by BILL HEANEY
You can find the website here.
Show Us You Care Too (SUYCT) is a dedicated space where people can celebrate, honour and remember care-experienced individuals who have passed away.
It allows anyone to share the story, or even just a name, of a person with experience in the care system who has passed away.
It is part of the Shine a Light Project, a group of care-experienced people and friends who share a commitment to commemorating, connecting and changing the lives of those in the care system.
An independent UK Government review estimates that young people who are leaving the care system in England are dying at three to four times the rate of other people their age. As the former Chief Executive of Who Cares? Scotland, Mr Dunlop has warned that the scale of the tragedy is no different in Scotland.
A report by Glasgow University found that the mortality rate for those with experience of the care system was 4.5 times higher compared with those who did not.
The Liberal Democrat MSP used his maiden speech in the Scottish Parliament to tell the stories of care-experienced Scots whom the state has failed. It has been nominated for Speech of the Year at the Holyrood Political Awards.
He has also repeatedly pressed the SNP government to commit to publishing the premature death rates of all care-experienced people, ensuring that a mechanism is in place to monitor progress.
David Anderson, who is care-experienced and Chair of the Scottish Government’s Oversight Board (The Promise), said: “On a personal level, I think this gives me something very important: the opportunity for loved ones to be remembered for who they were, not simply as another number in a set of statistics.
“I know from my own experience how much it matters to be able to say, this person was here, this is who they were, this is what they meant to be.
“On a wider level, there is something truly powerful about creating a place where care-experienced people across the world can be remembered and where those who loved them can share their stories and celebrate their lives.
“We build memorials, write histories and preserve the stories of people from every part of our past; care-experienced people deserve their place in that history too.
“But I also know that remembering can come at a cost. Sharing a name, a photograph or a story can bring grief and difficult memories very close again.
“I hope people will see this opportunity as an invitation, not an expectation, and think carefully about what feels right for them.”
Duncan Dunlop said: “Many of those with experience of the care system die young. We believe that every person in our community who has died deserves the dignity of being remembered and recognised for who they were and how they enriched the lives of the people around them.
“Too often, care-experienced people are forgotten, which is why it is so important we create a space in which they can be remembered. Whether it is through a story or even just a name, they deserve to be remembered, respected and honoured.
“At its heart, this space is about celebrating and commemorating the lives of those who have been in the care system and are no longer with us.”
On his call for the Scottish Government to publish the number of premature deaths among those with experience of the care system, Mr Dunlop said: “I have repeatedly pressed the Scottish Government to sit down with me and work on this.
“It’s essential that we gather a clear picture of the tragedy here in Scotland. By taking steps like this, we can start to reinvigorate efforts to transform care and, ultimately, save lives. The Scottish Government needs to get on with it.
“Our greatest hope is that the legacy of those who have died will be transformed into a powerful voice for systematic change. That is needed more than ever before.”
Top of page: Blairvadach – a care home for young people on the bank of the Gareloch,