How SCRA is Keeping the Promise

NEWS & EVENTS How SCRA is Keeping The Promise

SpeakOut talks to Who Cares? Scotland member, Collette Gallagher from the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) to find out a bit more about her role, and how SCRA are working towards upholding The Promise.

Q) Collette, tell us a little about yourself?

I’ve been a member of Who Cares? Scotland since around 2015. Prior to this I didn’t think of myself as Care Experienced as I spent most of my childhood at home with my mum and brother. It was only when I spoke to a member of WC?S that I realised I was Care Experienced. I had been to lots of Children’s Hearings when I was younger and had been looked after by foster carers a few times. Being part of WC?S is really important to me as it means I am part of a care family.

Q) Tell us about your role?

When The Promise came out I knew that I wanted to be part of the team in SCRA driving forward the work needed to keep The Promise. Last year I was successful in getting a new job in SCRA which helps me do just that! My job title is Keeping the Promise Operational Change Lead. It means that I am the person responsible for making sure that the changes that The Promise asks us to make to the way we do our work happen.

Q) What is SCRA doing to Keep The Promise?

We have developed a Route map which you can see in more detail on our website www.scra.gov.uk. This shows the work we will be doing to Keep The Promise. We’re starting by looking at how we support children and young people to have their voice heard in Hearings. Some of the exciting things we have planned are a new ‘Hearing About Me’ form, coproduced by Proud2Care, which will replace the All About Me form and a sensory corner in our Glenrothes office.

Q) When will we start to see improvements to the Children’s Hearings

System?

There will be some changes you will see very soon like the Hearing About Me form and the sensory corner. Other changes will take longer because they need change to happen to the law or how the Children’s Hearings System is structured. This work will take a number of years but we will make sure that improvements that we have the power to make happen as quickly as possible.

Q) Are you working with

Care/Hearings Experienced children and young people?

Yes, we work closely with Our Hearings, Our Voice and engage with local champions groups. We will also be working with the VIP project in relation to how we organise Hearings looking at when, where and how they happen. It is really important to me that the voice of Care and HearingsExperienced people is at the heart of everything we do.

Q) How can I get involved?

Can I provide feedback/ask questions?

I would love to hear what you think about the work we have planned and what we can do better. You can contact us at keepingthepromise@ scra.gov.uk or you can contact me at collette.gallagher@scra.gov.uk. If you use BSL you can contact me through contactSCOTLAND-BSL on 0131 244 8665.