Celebrate Care Experience Week with the South Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership

The South Ayrshire Health & Social Care Partnership (HSCP) is celebrating Care Experience Week this October. Every year, on the last week of October, Scotland celebrates the care experienced young people in their communities and provides an opportunity for learning and connection.

South Ayrshire HSCP recognises that every child and young person needs a strong scaffold of love, care and support to see them through to adulthood and beyond. As Corporate Parents, we have the opportunity to provide this scaffolding to enable all care experienced people to thrive.

This year's theme for Care Experience Week 2023 is Lifelong Rights. We strive to go the extra mile and uphold the commitments made in The Promise - that care can have a lifelong impact and support for care experienced people must exist throughout their lifetime.

Councillor Lee Lyons, Cabinet Holder for Health and Social Care said, "We recognise the significance of Care Experience Week in South Ayrshire and are proud to celebrate our care experienced young people. We must ensure everyone in our community has access to the support they need, if and when they need it."

To celebrate Care Experience Week, this year the South Ayrshire HSCP will be working with partners across South Ayrshire to host a series of activities. The main event will be run in partnership with Ayrshire College with a celebration event taking place on Tuesday 24^th October at the Ayr Campus. Staff, partners, care experienced young people and the South Ayrshire community are all invited to come along to celebrate with us and learn from each other.

Linda Semple, Chair of the Integration Joint Board said, "In South Ayrshire, we are striving for every care experienced person to have independent, relationship-based lifelong advocacy and support. Care Experience Week recognises this, which is why we're very excited to celebrate it."

"As well as our main event at Ayrshire College we will be running a number of activities throughout the week for care experienced young people to come together, build relationships, celebrate talents and find out more about support available locally. I want to give thanks to our Champions Board who work extremely hard to build a solid support network for our care experienced young people."

There will be a number of online activities planned throughout the week through the South Ayrshire HSCP social media accounts using the hashtag, #CEW23 throughout the week.

Mark Inglis, Head of Service, Children and Families said, "Parenting does not stop at 18. We are consistently focusing on how to create greater equity and opportunity for care experienced young people. That consideration must involve finding ways to boost care experienced young adult's access to employment, training, stable housing and necessary support."

"We have been working closely with our partners in South Ayrshire Council, NHS Ayrshire & Arran, VASA and Police Scotland to name a few. Our joint South Ayrshire Parenting Promise demonstrates how together we plan to drive continuous improvement for our care experienced community."

The South Ayrshire Parenting Promise is the local approach to implementation of the Promise. Written in partnership with care experienced young people through South Ayrshire's Champions Board. If you would like to talk through the support we can provide you during Care Experience Week, please do not hesitate to contact South Ayrshire's Champion's Board: ChampionsBoards@south-ayrshire.gov.uk