“Don't Judge - We're no different from you”

Date: 7th March 2017
Category: Looked after children
Author: Aberdeenshire Council YPOC Group

The Young People's Organising and Campaigning (YPOC) Group have created and launched an excellent new DVD based on their experiences of care and school bullying.

The guide and DVD is aimed at corporate parents in education and school management and more widely, to help them to understand that school is important for looked after young people and that if they can do well at school, they can do well in life. It helps teachers, support staff and other pupils to know the challenges that care experienced young people might be facing and how it will affect their ability to learn.

It is also important for other pupils to understand what it's like to be in care and that most of the time, young people are not in care because they have done something bad.

The YPOC Group is comprised of young people over the age of 12 who are, or have been, looked after away from home. The group looks for ways to help more young people have a voice, campaigning for and highlighting the issues that affect young people who are looked after away from home. It is supported by Aberdeenshire Council's Children's Rights Service.

At the Parliamentary launch of the DVD on February 17th, the young people were joined by Together, the Minister for Childcare and Early Years Mark McDonald, and the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon who was given the opportunity to ask the young people some questions after the DVD had been shown. The Scottish Government has committed to a 'root and branch' review of the care system, through which Nicola Sturgeon has pledged a promise to listen to 1,000 voices of care experienced young people.

• Watch the DVD "Don't Judge - We're no different from you" here.
• Find out more about the guidance produced by the YPOC group here.