Involved Caring Scotland

Caring Scotland is a listening project that will document the lives and experiences of care experienced
* people in Scotland.

We want to hear from anyone who currently is or has been in care, up until they were aged 18 (or in some instances aged 21). We are inviting everyone from the care experienced
* community to connect with us and to tell their story - all ages, backgrounds and experiences.

Working with a group of artists with a focus on listening, we’ll record these stories, and this collection will be stored forever at the National Library of Scotland as well as featuring on the National Theatre of Scotland website for everyone to connect with and listen to.

The project aims to raise the profile, celebrate the achievements and foster empowerment of the care experienced community and is inspired by the practice of playwright and socially engaged theatre-maker, Nicola Mc Cartney .

In addition, throughout we will be touring an interactive installation inspired by the care experienced community we meet around Scotland as well as a photographic exhibition of care experienced individuals and their accompanying story, which will be free to attend.

The project will be delivered by NTS in partnership with Who Cares? Scotland and the National Library of Scotland , funded with an award from The National Lottery Heritage Fund .

Caring Scotland is also supported by Scottish partners;
Dundee Rep Theatre, Citizens Theatre, Glasgow and Aberdeen Performing Arts alongside local authority social work departments with whom the theatres already have positive existing connections.

Supported by:
The Weir Charitable Trust

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more.

Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Caring Scotland is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

If you are care experienced*, we want to hear from you and give you the opportunity to share your story

* The term care experience refers to anyone who currently is or has been in care, or from a looked after background, at any stage in their life up to the age of 18 (or in some instances the age of 21, depending on when you left care/being looked after), no matter how short. This includes adopted children who were previously looked after.This

care may have been provided in one of many different settings such as a children’s home, secure care, foster care, kinship care (a family member, other than your biological parents are/were your main carer) or through being looked after at home with a supervision requirement.Looked after at home means you remained in the family home, with your parent or parents and had contact with a social work and the Children’s Panel.

For more information, see Frequently Asked Questions below.

No, it doesn't. You can tell us a story about whatever aspect of your life story you choose. It could be about your experience in the system, or beforehand. It can be about what you’re doing now or have done since. This is your story to tell in your own words.

The stories will live on forever as part of National Library of Scotland Sound Collection. There will be an audio file of your voice and all the stories will also be transcribed into written text.

Some stories may form part of the interactive installation and photographic exhibition that will tour across Scotland in…