Care Day: Young people share their experiences of care
Emily Harle
Friday, February 17, 2023
To mark Care Day, young people have shared their stories of the care system, as part of a campaign aiming to tackle stigma and raise awareness.
Care Day (17 February) is an international celebration of children in care which has taken place annually since 2015, run by national care charity Become.
During the event, care charities from across the UK, including Become, Empowering People In Care (EPIC), Voices of Young People in Care, Who Cares? Scotland, and Voices From Care Cymru, come together to celebrate care-experienced young people.
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This year, Become’s theme is “what I want you to #KnowAboutCare”, and charities, campaigners and young people have shared experiences of being in care on social media, and what they would like the public to know about care.
Last year, the theme was “together we create community”, and events included a poetry link-up event, held on Become’s virtual social space for young people across the UK.
Become asks young people what they want everyone to #KnowAboutCare
This year, Become is asking young people to share their experiences of care on social media using their Care Day graphics and the hashtag #KnowAboutCare.
💜 We're so excited for #CareDay this Friday 17 February!
— Become (@Become1992) February 14, 2023
💭 #CareExperienced young people: what do you want others to #KnowAboutCare?
🔊 Choose & save a graphic, add your message in the box, then share on Friday and tag us! https://t.co/jpd2obFwFJ pic.twitter.com/WlFFEqL5IA
💜 We're so excited for #CareDay this Friday 17 February!
— Become (@Become1992) February 14, 2023
💭 #CareExperienced young people: what do you want others to #KnowAboutCare?
🔊 Choose & save a graphic, add your message in the box, then share on Friday and tag us! https://t.co/jpd2obFwFJ pic.twitter.com/WlFFEqL5IA
Become has shared some stories of care-experienced people from its network, including Zahra, who said: “We can be moved far away. We are already losing the family we know, followed by the friends we know. We lose our routines, the medical and mental health support we know and so much more. It is really hard.”
This #CareDay, we're sharing what #CareExperienced young people want others to #KnowAboutCare
— Become (@Become1992) February 17, 2023
Zahra wants you to know how hard is to be moved far away while in care - away from everything & everyone that's familiar, & often without warning.
We all deserve stability to thrive 💜 pic.twitter.com/f7Sk8ahgFl
One young care-experienced apprentice from Virtual School Kent said: “Care is not something to be ashamed of, it was an opportunity for me. Care has supported me to achieve and dream. Care is no longer a dirty word.”
Today is #CareDay !
— Virtual School Kent (@VirtSchl_Kent) February 17, 2023
To challenge common misconceptions about care, our care-experienced apprentices have shared some messages about what they want people around them to #KnowAboutCare . @Become1992 pic.twitter.com/JxT9f4oXXN
England's children's commissioner Rachel de Souza has also tweeted in support of the day, saying she plans to "push for meaningful reform across the children's social care system".
Today is #careday, I am glad to be celebrating all the brilliant care-experienced children & young people who overcome challenges most of us will never encounter. I share how I plan to push for meaningful reform across the children’s social care system: https://t.co/cLWscWavka
— Children's Commissioner for England (@ChildrensComm) February 17, 2023
Who Cares? Scotland's ceilidh for Care Day
Scottish care charity Who Cares? Scotland has announced it will host a ceilidh in Edinburgh on Care Day, to recognise and celebrate care-experienced people.
Care-experienced people can sign up to attend the event tonight (17 February), and there will be Scottish country dancing, music, food and non-alcoholic drinks.
The charity has also urged young people to share their experiences of being in care on social media, using its hashtag #ChallengingStigma.
Our theme for #CareDay23 is Challenging Stigma.
— Who Cares? Scotland (@whocaresscot) February 16, 2023
We believe every Care Experienced person deserves to grow up free from the stereotypes of being in care. Get involved and tell us why you think it's important to challenge stigma! Make sure to tag us and use #ChallengingStigma. pic.twitter.com/1xG2PWljjv
Scotland’s children and young people’s commissioner Bruce Adamson also tweeted a video in celebration of the day, saying: “Care-experienced children and young people still tell us that stigma exists in every aspect of their lives, and we really need to challenge that and take that very seriously.”
This #CareDay2023 we celebrate all care-experienced children and young people! The community is full of dedicated young rights defenders and because of your committed efforts towards #ChallengingStigma and prejudice, Scotland has made progress. pic.twitter.com/7GLtqnVvH1
— Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland (@CYPCS) February 17, 2023
EPIC shares meaningful photos from looked-after young people
Irish children’s care charity EPIC has been sharing meaningful photographs submitted by care-experienced young people on social media.
Children and young people were encouraged to submit photos of something meaningful to them, and share the story behind it.
Kai, age 23, shares how his love of horse gave him “comfort and continuity”.
Kai, 23 #CareDay23 #CareAware pic.twitter.com/pOkBP4yJ3A
— EPIC, Empowering People in Care (@epicireland) February 17, 2023
HMI Prisons writes about the need for “genuine care” for vulnerable children
Angus Jones, team leader for children and young people at HMI Prisons, has published a blog to mark Care Day, discussing the importance of providing “genuine care” to looked-after children to prevent them from entering the youth justice system.
He said that although “the overwhelming majority of looked after children have no contact with the justice system”, he added: “While leading inspections of institutions holding children and young adults, it is hard not to notice the large numbers of looked after children in custody.”
Jones said: “What strikes me is the absence of care for these children before they arrive in custody.
“I remember a looked after girl who had been in six different placements before she was finally imprisoned for assaulting an emergency worker during a mental health crisis. As well as a boy who was imprisoned in a youth offender institution (YOI) simply because there was no community-based placement available.”
Jones added that the lack of “genuine care” can lead to young people offending in the first place, saying: “For many children I speak to it is the failure of adults to provide the stability and love that all children need that leads to offending in the first place.
“I hope some of the stories and experiences that children are sharing as a part of care day lead to more genuine care being provided to these children who desperately need it.”