Come join us
Join the National Confidential Forum at their event in Aberdeen to talk about “What we have heard so far”. This is a powerful summary of the experiences of adults who have spoken to the Forum about their time in care as children.
The Aberdeen event is the third in a series and takes place on Wednesday 22 Feb at the Copthorne Hotel 122 Huntly Street AB10 1SU, from 10-2pm. Contact NCF to register today: information@nationalconfidentialforum.org.uk or Freephone 0800 121 4773 or 0141 352 2333
Come and meet the team
Come and meet the Future Pathways team at the Gathering, the UK’s biggest third sector event, on 22 and 23 February.
Find us at Stand 97 to hear more about our support fund and how it can help you or anyone you know who has experienced abuse or neglect in a care setting. And we’ll have lots of information about how service providers can sign up to become a Future Pathways partner.
Go to https://thegathering.eventgrid.com to book you place today.
Come Forward, we’re here to help
People who have experienced in-care abuse and neglect are being urged to come forward and register for ‘Future Pathways,’ the new name for Scotland’s In Care Survivor Support Fund, which has been chosen by survivors.
Over 160 survivors across Scotland and beyond have already received vital help and support via Future Pathways since it officially opened in September 2016. Originally known as the In Care Survivor Support Fund, the Future Pathways team have been working closely with survivors to create a new name and logo which reflect a focus on supporting people to move forward with their lives.
Head of Future Pathways Flora Henderson said: “We are extremely grateful to everyone who helped us choose our new name and logo, which we are confident reflects our work in helping people who’ve experienced abuse or neglect in care to find their own pathway to a positive future.
“Over 160 survivors have already registered with us, but we know there are many, many more people out there who have had similar experiences and who could really benefit from our help and support.
She added: “We want to use this announcement as an opportunity to encourage survivors to come forward and access support them to lead happy, healthy and independent lives.”
Future Pathways works with survivors to identify the right support for them, and the types of support that have been provided so far include: access to education and work, psychological trauma support, access to personal record, and housing and benefit advice, access to health and wellbeing support.
John Swinney MSP, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills said: “I am delighted that Future Pathways have been engaging with survivors in the development and launch of their new branding and website. I am looking forward to hearing more about the implementation of the Fund and the difference it is making to survivors. “
Positive feedback has already been received from many survivors who have registered with Future Pathways.
David Whelan, spokesperson for FBGA (Former Boys and Girls Abused in Quarriers Homes) said: “Former residents of institutional abuse were seeking additional support and help as there were real gaps in current services and their needs were not always met. FBGA along with other victim-survivors campaigned for such an integrated one-stop survivor centred service for many years.
“Victims-survivors in conjunction with the Scottish Government and others also helped shaped, form and design Future Pathways, and the feedback from service users to date has been overwhelmingly positive.
“FBGA as a victim-survivor campaign group fully support Future Pathways in understanding the needs of those abused in the past care system and have no hesitation in referring former residents to the service. We recommend the service to everyone and thank Future Pathways for delivering a high quality victim-survivor centred service to those in need.”
Andrew Kendrick, Professor of Residential Child Care at Strathclyde University and Chair of the Inter Action Review Group said: “I am really pleased to see that one of the key elements of the InterAction Plan, providing support services to survivors of in-care abuse, is coming to life through this new brand and identity. I am also pleased that survivors have been involved in this, as they have throughout the development of the service.”
Ends
Notes to editors
- To access video and/or audio clips of some survivors who have accessed support through Future Pathways, or to arrange interviews with members of the Future Pathways team, please contact Anne Hunter, Communications and Engagement Manager on 0141 465 9228 / 0770 256 5847 or email hunter@future-pathways.co.uk
- Future Pathways has been established to support those who were abused or neglected as children while they were living in care in Scotland. It is supported by funding from the Scottish Government and is managed by a consortium of organisations that have formed the In Care Survivor Support Fund Alliance to administer and oversee the Fund.
- The Scottish Government asked the Scottish Human Rights Commission to work with survivors of in-care abuse to tell them how they could best be supported. This was called the InterAction process and Ministers accepted the group’s recommendations on a number of key areas – to establish an independent public inquiry into the abuse of children in care; establish a national support fund; support an Apology Law; make testimony from the National Confidential Forum part of the national record, remove the time-bar limitation on bringing civil suits in cases of childhood abuse and a review of lessons learned from previous inquiries into the care of children.
- ‘In care’ includes living in residential or foster care; living in a boarding school (state, private or independent); having a long-term stay in hospital or time spent in a Young Offender’s Institution
- If the Survivor no longer lives in Scotland, they may still access Future Pathways, regardless of their age or when the abuse took place.
- For further information go to future-pathways.co.uk
Joyce Fox
Joyce Fox, one of our survivors, has shared her story about her journey with Future Pathways in the Dundee Courier. Read all about it here – https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/angus-mearns/563708/angus-abuse-survivor-shares-story-save-others/
Davie Garrity is appealing for help from the public this Christmas
Davie Garrity is appealing for help from the public this Christmas. Put into care as a baby, he never got the chance to meet his mum. He is hoping to find someone who knew her so that at last he can see a photo of her.
Davie (69), was taken into care at 14 months in the Glasgow area and is desperate to see a picture of his mother, Elizabeth Garrity/Ramsey. Davie, who had a negative experience in the care system, was told from a very early age that he was abandoned by his mum, who’d given him up to the care system to look after. But it was only after tracking down his care records a few years ago he discovered that his mum had not abandoned him at birth, but had looked after him until he was 14 months old – and that it was only following a period of very ill health for Davie, that the single mum took the heart-breaking decision to put him into care.
After leaving care in his late teens, Davie moved forward with his life, pushing his experiences to the back of his mind and it was a chance encounter on the golf course with someone he used to be in care with, that brought all the memories of the past flooding back.
Keen to find out more about his roots, Davie applied for copies of his care records and was both delighted and devastated to find out his mum had also made several attempts to visit him in care and get access to him, but these had all been denied.
Davie said: “I couldn’t believe what I was reading – after thinking for all these years that my mum had abandoned me as a baby and didn’t want me, that wasn’t true at all – she did love me after all and really tried hard to see me.”
He started to look for his mum but received the sad news that she had passed away in 1978.
Now, with help from Future Pathways, Scotland’s in-care survivor support fund, all he wants is to see what his mum looked like for the first time. Davie is appealing for help to track down a picture of her and make his wish come true.
Davie said: “I’m just so desperate to see just a photo of my mum and it must be out there somewhere. Getting to see my mum’s face for the first time would really be the best Christmas present anyone could give.”
He has managed to find the following information about his mum Elizabeth:
- She was born Elizabeth Turnbull on 17 March 1909, and passed away in 1978 aged 69 years of ages at Dykebar Hospital in Paisley.
- She lived with her parents William Turnbull, a butcher, and Isabella Turnbull in the Linwood area of Glasgow.
- She married Thomas Garrity, a motor mechanic, at St Margaret’s Chapel, Stanley Street, Glasgow on 7 October 1939.
- She then married James Ramsey, a general labourer at Maxwell Church in Glasgow on 30th December 1954. The couple lived on Paisley Road West.
- She worked as a bus conductress for Glasgow Corporation buses in the 1930s and 1940s. She then went on to work as a bond warehouse store person.
- She spent the majority of her life living in the Linwood and Paisley areas, however also spent time staying with friends at various places with in the North and West of Glasgow during the 1950s, particularly the Scotstoun area.
- She was known affectionately as ‘Aunty Betty’ by friends and family.
If anyone has any information about or photographs of Elizabeth, please call 0800 164 2005 in confidence.
Davie Garrity, 69, from Glenrothes
A Fife man who was taken into care as a baby is celebrating after seeing photos of his beloved mum for the first time.
Davie Garrity, 69, from Glenrothes, launched a public appeal for help in his bid to see pictures of the mother he never saw again after entering the care system at the age of 14 months.
And now, with help and support in his appeal from Future Pathways, Scotland’s in-care survivor support project, family members have now come forward with a wealth of photos for Davie to treasure.
Davie, who had a negative experience in the care system, was told from a very early age that he was abandoned by his mum, who’d given him up to the care system to look after. But it was only after tracking down his care records a few years ago he discovered that his mum had not abandoned him at birth, but had looked after him until he was 14 months old, and that it was only following a period of very ill health for Davie, that the single mum took the heart-breaking decision to put him into care.
After leaving care in his late teens, Davie moved forward with his life, pushing his experiences to the back of his mind and it was a chance encounter on the golf course with someone he used to be in care with, that brought all the memories of the past flooding back.
Keen to find out more about his roots, Davie applied for copies of his care records and was both delighted and devastated to find out his mum had also made several attempts to visit him in care and get access to him, but these had all been denied.
He started to look for his mum but received the sad news that she had passed away in 1978. His next step was to find out what she looked like, and the search for photos began.
Davie said: “I never thought that I would see this day, I am so happy. Seeing what my mum looked like has been a dream come true. There are even photos of us together, which is amazing. Thanks to everyone who has helped to make this possible for me.”
Head of Future Pathways, Flora Henderson, said: “I am absolutely over the moon for Davie, this is a wonderful, heart-warming story and I am so pleased that Future Pathways has been able to help him to reach his goal.
“We aim to provide tailored support to help survivors of abuse or neglect lead full, healthy and independent lives. Although over 600 survivors have already registered with us, we know there are many, many more people out there who have had similar experiences and who could really benefit from our help and support.
“Please get in touch if you feel that we can help you or someone you know.”
What makes me happy
A woman who was abused whilst in care has credited support from Future Pathways with helping her come to terms with her past.
Mary and her siblings were put into a care home after her mother passed away when she was only seven years old. She believes that her experiences then have badly affected her entire life.
Now, thanks to support from Future Pathways, which is Scotland’s in-care support fund, Mary is now coming to terms with her past.
“Working with Future Pathways has been a 100% positive experience for me,” she said. “I can have some sort of life now, there is hope. You can’t leave it behind, it’s not easy. But hopefully, I can put the memories into a box in my mind and store them away.”
Mary was split up from her brothers and sisters when she entered the care home in Ayrshire. Her only link with her mum, a doll, was taken away from her and she says that she was mistreated by staff.
She added: “What happened has affected me badly. I now find it hard to trust people, and I’ve made bad relationship decisions. But the support I’ve received from Future Pathways has been % positive. By contacting them, I have removed the fear, I don’t have to be scared anymore.”
Future Pathways is fully funded by the Scottish Government. Anyone over 18 who was abused or neglected whilst in care as a child in Scotland can register – even if they now live elsewhere in the world.
Each person registering is contacted by a support coordinator, who works with each person to identify what they need. Whatever the nature of the support, the goal is the same – to have a positive impact, regardless of where someone lives, or regardless of when the abuse took place.
Each person’s support is unique to them, built around what is important in their life. A wide range of resources are available: from help to access records, to counselling, to further education and arranging housing and benefits advice.
The service is free and confidential. Everyone is treated with dignity and respect.
Joyce is very keen to encourage anyone else who has experienced abuse in care in Scotland to contact Future Pathways for support.
She added: “If I can help others like me to pick up the phone to Future Pathways and to also get help, then that’s got to be a good thing.”
Flora Henderson, Alliance Manager of Future Pathways. said: “Joyce is an inspiration. Her positive experience (with Future Pathways) encourages and motivates us to continue working with people to ensure that they have the support they need.
“Although over 600 survivors have already registered with us, we know there are many, many more people out there who have had similar experiences and who could really benefit from our help and support.”
To contact Future Pathways, call free on 0808 164 2005
Get the latest report
The latest quarterly report from Future Pathways is now available to download from our website.
The report, which covers the period October to December 2017, includes a summary of key activities during those three months.
It gives an overview of the types of support being accessed by people, ranging from access to education, to therapy and health and wellbeing. And it provides a more detailed breakdown of progress in six key outcome areas, including accessibility and maximising resources for survivors.
Key highlights include:
- 575 people registered in total, with around 45 referrals being received a month.
- People are coming forward with a very wide range of needs in a similar pattern to previous reports.
- So far, six referrals have resulted from our work with Police Scotland and the Scottish Prisons Service, which involves our leaflets being distributed in custody suites.
For more information about what’s contained in the report, which can be downloaded above, or on our links and resources page, please contact the Future Pathways team on 0141 465 9228, or email engagement@future-pathways.co.uk
What makes me happy
A historic Edinburgh venue will host a special art exhibition to celebrate the second anniversary of Future Pathways, Scotland’s in care survivor support fund – and budding artists are being invited to submit their work for it.
The theme of the show, which will take place in the Museum of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile, is “What Makes Me Happy” and will feature work created by people who have survived childhood abuse whilst in care. Anyone who has experienced neglect or abuse as a child in care in Scotland is welcome to submit their artwork.
To help those who are interested, a series of free artist workshops are taking place this July and August in Glasgow’s Trongate. Scottish-based artist Josie Vallely will lead the events, which will also be based on the theme “What Makes Me Happy”.
Future Pathways was set up in September 2016 with Scottish Government funding to support people who had a negative experience of being in the care system in Scotland. The project is open to anyone aged over 18, wherever they live in the world. Examples of support – which is tailored to each person – are befriending, birth record searches, help into education and access to trauma counselling.
Anne Hunter, Communications and Engagement Manager for Future Pathways, said: “We received fantastic works of art for our My Journey exhibition earlier this year. It was so successful, and survivors told us how much they enjoyed taking part, that we decided to do something similar to mark our second anniversary.
“People do not have to be actively registered with Future Pathways to take part, as long as they have survived in-care abuse. They also do not have to take part in the art sessions this summer, although work produced during these is likely to be displayed.”
To submit artwork or for more details about how to do so, or to find out more about Future Pathways, please email engagement@future-pathways.co.uk, call 0141 226 9852 or visit www.future-pathways.co.uk. Entry forms and guidance notes can be downloaded below:
What makes me happy – entry form
What makes – guidance for entries June 2018
The art sessions are taking place at Project Ability, 103 Trongate, between 11am and 2pm, on the 2nd, 8th and 21st of August.
Telephone support is being offered to those affected
In light of the recent arrests in relation to historical abuse at Smyllum House, telephone support is being offered to those affected.
This support is being provided by Trauma Counselling Line Scotland, freephone number 08088 02 04 06. Callers should press option 1 to get through to a counsellor. If the line is busy, people will be able to leave a message and a counsellor will call them back.
The line will be open from 6 pm to 9 pm on weeknights, except for Monday, 27 August when the phone line will be open from 6.30 pm to 9 pm.
Monday, 27 August until Friday 31 August, and from Monday, 3 September until Friday 7 September.
Access and availability to the counselling line will be reviewed and possibly extended if required.