A ground-breaking Dundee project that aims to give a voice to young people with experience of care in the city has been awarded £225,000 to develop its work.
Champions Boards provide a platform for young people to talk directly to council staff, councillors and service providers and ensure they have a bigger say in the decisions that affect their lives.
Through the boards, they can influence improvements in services and support, using their own experiences to shape care across Dundee.
The Champions Boards themselves are relatively new in Scotland, but are proving to be extremely effective, and many local authorities have already adopted the model.
Dundee’s is the country’s longest-established and has been instrumental in promoting the approach Scotland-wide.
Now the Life Changes Trust, an independent charity established with a Big Lottery Fund endowment of £50 million to improve the lives of care experienced young people and people affected by dementia, is backing eight councils as they look to establish or expand their own boards.
Aberdeen, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire, Falkirk, Highland and Dumfries and Galloway councils will also benefit from a share of the £2 million pot.
Emma Pearce was one of the original young people to be involved in the Champions Board in Dundee.
She said: “The Life Changes Trust funding means so much to me.
“It gives a great platform from which the Champions Board can take its next step.
“Dundee has already had great results and I hope this funding will lead to bigger and better opportunities for young people.”
Michael Wood, Executive Director of Dundee City Council’s Children and Families, said his experience of the Champions Board in Dundee had been “hugely positive”. He said he took pride in the fact that it had been “a true pathfinder”, showing the rest of the country the way forward.