Introducing our new campaign: A Place to Call Home
What did home mean for you as a child? It might have meant somewhere you lived with your family, where you felt safe and loved - and secure enough to be yourself.
You may have had your own bedroom, which you decorated yourself over the years, to reflect your changing interests and personality. It’s possible you lived in a community, near your friends and some of your extended family – all things you may have taken for granted at the time.
This experience of home will be unfamiliar to many of the 104,680 children growing up in care in the UK today.
Children in care may have moved home several times because their circumstances have changed, and been moved to homes that are far from their families, or homes that aren’t right for them.
They might not be getting the support or stability they need. This can make it harder to form the bonds that so many of us enjoy with our family, friends, and communities.
They’ve already faced huge challenges in their young lives. Challenges no child deserves. Over half will have suffered neglect and abuse. And many will have experienced trauma. This is unacceptable.
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On September 9, we launched our new campaign outside the Houses of Parliament.
We were joined by Sophie Tea, Ronnie Archer-Morgan, Janey Smith, Roger Hawes, Members of Parliament and our friends from John Lewis. We were also joined by Sophie Tea's fans and supporters who stopped by.
As a provider of homes for children in care, we campaign on these issues and are always seeking ways to improve our practice.
Our latest research into what makes a good home for children in care across the UK found that:
Nine in ten care-experienced adults felt lonely and isolated during their time as a child in care – and nearly one in five said they felt like that all the time.
We also found that whilst there is a shortage of appropriate homes for children in care, there hasn’t been enough focus on providing high-quality ones for those children, many of whom will have faced huge challenges.
Importantly, we found that many homes don’t have the ‘family feel’ that helps children feel at home. There is also a huge shortfall in support and training for carers.
To draw attention to these issues, we’ve produced a series of reports:
- Each of the UK’s four countries has its own children’s social care system, so each report covers that nation and its individual policy context.
- The reports set out to understand views on what makes a good home for children in care, among those closest to the issue: care-experienced people, and the professionals involved in delivering their care.
- Our findings are based on focus groups and interviews with care-experienced young people and Action for Children service staff; a staff survey; and national polling of care-experienced people.
George grew up on the Isle of Wight and was taken into care at the age of 10 after his parents relationship broke down. He was in and out of the care system, often being returned home and then ending up back in care. He was frequently moved to new areas, which meant lots of different social workers and different schools.
He said: "I was always the new kid at school, so I never had a solid friendship group. I lived out of a suitcase and never felt settled or comfortable. You’re vulnerable at that age, and you need consistency."
It was a very difficult experience. It’s very hard to create relationships with people you can trust and rely on when you’re constantly moving.
All four UK governments have recognised the problems with their children’s social care system, carried out reviews, and are starting to act. But in our view, they're not moving fast enough to make the vital changes needed.
That’s why we’re asking for UK governments to take immediate action. We want them to:
- Focus on providing high-quality homes for children: the right homes, in the right places, so that every child can grow up in a home that meets their needs.
- Invest in recruiting, training, and supporting brilliant carers and staff – so that everyone looking after children can provide the best possible care.
- Listen to the experiences of care-experienced children and young people, and include them in decision making
- Make faster progress on reform: children in care can't afford to wait years for change to happen.
We're calling on UK governments to help more children in care have what every child needs
There are many ways to get involved in the campaign. With your support, we can push the needs of care-experienced children and young people high up the national agenda.
We can amplify their voices, to get policymakers listening. And we can help create lasting change. Children in care have already been through so much – they should be given every chance to thrive.
Agree? Sign your name.
