Starcatchers: Creative Kin – strengthening relationships for kinship care families
Starcatchers: Creative Kin – strengthening relationships for kinship care families
By
Starcatchers
This two-year pilot project delivered in partnership by Children 1st and Starcatchers offers creative respite and the space for kinship families to spend time together away from life’s challenges.
The project
Kinship care families in Moray and Ayrshire explore music, visual art, drama and other creative activities together as part of our artist-led programme Creative Kin, designed to help strengthen their relationships and improve wellbeing.
This two-year pilot project delivered in partnership by Children 1st and Starcatchers, and funded by the Scottish Government’s Children, Young People and Families Early Intervention Project Fund. It offers creative respite and the space for kinship families to spend time together away from the life’s challenges.
In weekly sessions, lead artists facilitate creative activities informed by the needs, strengths and interests of the group. We have adventured through foam-infested jungles, sub-aquatic worlds with breakdancing mermaids and even outer space. We’ve explored den building, photography, film making, music, drama, puppetry and arts and craft.
“Creative kin has been good it has given us a chance to bond as a family. We never get the chance when he is at school. I wish there was more of it.” (Participant)
Our evaluation has shown that families feel more confident about being creative, at home as well as during the session, and report a positive impact on self-confidence and relationships between carer and child.
“The group has helped me to play with my granddaughter, it takes things off my mind when I am here.” (Participant)
Creative Kin draws on learning from other Starcatchers’ projects – our pioneering Creative Skills Programme and Expecting Something for young parents and their babies.
Key to the success of the approach is the consistent contact between participants and the lead artists who develop and deliver the programmes with them.
The artists are flexible, creative practitioners who have a breadth of skills and expertise that provide innovative experiences in response to the needs and interests of the participants.
Additional Information
About Children 1st
Children 1st is Scotland’s National Children’s Charity. They help Scotland’s families to put children first, with practical advice and with support in difficult times. And when the worst happens, they support survivors of abuse, neglect, and other traumatic events in childhood, to recover. For more information please visit their website.
About the artists
Heather Fulton
Heather is a theatre maker/director and artistic director of Frozen Charlotte Productions. She is delighted to be back working with Starcatchers having co-created Peep, a performance installation for babies, directed The Attic for children aged 3-6 and delivered Creative Skills sessions across Scotland.
Fraser Stone
Fraser has been a professional musician and educator for over a decade and has created multiple rhythm-based projects for schools. He believes that creativity is an innate quality found in everyone and can be used to explore who were are and stamp our beauty on the world. As well as leading the Creative Kin projects in Moray as an artist, Fraser is also our Creative Kin Coordinator.
