In this episode, we hear about the process of designing and implementing the Family Links project, an 18-month test of concept aimed at improving school attendance and engagement in the Inverness High School ASG through flexible, holistic family support.

The speakers discuss the importance of voice, empathy, strong relationships, collaboration, and strategic investment to think differently about and overcome the challenges in the current system and support families to thrive.

This episode was recorded on 26 September, 2025. 

Resources –

Family Links: https://thrivingfamilies.org.uk/how-we-help/family-links/

Family Links project leaflet: https://thrivingfamilies.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Family-Links-Leaflet-final-edit.pdf

Family Links one year summary report: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1knpkaNiVBdw2-xR0lDsMNupUvs_7d5-h/view?usp=sharing

Promise Design School opportunities and facilitation tools: https://thepromise.scot/supporting-you/design-school/

Speakers –

Sandra Brown, Family Links Project Manager, Highland Whole Family Wellbeing Programme

Isabelle Struckmeier, Family Links Worker with Care and Learning Alliance (CALA)

Tom Boyd, Promise Delivery Partner, The Promise Scotland

Clare Morris, Promise Delivery Partner, The Promise Scotland

In this episode, our speakers discuss the Community of Practice for Siblings, how it came to be, the work they have carried forward over the years since they formed, and their next phase of work focused on supporting innovative approaches to keeping the promise for brothers, sisters, siblings, and sibling-like relationships in care. The group reflect on the key roles of collaboration, relationship building, listening, and voice in making meaningful change for care experienced children, young people, adults, and their families.

This episode was recorded on 23 September 2025.

Resources:

Speakers:

Tom Boyd, Promise Delivery Partner, The Promise Scotland

Elaine Goudie, Assistant Service Manager, Adoption and Permanent Fostering, Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership

Frances Maguire, Service Manager, Independent Care and Review Team (Children and Families), Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership

Kate Richardson, Manager Practitioner, Scotland’s Adoption Register, and Chair of Stand Up for Siblings

The Independent Care Review was clear that Scotland must do all it can to keep children with their families. This means there must be more support for families, based in the communities where they live. But what does this support look like in practice and what are the lessons that others can learn about to provide this?

Listen to Alison Sutherland, Head of Support for The Promise Scotland in conversation with Leeann Hart, Service Manager at Children1st and Karen Shields, Service Manager Intensive Services at East Renfrewshire HSCP, as they discuss the innovative partnership work they have delivered to provide families with the holistic support they need.

Children in Scotland currently go to hearings made up of volunteer panel members because they have come into conflict with the law or for a range of welfare or protection reasons. The Independent Care Review found that many children and families often had difficult and challenging experiences where they had to retell difficult and harrowing stories during their experiences as part of the Childrens Hearing System. This led to the establishment of the Hearing Systems Working Group to oversee a significant redesign process for The Children’s Hearings System and deliver the transformational change required by The Promise.

Listen to Fi McFarlane of The Promise Scotland discuss the recommendations of the of the group’s final report ‘Hearings for Children: The Redesign Report’ with its Chair, Sheriff David Mackie. Their discussion looks at how these recommendations can deliver a step change not only for the Children’s Hearings System but for how we work alongside children and families across Scotland.

Children in Scotland currently go to hearings made up of volunteer panel members because they have come into conflict with the law, or for a range of welfare or protection reasons. The Independent Care Review found that many children and families often had difficult and challenging experiences where they had to retell difficult and harrowing stories during their experiences as part of the Childrens Hearing System. This led to the establishment of the Hearing Systems Working Group to oversee a significant redesign process for The Children’s Hearings System and deliver the transformational change required by The Promise.

Listen to two members of Our Hearings Our Voice - Our Hearing Our Voice, an independent board for children and young people from across Scotland between the ages of 8-18, who have experience with the Children’s Hearings System – discuss their experiences of the project with the Chair of the Group Sheriff David Mackie, and Fi McFarlane of The Promise Scotland.

When providing joined-up support to children and families in Scotland, data too often acts as a barrier. For the promise to be kept, this needs to change.

Scotland needs data that allows us to see the whole child, and their family, within context.

It needs a culture that proactively listens to and seeks out information about the experiences of:

• children,

And it needs to treat that information as what matters most, rather than as secondary to the type of information that is useful to ‘the care system’.

It needs joined-up data, that allows people and organisations to see entire journeys and changes over time.