Caring Scotland is a far-reaching creative oral history project that will document the lives and experiences of at least 100 members of the care experienced community in Scotland.

Caring Scotland is a far-reaching oral history project created by the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS) that will document the lives and experiences of at least 100 members of the care experienced community in Scotland. The project aims to raise the profile, celebrate the achievements and foster empowerment of the care experienced community and is inspired by the practice of playwright and socially engaged theatre-maker, Nicola McCartney.

This project is a continuation of Nicola’s creative practice and her ongoing research into the care system in Scotland. Nicola was commissioned in 2021 to create Holding/Holding On as part of our Care in Contemporary Scotland – A Creative Enquiry programme. Nicola’s ongoing 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'.

As a key part of Caring Scotland, we are inviting the care experienced community to connect with us and to tell their story. Working with a group of artists we’ll record these stories, and this collection will be stored forever at the National Library of Scotland as well as featuring on the NTS website for everyone to connect with and listen to.

Throughout 2026-2027 we will be touring an interactive installation and photographic exhibition, inspired by the care experienced community we meet around Scotland, which will be free to attend.

The project will be delivered by NTS in partnership with Who Cares? Scotland and the National Library of Scotland, funded with an award from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Caring Scotland is also supported by Scottish partners; Dundee Rep Theatre, Citizens Theatre, Glasgow and Aberdeen Performing Arts alongside local authority social work departments with whom the theatres already have positive existing connections.

About the The National Lottery Heritage Fund

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK’s heritage. Caring Scotland is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund.