This care may have been provided in many different settings, such as:
Living with a relative who is not your mum or dad
With the help of social work
Living in a residential home or school
living with foster carers
Living in a secure accommodation
Living with adoptive parents
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.
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.
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.
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
Watch this video to find out what our logo stands for.
Through relationship-based, Independent Advocacy, we support Care Experienced people of all ages to have their rights met.
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.
In bringing Care Experienced people together, we create spaces for fun, friendship and belonging, as well as opportunities to engage with influencing 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.
By delivering our work in communities across Scotland, we create care aware communities which can support everyone to thrive.
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.
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.
These are just some of the questions One Hundred Voices asks, an installation collaboratively produced as part of National Theatre of Scotland’s Caring Scotland project, which is exploring the lives of Care Experienced people in Scotland.
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.
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.
Chris, one of our Care Experienced members went along to see [Parent]ified at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Read his review!
An incredibly talented group of young people wrote a musical based on the experiences of the care community across Scotland and we went to see it at the Fringe!
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.
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.
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.
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!
We sat down with our new Chief Executive to learn all about her, her experiences and what she plans to bring to Who Cares? Scotland!
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.
