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.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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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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 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.

Read our strategic plan
Find out about our progress so far

Latest NEWS

Dionne’s Future

Blog, Care Experienced Week

This Care Experienced Week, we’re celebrating the futures and ambitions of Care Experienced people.

Meet Dionne, who is passionate about challenging stigma around care experience because of her own experience and her brothers and sisters.

In this blog, she shares her hopes for her future, her fundraising plans and why educating the public about care matters so much to her.

Looking Forward to the Future  

Blog, Care Experienced Week

Today marks the beginning of Care Experienced Week.

This year’s theme is Forward to the Future, celebrating Scotland’s Care Experienced community, where they are now and the futures that lie ahead.

In this blog, we explain why this theme matters.

Delivering Change: Our Response to the Programme for Government 2026-31

Blog, Policy

In 2026, we are more than halfway through the ten-year journey to keep The Promise. The need to turn commitments into meaningful, lasting change has never been more important.

Kay McKerrell, our Chief Executive, has shared her reflections on the commitments made this week and what we need to see happen next.

Could you be our next Board member? Ethan shares his experience

Blog, Board

We are recruiting for new members of our Board! Interested in applying but not sure what the role entails? Ethan, one of our Board members shares what he has gained from being on the Board and why he’d encourage others to apply.

Edinburgh Fringe Review: [Parent]ified

Blog, Members

Chris, one of our Care Experienced members went along to see [Parent]ified at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Read his review!

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026: Our top picks

Blog, Members

Edinburgh becomes the stage for the biggest arts and culture festival in the world for the whole of August. We’ve highlighted a few shows that touch upon the theme of care experience and might be of interest.

My Empowered Voices Experience

Blog

Wondering if our Empowered Voices Programme is right for you? Previous participant Miranda shares what she gained from the programme and why she’d encourage others to apply.

Why connection matters for Care Experienced people 

Blog

With our annual Summer Festival taking place this week, Kay, our CEO, explains why connection is essential for Care Experienced people, why our local groups and events make such a difference and why we need your support to keep them going.

Celebrating our Volunteers

Blog, Volunteer stories, Volunteering

It’s Volunteers’ Week, and to celebrate we are looking back on the role our volunteers have played at Who Cares? Scotland – from 1978 to the present day!

View all news & blogs

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Building a Strong and United Care Community

Who Cares? Scotland is a national organisation dedicated to supporting, empowering and amplifying the voices of Scotland’s care community.

We work alongside Care Experienced people of all ages to create lasting change, ensuring their rights are upheld and their stories are heard at every level of society.

Our mission is to build a stronger, more connected care community—one where everyone feels seen, supported and valued. Through advocacy, campaigns, events and direct support, we help Care Experienced people influence the systems and decisions that impact their lives.

By listening to the  experiences of our members, we continue to push for a future where the care community has equality, respect and love across Scotland.