Subject: Friend, here's our latest Staf newsletter: Connecting Voices, ACEs and guiding principles

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Welcome to our quarterly update for everyone who works to improve the lives of care leavers.
Our News
Connecting Voices
Our new youth worker, Ruairi Hunter, has got off to a flying start in East Ayrshire, and has already made great progress with his Connecting Voices project. This aims to draw in as many care-experienced young people as possible using innovative youth work methods, and to integrate that with our national work with the Voices. Ruairi is also hoping to set up a youth workers focus group to share experiences and outcomes from throughout Scotland.
Social Media
With new research showing that 85% of people in the UK own and regularly use a smartphone, and with the figure rising to 95% of young people, embracing the digital age is crucial in our communications. We have now set up a Staf Facebook page and have created closed groups for our focus groups. Please follow us to keep updated on what's happening on the sector, as well as our events and news.

Our Learning
Things We Learned...at our Managers' Forum
Our Managers' Forum took place on 20th September and was attended by 50 people from across the sector. The theme for our events this year is Mental Health, Trauma and Attachment and we had input from Hot Chocolate, Aberlour, Dr Michael Smith and the young people from our Connecting Voices project. The day was incredibly interesting and informative...click to find out more about what happened.

Voice of Young People - Employment
The first meeting of our new focus group, Care Leavers Into Employment, took place on 5th September with 26 people coming along, sharing their practice and learning from others. We also heard from a young man from Kilmarnock, John, who told us about the difficulties he's faced around employment.

Events
Practitioners' Gathering
  • Hear about the latest research and theory relating to trauma, loss and attachment
  • Hear from colleagues who deliver services which respond to trauma and loss
  • You will have the opportunity to network and share with colleagues
  • Hear directly from young people about their experiences of overcoming trauma.
This event will focus on Adverse Childhood Experiences, 'The ACE Up Your Sleeve'. Under the Staf strand of mental health, trauma and attachment we will spend the day looking at how the effects of ACEs can be reversed and how practitioners can be key to this. the event will include input from colleagues across Scotland, who will share some of the different approaches that are working for their young people.

We will also have an opportunity to hear from young people who will support and respond to the theme of Adverse Childhood Experiences and share their successes and who helped them along the way.

Date:
Venue:
Cost:

31st October 2017
Albert Halls, Stirling
Members: £29.95   Non-Members: £50.00

Focus Groups
We now have 3 Focus Groups meeting quarterly and taking a more in-depth look at key areas affecting young care leavers:
  • Implications of Continuing Care (next meeting 14th November)
  • Care Leavers Into Employment (next meeting 5th December)
  • Supported Lodgings / Carers (next meeting 6th December)
These groups are open to new members and have closed Facebook groups dedicated to their members, allowing the sharing of news, good practice and support. One of our main aims is to delve deeper and gather key learning and data which we can share.

Sector In-Depth
Continuing Care Funding
Did you know that the funding for continuing care is for 5 years only?



Root and Branch Review
Have you added your voice to the independent Root and Branch Review of Care? Not yet? Complete the survey below.

Council Tax Exemption
The Scottish Government has the power to exempt care leavers from paying council tax...should they?


Personal Blogs
Norma ... Staf's 3 Guiding Principles
Over the last three years, our Managers' Forums and Practitioners' Gatherings have gone from strength to strength. Find out more about Norma's thoughts as we take these events a step further, focusing on three guiding principles...

Alison ... My First Month
Alison Scott joined us at the start of September as our new Events Coordinator. Read Alison's reflections on her first month at Staf...

Sandra ... Staf Learning Academy
During the summer this year, Staf gave all staff members and volunteers opportunities to take part in a variety of learning and development activities. Find out more about our Summer Learning Academy...

Staf's Website
We are about to embark on an exciting journey with our website, and we would love to hear your opinions! What do you think of our current website? What should we include in a new website?

Over the next few months, we will be working with Raising IT to transform our website, thanks to funding received from the Transform Foundation.

If you would like to get involved and tell us what you think we should include on our new website, please click on the button below to complete the survey. This should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete.

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