What does Care Experienced mean?

The term "Care Experienced" refers to anyone who is currently in care or has been for any length of time regardless of their age.

This care may have been provided in many different settings, such as:

Kinship Care

Living with a relative who is not your mum or dad

Looked After At Home

With the help of social work

Residential Care

Living in a residential home or school

Foster Care

living with foster carers

Secure Care

Living in a secure accommodation

Adoption

Living with adoptive parents

Our vision

A lifetime of equality, respect and love for Care Experienced people.

This is our vision.

We will do what’s needed to achieve it.

Let our members tell you why the different elements of the vision are important to them:

Our logo

In 2021 our members voted on a new logo. The logo they chose better reflects our values, history and our lifelong offer of love to all Care Experienced people.

Watch this video to find out what our new logo stands for​.

Our strategic plan for 2023 – 2027

Our vision is supported by five key priorities:

Upholding Rights

Through relationship-based, Independent Advocacy, we support Care Experienced people of all ages to have their rights met.

Influencing Change

By listening to what Care Experienced people tell us, we further develop our evidence-base which supports our asks of decision makers with the ability to bring about positive change.

Creating Connection

In bringing Care Experienced people together, we create spaces for fun, friendship and belonging, as well as opportunities to engage with influencing opportunities.

Providing Opportunities

Through our membership offer which promotes a positive sense of care identity, we provide additional opportunities and build an engaged community of Care Experienced people.

Creating Communities that Care

By delivering our work in communities across Scotland, we create care aware communities which can support everyone to thrive.

What we do

Membership

Who Cares? Scotland is a membership organisation with over 3,700 Care Experienced members, of all ages and experiences, from all over Scotland. Our members are at the front and centre of our work and ensuring they feel well represented, valued and connected is of the utmost importance and key to our participation and influencing work.

Advocacy

We strive to provide advocacy that helps young people feel respected, included, listened to and understood. We’re independent to any care services a young person receives – this is crucial because we want young people to be supported and understood with no conflict of interest. We've also set up The Helpline to support Care Experienced people by providing lifelong advocacy throughout Scotland. We can support, signpost and offer choice when you feel there is nowhere else to turn.

Participation

We understand the importance of connecting with people who have similar or shared experiences, which is why we support and resource safe and valued local, regional and national spaces, bringing members together to build peer relationships, explore their identities and shape the world around them. We offer a wide range of groups, activities and events for Care Experienced people across Scotland.

Education & Influencing

We support and empower individuals to develop as representatives who can speak on behalf of our membership. We gather members together, invest in them, and support them to elevate their collective voice. Our members help to shape and inform Who Cares? Scotland’s decision-making processes as well as having the aspiration to positively change Scottish culture to ensure a better future for Care Experienced people

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