A free digital package will be streamed to mark National Care Leavers’ Week 2022 UK and Care Experienced Week 2022 in Scotland.  

Holding/Holding On, a filmed reading of Nicola McCartney’s script, exploring Scotland’s care system will be made freely available for three weeks from 21 October 2022. 

In addition, Care, Love and Understanding, a panel discussion to accompany the reading, filmed during the Scottish Parliament’s Festival of Politics 2022 will also be released.  

Holding/Holding On was originally commissioned as part of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Care in Contemporary Scotland – A Creative Enquiry programme in 2021. 

As part of this programme, playwright Nicola McCartney collaborated with care experienced adults and young people, community collaborators and sector professionals resulting in a filmed reading of a work in progress script, Holding/Holding On, which explores and gives voice to authentic narratives around Scotland’s care system. 

Nicola McCartney’s creative enquiry into Scotland’s care system follows on from the Independent Care Review published in 2020 and at its centre, The Promise, a commitment to implement change demanded by the review to ensure that all children grow up ‘loved, safe and respected.’ 

Nicola McCartney says: 

“‘Holding/Holding On’, gives different perspectives on how we look after our most vulnerable children and where we might go in future. The filmed reading of our work-in-progress puts forward ideas about what’s not working, celebrates some of what is and I hope asks some big questions about what each of us needs to do to really make Scotland ‘the best place in the world to grow up’.” 

Visit www.nationaltheatrescotland.com to find out more.