Be Heard. Make A Difference

What We Are A Forum providing an opportunity for all people who were placed as children in a residential care or health service in Scotland to share their experience, good or bad, through a confidential, supportive and non-judgemental process

Statutory Functions to listen to and acknowledge testimony from those who were in institutional care as children – aiming to contribute positively to their current health and wellbeing by learning from the past to help prevent harm to children and young people in care now and in the future to signpost other appropriate services of advice and guidance to those who were in institutional care as children – before, during and after hearings What We Are

Reports What We Are To recount the experiences of those who were in institutional care as children, while preserving anonymity of participants, institutions and other persons To capture trends and patterns To enhance public knowledge and understanding of this important part of Scotland’s history Where appropriate, to make recommendations about policy and practice which the Forum considers will improve institutional care

What We Are Not not an Inquiry not an Investigation Process not able to follow through on individual reports of abuse not here to judge what participants choose to tell us

Time To Be Heard Successful pilot forum Based on TTBH, but different NCF extends across ALL of Scotland and will run for 3 years Offer the chance of therapeutic benefit to former residents in institutional child care including survivors of institutional child abuse

Part of Survivor Scotland Strategy Launched in 2005 Emerging from the many petitions to Scottish Government NCF is recognition of the need for acknowledgement of what happened to children in institutional care in Scotland and the powerful effect of this for the individual and for the nation

Eligibility If you are now over 16 If you were in health/residential care as a child If you are no longer in that care If you now live anywhere – not just Scotland Not foster care or kinship care

What Taking Part in NCF may mean possibility of Re-traumatisation Advice & Guidance – dedicated line for participants Making the decision – may not be for everyone On your terms ; we make time for your testimony Open, safe and comfortable environment ; you can bring supporters (up to 2) Digital recording/written submission/DVD

Verification We fully understand those who have difficulties in locating their records, or remembering where they were in care; or who have no documents of their time in institutional care. WE CAN HEAR THEIR TESTIMONY. We shall ask participants, if they can, to bring along anything – records, documents, photographs, letters which can help when they talk about their time in institutional care We understand the importance of participants obtaining access to records of their time in care and we can put them in contact with people who can help them do that

Who are we? Head and Members – public appointments with a varied background and experience in listening to vulnerable individuals Project Manager and 2 experienced support staff whose background covers extensive work with vulnerable individuals across the community Our office is in central Glasgow and easy to reach Where participants cannot travel to us we will make arrangements to go to them

Confidentiality and Privacy The Forum is based on confidentiality and privacy Only in the circumstances laid down in statute do we have a duty to disclose to the police. This is where the issue of child protection exists. All testimony is stored electronically with robust encryption to protect it. When we make our reports we shall not identify participants, institutions and other persons in accordance with statute.

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