Nine young people from around the country who have care experience met in London today to interview each other about their views of and feelings about leaving care. The young people, many of whom have advised Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England on Care Monitor, the national survey of children in care over the past year, were filming for local authority directors of children’s services about the importance of being allowed to stay put in foster placements or supported environments beyond the age of eighteen years.
A couple of young people described leaving care at 18 as feeling like being ‘thrown in at the deep end.’ One said, he recognised how now that he had got help he was ‘back at the shallow end’
Another, Rebecka, who had worked on My Care Survey said:
“Today was a really nice day, a finished end sight after a year working with the My Care survey. The survey is a national survey that goes to all local authorities and children in care. We hope it will bring more changes and better laws regarding children in care and make life better for them.”
Sarah said:
“The project’s been fun and exciting because I have had a chance to have a say in changing things for other young people in care through the survey. I got to meet new people and find out their opinions about care.”
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner said:
“Young care leavers often tell me that the transition from local authority care is a critical time in their lives. Those in further education or in foster placements are now allowed to stay put, but those who are cared for in other environments, such as care homes, are not. I am determined to improve the outcomes for young people who are leaving care and that is why I asked them to make this film to remind all of us.
“I would like to thank the young experts who helped us to put together and run My Care Survey, the national survey of children in care. We received around 3,000 responses and will publish the findings from which we will publish on 8 July.”
