Care Experienced Week is a national campaign that signifies an annual opportunity to celebrate the Care Experienced community; to champion their accomplishments and amplify their voices. One way that we participate in the week each year is with our Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) Open Day – an event that celebrates our care experienced individuals and highlights their achievements throughout the year.

This annual event – now in its 12^th year – is organised by Arts in the City, an HSCP partnership-funded project designed to encourage and support care experienced individuals’ creativity through participatory arts opportunities.

This year, the thematic strand weaving the programme together was ‘Who Makes Glasgow?’. Although being organised by Arts in the City, young people are always at the heart of the event planning.

Over 100 People attended the event, with the audience including social work staff, foster and supported carers, residential staff and various third sector partners who deliver support services to care experienced young people across the city. Most importantly of course, care experienced individuals themselves were in attendance to enjoy the day, with some dawning the stage to share performances and speeches.

The celebrations started with our HSCP’s Chief Officer, Susanne Millar, delivering a welcome address, she said: “This event is one of the things that I really look forward to all year. I’m always blown away by the resilience and talent of our young people and I feel that they have really found their voice over the past 11 years that this event has been running. You all make Glasgow, and I’m proud to see you all here today.”

At this year’s event, some of the highlights were:

• a panel discussion about young people’s ‘journeys to creativity’, and why it’s so meaningful to find creative ways to express yourself
• a performance by Lucy, a care experienced young person who has found confidence in herself through singing – which resulted in a standing ovation from the crowd
• a showing of the multi-award winning short film, ‘Found’, by the WAC Ensemble – a creative collective of care experienced individuals
• a poetry reading of ‘DAD’ by Chloe, which reflects on the struggles and triumphs of being a single mother, beautifully read by another young person on their behalf
• an outstanding spoken word performance by Michael, who shared ‘Home for the Homeless’ where they shared how going into a homeless unit in Glasgow saved their life
• a panel discussion about ‘The World of Work’, which featured our Promise Participation Workers who have recently joined our team at the HSCP
• a short film featuring Ibrihima, sharing the help and support that he has received throughout his care experience, since arriving in Glasgow as an unaccompanied asylum seeking young person and
• a performance by Belters! – a choir made up of care experienced young people and staff from arts organisation Articulate.

Liz Simpson, Head of Children’s Services (North West) for our HSCP, said: “The Care Experienced Open Day is a fantastic day of celebration. It’s also a strong reminder that we still need to improve the experiences for young people in care, and everything they need to become successful adults, employment opportunities, access to supports and a home that’s right for them. As we look to review and improve services, I hope that the young people involved in this event will help us transform services so young people can thrive and reach their potential.”

Thanks to Deni Smith, Development Worker for Arts in the City and the extended team for organising the Open Day, ensuring this is a great day for young people, staff and support organisations to get together to promote resilience for all.