This Compassion in the Community Project This new 'Compassion in the Community' project is about managing and developing a new cohort of volunteers piloted in two of our strongest geographic areas,
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This Compassion in the Community Project This new 'Compassion in the Community' project is about managing and developing a new cohort of volunteers piloted in two of our strongest geographic areas, East Lothian and the Borders. The position of Volunteer Development Officer (VDO) will be created as part of this project and the VDO will develop and support Regional Volunteer Teams (RVT's). Our aim is that each RVT will consist of a minimum of 8 volunteers. A Team Leader will be appointed who will report to the VDO. The aims of the RVT's will be to create a self-sufficient model so that our service can be delivered in any one locality, supported by local volunteers, businesses, supporters, media and fundraisers for local children. This pilot will support us with the creation of a sustainable regional model, building community spirit and involvement to help the areas most vulnerable children.The volunteers will then deliver education workshops and activities to children in foster care and kinship care during the period of funding and beyond. 'While the Scottish Government acknowledge that foster children, looked-after children and kinship families are some of the most vulnerable children and young people in our society the principal approach is through individual intervention. Our model engages the children and carers not just as a family group but as a group of families. Our current model has also evidenced that volunteers, given our training and support, can provide a satisfactory and successful service. This project will provide the initial investment to drive that outcome. Fostering Compassion - Background Fostering Compassion began in 2013 with 10 children from 5 families in East Lothian. By the end of 2018 we will have served just under 400 children and delivered support to participants across Scotland. Fostering Compassion is a unique and ground-breaking humane education project for children in Foster Care and Kinship Care (Looked After Children) who show worrying behaviour e.g. towards animals or other children or are struggling with compassion and empathy in general. A child who evidently demonstrates abusive behaviour indicates that they are/have been abused themselves or they are mirroring behaviour they have witnessed in the past, at home, in school or in other circumstances where a 'pecking order' develops. In many cases until they, their carers or our peer organisations recognise the need for our support, the evidence is masked by the child or unrecognised by the carer. We work with children and their caregivers together, and while all the children we work with are 'looked-after children' predominantly in Foster and Kinship care, all have suffered abuse or neglect or had other traumatic experiences leading to that need for our additional intervention. Looked after children are the most vulnerable children in our society and they and their care families need the greatest support. Children who have had a traumatic start in life are often at a disadvantage when it comes to fulfilling their potential. They commonly feel 'different' and 'isolated'. Fostering Compassion brings together looked after children and their caregivers with other children and carers in similar circumstances, in a safe environment giving them a sense of 'belonging'. We help participants address the major gaps for the children including solidifying trust in their carers, reversing negative confidence and low self-esteem, and inspire them, not just by redressing, but accelerating their social, emotional and educational development even beyond the norm for their age. We usually work with children aged between 3 - 12 years old. A high proportion of the children are from disadvantaged backgrounds and had we not been able to provide activities through Fostering Compassion the children in those circumstances, would not have experienced activities like those we provide in our programme of activities. We know that our programme stimulates children's reactions, comparing their experiences e.g. with their peers and developing empathy with vulnerable animals. We know the process we use stabilises their behaviour and prospects. Through our workshops and activities, we share the stories of rescued domestic and wild animals in such a way that the children draw parallels between their circumstances and those of the animals. This helps the children see animals as sentient beings who can share similar emotions to them. Through sharing the stories of the animals, the children gain a greater understanding of their own circumstances and this often provides a platform for the children to open up about their own abuse and neglect. Children who have attended our activities have shown good engagement in learning, increased feelings of self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence, a better understanding of their emotions and behaviour and improved compassion and empathy. Each child has shown an increased sense of empowerment - understanding that their actions and attitudes can make a difference. All children show they are good learners and show improved prosocial behaviour. The children build new friendships and the caregivers find a valuable support network. We work together with Local Authorities and other third sector children's charities such as Children 1st, Barnardo's, Mentor and the Big Hearts Community Trust. All the children we work with are 'looked-after children' predominantly in Foster and Kinship care but all have suffered abuse or neglect. We usually work with children aged between 3 - 12 years old. Many of them are from disadvantaged backgrounds and would not have been able to afford activities like this, had we not been able to provide them through Fostering Compassion. Our Activities We hold a wide variety of workshops and activities and are introducing new ones all the time as demand for our service increases. We share the stories of rescued dogs, donkeys, cats, horses, ponies and bears to name a few. The children learn how many of these animals had not been looked after properly and often had to change homes having suffered abuse and neglect. By sharing the animals' stories, it often encourages the children to talk about their own circumstances, letting them know they are not alone. We bring together children and carers in similar circumstances providing a support network for carers and a safe place for children to meet others in similar situations, giving them a feeling of 'belonging'. We team up with local vets including the Links Veterinary Group and the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies who host special 'Be a Vet for the Day' workshops teaching the children all about caring for animals, understanding an animal's body language and responsible pet ownership. We also run nature themed workshops including 'Magic of Nature' and 'Trees and Bees - Being a Friend to Nature' where the children learn how connected we all are to nature and the importance of looking after our environment. We have a Storytelling and Reading with Dogs workshop - a firm favourite with the children - building their confidence and self-esteem, especially for reading aloud at school - the dogs providing a non-judgemental audience Our workshops also include craft activities to help improve dexterity and creativity and develop coping mechanisms that can be continued at home Our workshops provide tools and techniques to help the children deal with difficult emotions, which can be continued at home by both child and carer. Our new emotions tree gives the children an opportunity to express their feelings at the end of each workshop Fostering Compassion allows children in care to come together with other children in similar circumstances providing an opportunity for the children to thrive, gain confidence and self-esteem. A place where they can meet other children in a similar position, have fun, achieve a sense of identity, or come together with separated siblings on neutral ground. It allows carers to meet and make friends finding a network of support in the process. Our activities let the children and carers bond as a new family unit. Our workshops provide the ideal opportunity to try to reach these families and bring them together with others in similar positions, providing them with much needed support and friendships. We have always worked with the caregivers and the children so they are attending the activities together and creating shared memories as a new family unit. We also teach coping mechanisms and techniques throughout our activities that can be continued at home by the children and their caregivers such as our Emotions Tree, our Gratitude Tree, our Memory Jars and our Calm Down Jars. We introduce our families to activities and days out that they would otherwise not be able to afford. As funding to local services seems to be increasingly withdrawn, we are finding that we are filling a growing gap which is leaving little support for these vulnerable families. Many of our families have said they wish there could be Fostering Compassion activities every week and that nothing comes close to our activities. Why the need. There are over 15,000 looked-after children in Scotland, and by the very nature of that care need there is automatically trauma in their lives. While Foster and Kinship carers commit major efforts to redress that trauma there is a desperate need for additional support through services such as those Fostering Compassion provide, generating independent means to stimulate self-help, peer support and analysis of the children's behaviour and future. Dealing with these issues from childhood therefore is critically important because, unresolved, such behaviour has led to violence; towards those victims who cannot retaliate or complain, (most often animals); equally towards other children who do not naturally have coping mechanisms against violence and even; to carers and adults who are not automatically immune to or skilled to recognise or cope with such behaviour. Unchecked and unresolved all of these reactions ultimately lead to childhood and on to adult criminal behaviour. A frequently quoted fact is that: "While those in the care system account for just one per cent of children, a quarter of those in prison were in care as children." - David Cameron, 2012. There are many other factors e.g. unresolved the issues can lead to placement in secure accommodation, inevitably increasing exposure to criminal tendencies poor mental health and a hardening negative reaction to society at large. Cold facts are that: • Only 1% of all looked-after children go on to university compared to 50% of the general population; • 46% of young women and 59% of young men leave school without any qualifications. • Looked-after children can far too often become needy, disenfranchised and alienated adults. • It is widely accepted that they are more likely to need mental health services, go to prison, be homeless, and have their own children removed from them. • The cost of wasted potential, of long-term support services including the cost of imprisonment, and of another generation of children in public care is almost beyond comprehension (BAAF and TFN 2005:4).
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