Care experienced children are often more likely to experience increased health issues as they mature into adulthood and beyond, and the 2024 winner of our RCN Scotland Children's Nursing and Midwifery Award, is at the forefront of reducing this inequality in Tayside’s communities.
This dedicated team of nurses and midwives are transforming the way health support is delivered to care experienced children and young people (CEYPS). This innovative service—previously known as the Looked After Children’s (LAC) team—was relaunched with a new vision in 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Despite this challenging timing, the team adapted quickly and has since become a trusted, vital part of the support network for young people across Dundee, Angus, and Perth & Kinross.
The CEYPS team provide holistic, person-centred care to young people up to the age of 26. Working in partnership with social workers, school nurses, GPs, and other services they support young people to achieve the best health and wellbeing outcomes possible. From routine health checks and lifestyle advice to support through complex emotional needs or care transitions, their work is wide-ranging and deeply impactful.
Each team member brings unique strengths. Some focus on residential care settings, others on transition support or working with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children—who often need significant emotional and physical care. Working with the SHANARRI indicators (Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included) as the foundation of their assessments, they build trust and long-term positive relationships with young people who may have experienced significant trauma.
With continued training in areas like mental health, smoking cessation, humanitarian displacement, and sexual health, the team is committed to evolving with the needs of the young people they serve. Their ambition includes launching a young people’s advisory group to ensure their service remains grounded in lived experience.
Other health boards have already begun seeking guidance from the CEYPS team, proof that this innovative, compassionate model of care is working and worth replicating. But, I think the positive feedback from young people is the real measure of the team’s impact. Many say the team has helped shape their future by simply listening and acting on their needs. Others have reported feeling safe and supported—often for the first time in their lives.
This dedicated team of nurses and midwives are transforming the way health support is delivered to care experienced children and young people (CEYPS). This innovative service—previously known as the Looked After Children’s (LAC) team—was relaunched with a new vision in 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began. Despite this challenging timing, the team adapted quickly and has since become a trusted, vital part of the support network for young people across Dundee, Angus, and Perth & Kinross.
The CEYPS team provide holistic, person-centred care to young people up to the age of 26. Working in partnership with social workers, school nurses, GPs, and other services they support young people to achieve the best health and wellbeing outcomes possible. From routine health checks and lifestyle advice to support through complex emotional needs or care transitions, their work is wide-ranging and deeply impactful.
Each team member brings unique strengths. Some focus on residential care settings, others on transition support or working with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children—who often need significant emotional and physical care. Working with the SHANARRI indicators (Safe, Healthy, Achieving, Nurtured, Active, Respected, Responsible, Included) as the foundation of their assessments, they build trust and long-term positive relationships with young people who may have experienced significant trauma.
With continued training in areas like mental health, smoking cessation, humanitarian displacement, and sexual health, the team is committed to evolving with the needs of the young people they serve. Their ambition includes launching a young people’s advisory group to ensure their service remains grounded in lived experience.
Other health boards have already begun seeking guidance from the CEYPS team, proof that this innovative, compassionate model of care is working and worth replicating. But, I think the positive feedback from young people is the real measure of the team’s impact. Many say the team has helped shape their future by simply listening and acting on their needs. Others have reported feeling safe and supported—often for the first time in their lives.
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