital services and support to help improve the attainment of young people with care experience.

“We know there is more to do but this is just the start of the journey. Our work to improve the care system will continue and so will my conversations with young people who have experienced it.”

https://youtu.be/BEeEYU-Kp4k

The 1,000 voices manifesto was created by Who Cares? Scotland and a coalition of charities.

The £33m Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund is part of the wider £750m Attainment Scotland Fund.

Time to Talk Day 2020

Want to get involved in Time to Talk Day 2020?

Join See Me at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh from 11am on Time to Talk Day tomorrow (Thursday 6th Feb) where we’re hosting a day of live music, mental health and art.

This year we are delighted to be joined by Edinburgh’s Harmony Choir and singer Jessica Sharpe, who will both be performing at the Gallery, plus more TBC!

Volunteer Sean will also be holding a mental health art tour around the Gallery, and we’d love to see you get involved.

Mental health and art have always been closely linked. Art is used as a way to express our feelings, whether it is on a canvas, captured in a photo or sung in a song, it helps us relate to our emotions. It’s also used in therapy for people who are struggling with their mental health and can improve wellbeing for all of us.

But it can be much more than that, it can start conversations and tell stories that change the way we think and behave when it comes to mental health. We are all speaking much more about mental health, and hearing more and more how important it is to tackle mental health stigma, and art can do that.

So we are bringing together art and mental health at the National Portrait Gallery, to host the UK’s biggest anti-stigma campaign of the year, Time to Talk Day, and we’d love to see as many people come down as possible.

We jointly run Time to Talk Day with their partner programmes, Time to Change in England, Time to Change Wales and Change Your Mind in Northern Ireland.

Together See Me and National Galleries Scotland will be putting on a day of music, mental health and art, to encourage people from across Scotland to come down and get involved in Time to Talk Day on February 6th.

This year we are delighted to be joined by Edinburgh’s Harmony Choir and singer Jessica Sharpe, who will both be performing at the Gallery. We will be confirming the rest of the performers soon.

Time to Talk Day is a day in the year where everyone in the UK is encouraged to have a conversation on mental health. This year is the third year the campaign has run in Scotland.

Last year over 300 workplaces, schools, universities, football teams, youth clubs (and more) took part all over Scotland. Alongside that, on social media #TimetoTalk was trending at number 1 in Scotland and the UK and number 2 worldwide.

Last year Scottish Games of Thrones actor Daniel Portman helped to promote the day by sharing his experiences of anxiety, depression and OCD, focusing on how talking about mental health has helped him.

Previously we’ve also had involvement from Nicola Sturgeon, Des Clarke and Janey Godley, while across the UK the campaign has been supported by Stephen Fry, Fearne Cotton, Frankie Bridge and many others.

Too many people with mental health problems are still made to feel isolated, worthless and ashamed. Conversations have the power to change lives, wherever they take place. This year conversation is at the heart of the day as we use the popular game ‘Would you rather?’ to encourage more people to talk than ever before.

We’ll be having performances from 11am until 2pm in the Great Hall, and will also have a mental health art tour around the gallery. Come down and join us, because your conversation can make a difference.

Find out more about Time to Talk Day by clicking the button below, and keep an eye on our social media for updates on the art tour and performers.

Learn more and join us: https://bit.ly/2sA4ENF

#TimeToTalk