Care leaver charities announce merger

The Rees Foundation and The Care Leavers' Foundation have merged to create Rees: The Care Leavers' Foundation following three months of formal talks.

"On identifying strong similarities in principles, values and in future aims, a decision was made in July 2016 to enter formal talks regarding a merger of the two charities," a statement issued by trustees of the Care Leavers' Foundation said.

"Everyone involved with Rees Foundation and The Care Leavers' Foundation is committed to this change, seeing a greater benefit to people with care experience, better service provision, more support and more opportunities.

The Care Leavers' Foundation was established in 1999 as The Bryn Melyn Group Foundation, established by Janet Rich and Brendan McNutt. The Rees Foundation, which launched in October 2014, was the brainchild of Jan Rees and Rupert Bertie of Core Assets.

"There are very few national organisations with care leavers as their sole focus of interest and concern and The Care Leavers' Foundation and the Rees Foundation have a strikingly similar purpose and ethos," the statement added.

"Each of these two charities has been created out of a passion and a belief in the potential of care leavers and a despair at the ease with which government and society casts out these young people after intervening to take parental responsibility for removing them from childhood adversity and inadequate parenting.

"With passions, origins and ambitions so closely aligned, the trustees of both organisations believe that a new charity created out of the merging of the two foundations would strengthen and invigorate both and secure the possibility of a sounder financial future."