November is always an exciting month for Care Visions Children’s Services as it sees us host our Long Service Awards. Every year, we come together and celebrate our staff members who have made a difference in the lives of young people for a number of years – 10, 15 and 20 years to be precise! However this year, like many other organisations, we had to take a different approach and find an innovative solution that brought us all together and allowed us to reflect on their incredible achievements. This came in the form of our very first Virtual Afternoon Tea.

Joined by Cathy Jamieson, Executive Chair, and Mike Reid, Chairman, twenty-one members of staff enjoyed a zoom call where they were free to catch up and reminisce over their years of service. From stories of first shifts to tales of young people they’d cared for, everyone was able to take some time and think about the journey that had led them to where they are now.

We contacted local cafes and caterers and made sure that every member of staff could enjoy an afternoon tea in the comfort of their own home. We had an arrangement of displays - some were using fine china and cake stands and some were using paper cups! Regardless of the setup, it was a wonderful experience that certainly broke traditions, in a good way.

Executive Chair of Children's Services, Cathy Jamieson said;

“The ethos of Care Visions is to provide therapeutic environments for young people who need residential and foster care, with dedicated staff to nurture and support them.

In these challenging times, it is perhaps more important than ever to show our appreciation for staff across the organisation. We may have had a different format this year, but we knew that we wanted to recognise the real commitment our staff have shown during their time with Care Visions however we could.

So many children and young people have benefitted over the years from the passionate commitment of our staff. We're really proud of them!”

Thank you to all our staff for their incredible work, particularly over the last nine or so months. This has been a difficult situation for everyone and time and time again, our staff have shown tenacity and innovation in the methods in which they care for our young people. Not only this, but our support staff have been on hand to ensure that everything runs as smoothly as it can. Congratulations to all our award recipients and we hope you had a day to remember!