In 2020, a group of care experienced young people wanting to effect change in Glasgow was established. This group, known as People Achieving Change (PAC), is committed to supporting young people from a care background to have a voice and access to better services and outcomes. 

As part of the reflection on the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on young care experienced people, the group is shifting its focus to gather views from care experienced young people about mental health services – to understand what their experiences of support have been like, and how services can be improved for them. To better achieve this goal, PAC is gathering insight through a survey, open to all care experienced people between the ages of 12 and 26.

To the core of this survey is the passion and drive of the young care experienced people to achieve better outcomes for others in similar situations.  The survey is open to both young people in care and those who have experienced care in the past.

Callum Lynch, a member of PAC, urges care experienced young people to have their say: “As someone who has been through the care system I know the importance that mental health support plays in our lives. We want your voice to be listened to. Your views, experiences and opinions matter, and this will go on to shape the mental health support that care experienced young people will receive moving forward. So please take this opportunity and complete the survey.” 

Susan Orr, Head of Children’s Services (Families for Children and Children’s Residential) for Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), also encourages young people to have a say, especially given the impacts of the pandemic: “This vital piece of research will identify the mental health needs as a priority. While it was planned to undertake this research before the pandemic, we know that this has had a significant impact on many young people and so the research is more important than ever. We want to make sure that all care experienced young people know where and how to find support. We really want to encourage as many care experienced young people to complete this survey.”

The survey can be completed online at the following link: https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/PACmentalhealth/

There are no right or wrong answers, and findings will be completely anonymous. Please encourage as many eligible young people as possible to take part.