Iriss's Innovation and Improvement Team is leading an exciting new project entitled, Relationships Matter, to develop ideas that support young people who are leaving care to maintain positive, nurturing relationships with the people in their lives.
Transitions in life can be complex. When young people leave care and start to become interdependent the transition can be fraught with difficulties that can continue well into adulthood, and be life long. Young people leaving care have reported that these difficulties can contribute to feelings of isolation, loneliness and depression. Furthermore, research indicates that young people are at risk of becoming socially excluded and vulnerable members of society.
This needs to change. We need to find innovative ways to better support young people who are leaving care to lead the lives they aspire to live.
To achieve this we have launched a website where you can:
- Read about and submit evidence and personal stories about how relationships can be positively supported during times of transition
- Submit barrier(s) you would like to challenge to help enable workers and young people to maintain their relationships
- Attend a JAM event to develop ideas in response to these barrier(s) and be supported by us to make them a reality in practice
Listen to Gayle Rice give an overview of Relationships Matter on IRISS.FM.
Interested in working with us to make change happen?
We invite you to submit an application to attend the JAM, which will be held in January 2015.
Read more about it and apply on the Relationships Matter website.
If you have any questions about the project, please contact Gayle Rice or Ellen Daly.
Relationships Matter is funded by Iriss and is a partnership of Iriss and the Centre for Excellence for Looked After Children in Scotland (CELCIS).
