Welcoming our first Care Leaver interns

Today marks Care Day - an international celebration of the Care Experienced community.

We are pleased that next week we will be welcoming our first Care Leaver interns, Carrie and Natasha, who will be joining Social Security Scotland on a fixed term basis as part of the Care Leaver Intern Scheme.

Our new interns will be taking up different roles based in High Street, Glasgow, with Carrie joining our Resourcing team and Natasha joining our Operations team.

Care Leavers often struggle to find employment when they leave care as they may not have the qualifications or experience employers are looking for. This scheme allows them to get into the workplace, develop their skills and gain that experience.

Natasha told us: “I think the scheme is a great idea. It opens doors that have been closed on care leavers as the recruitment process is really fair towards everyone.

"I am really excited to start work with Social Security Scotland. It will give me the chance to develop my skills and gain new insights into what the world of work is really like.”

Carrie said: “This is a great opportunity for me that I am really looking forward to starting. The support I have received already from everyone at Social Security Scotland has been great and I am really looking forward to starting my new role with them.”

Carrie and Natasha will each have a mentor to help them learn and develop during their time with the organisation. Mentors play a vital role in ensuring that the interns feel comfortable and happy in their work and are getting the opportunity to learn and develop.