Meet Maisie: Enquire’s newest helpline recruit

I think it’s apparent how needed it is. There are so many inquiries that come in.

Innes Burns: How are we doing, Maisie?

Maisie Wilson: Yeah, good. Thank you.

IB: So, who is Maisie Wilson and what brings her to Children in Scotland?

MW: I’m somebody that has been kind of working in the rights-based sector in Scotland for the last half a decade, I suppose, in different areas, from Just Right Scotland, which is kind of human rights-based, where I worked in equality legislation and discrimination, to supporting the Scottish Refugee and Migrant Centre and Anti-Trafficking and Exploitation Centre.

But I did a big piece of work there about access to education, so that’s something that I’ve always been really interested in. I had a brief stint more in Westminster with foreign policy before coming back to Scotland and working with the Rock Trust, which is youth homelessness, but focusing on, again, young people seeking safety in Scotland.

During that time, I also decided that it was time to go back and do a law conversion. I wanted to work for an organisation that was really values-led, so that’s kind of what led me to Children in Scotland.

I also interacted with the law so much with the Additional Support for Learning Act, so it’s kind of a perfect complementary organisation to work at whilst doing my law conversion.

IB: Sounds like quite the CV. It appears that we’re lucky to have you.

MW: I’m lucky to be here!

IB: How have you been enjoying working for Children in Scotland so far, and tell us a little bit about what you do?

MW: I’ve been loving it. It’s been such a supportive organisation. Mark, my manager, has been fantastic, but the whole team has been so nice. Everyone comes with their own kind of background and knowledge and specialty, and I think that’s really appreciated. We really lean on each other for support and advice, which is such a healthy atmosphere and really supports learning from each other.

My role is Advice and Information Officer, so I work on the helpline in Enquire, which is around advice and information for parents and children and carers and professionals about additional support for learning. That includes working on the helpline, replying to email inquiries and web chats, but also parts of bigger work, like looking at legislation and guidance that’s published and things like that.

IB: What kind of help has been sought in recent weeks during your time working with the helpline?

MW: I think it’s apparent how needed it is. There are so many inquiries that come in. Even when it’s been the holidays in the office and it’s a bit quieter, there’s still calls, web chats and emails coming through.

I think the main ones that have been standing out to me are around children missing school and the rights around that, and how that kind of interacts with not having the right support in school that’s leading to children having to miss school.

A lot as well is about parents coming to us saying that schools are saying they’ve tried everything and there’s nothing more that can be done, which is obviously just not the case. If the child is not in school, or if they’re becoming dysregulated or anything like that, it’s because the correct support hasn’t been put in place.

I think that’s where we come in, equipping parents with the knowledge of what their rights are and what their children’s rights are. Also, My Rights, My Say comes into play because they need to actively involve children’s views. If they don’t want to go to school, or they can’t go to school, or they’re becoming dysregulated or anything like that, the school needs to listen to the child to see why that is the case.

IB: And how important is that to you, making sure the child’s heard?

MW: So important. I think people just need to be equipped with their rights, to know what their rights are and what the legislation is so that they can advocate for themselves.

I think doing that mainly through discussing with parents, but then also, as I’ve said, through My Rights, My Say. We do get inquiries sometimes from children and professionals. It’s about equipping them with the knowledge and the tools to be able to advocate for themselves.

I think that’s so important, and it kind of also links to why I’m doing a law degree, because I think it can be so gate-kept that you need someone to do it for you, but you don’t. Parents often think, “I don’t think this is right,” and it’s like, no, yeah, that is correct. It’s not right, and this is what it should be, and these are your rights.

This is how you can work with the school to kind of rebuild trust, to hopefully get that in place and not have to take it further.

IB: Well, you sound really enthusiastic about your work, Maisie. Is there a day in particular you can look back on since you started and think, “wow, I’m really proud of myself today and the help that I gave”?

MW: I am.

Yeah, I think sometimes we get difficult calls on the helpline, and that can involve things that might raise safeguarding issues and things like that.

I think when something like that comes up, it’s about having the confidence to speak to the parent, to ask the right questions, to make sure that you can give them the right information, but also that they’re safe and their child’s safe.

When that’s happened, I then also have the support of my team and my manager to discuss how best to go forward with this and ensure everyone’s safe.

You always get such great thanks from parents and people who have contacted the helpline. I think anytime you’ve spoken to a parent in particular who is appreciative of being given that space to let them talk about it, let them feel heard, and also acknowledge that it is a difficult situation, and that these are the steps that we can let you know about that you can take forward, things like that always make me feel quite good.

Not only are you providing somebody with the information so they can advocate for themselves, you’re giving them the space to be heard.

But then also, I’ve got the support of my team around me, so it’s a very nice, all-encompassing, holistic vibe.