Today is Care Day, an important opportunity to celebrate children and young people with care experience: to amplify their voices and reflect on the support they need to thrive.
As Children’s Commissioner, I have a statutory duty to promote and protect the rights of all children, with particular regard to children who are living away from home or receiving social care services.
In The Big Ambition, like in The Big Ask, thousands of children in care and receiving support from children’s social care told me their hopes and dreams are the same as their peers: to be supported to reach their aspirations in the same way as any other child. Like all children, they want a loving, stable home, a brilliant education and grown-ups who love them into adulthood.
As we mark Care Day, I wanted to take a deeper look at children’s responses to The Big Ambition from the 13,700 responses from children with a social worker.
Across all questions related to jobs and skills, children with a social worker tended to be less positive than those without one. Most children without a social worker (72%) agreed with the statement “You have the same opportunities as other children and young people”. This was just 59% of children who have a social worker. Similarly, 61% of children without a social worker agreed with the statement “You know about money and life skills”, but only 55% of children with a social worker.
The differences are less stark when it came to questions about apprenticeships, employment or further study – but children with social workers still answered markedly less positively. About half (52%) of children without a social worker agree that they “know about apprenticeships, university options and career paths”, higher than 47% for those with a social worker. Almost two-thirds of children (65%) without a social worker agree that they “know about good jobs for when you are older”, but this was 61% of those with a social worker.
When asked what changes children would like to see to improve their lives, children in or with experience of care had incredibly thoughtful and practical ideas.
Many children with social workers expressed their desire to see changes to the education system to place more emphasis on practical learning and life skills, something echoed by many children I speak to. This also came up last year when my Young Ambassadors spoke with Professor Becky Francis about the government’s curriculum review, and I have submitted evidence to the review to reflect what children and young people have told me they want to see in the school curriculum.
Among other issues children with a social worker mentioned was wanting to learn more about managing money, how mortgages and interest rates work, as well as home skills such as cooking. They also felt that it was important that information about higher education should be given to children when they were younger, so that they could be better prepared for life after school. For children who felt going to university and college did not suit them, they wished there were more opportunities for apprenticeships so that they could learn on the job.
The cost associated with higher education was also identified by a number of young people with care experience. Children with a social worker advocated for cheaper, or even free, university tuition so that it is more accessible and so that young people are not saddled with crushing amounts of debt. Subsidies or discounts for food and travel to and from university or college were also mentioned.
Additional support for children with mental health issues and special educational needs were also commonly mentioned. Young people also noted the lack of youth clubs and called for more clubs to get children out of the house and give children and young people a safe space to meet.
Since becoming Children’s Commissioner, I have heard from children in care who feel they are not listened to, who say they do not live in loving homes and as a result do not have access to consistent and loving relationships.
Care Day serves as an important reminder that we must listen to the experiences of children and young people in care, and ensure they feel valued and included. Too often they do not feel empowered, supported, and given every opportunity to reach their full potential. But together, we can create a society where every care experienced child can aspire and achieve to just as much as their peers.
