Become meets with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to discuss issues facing care leavers
We were delighted to be part of the Foundling Museum’s roundtable with The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge today, to shine the public spotlight on the issue of young people leaving care, share views and insights on the current landscape in the UK today, and discuss the vital work that we as a charity do to help.
Our CEO, Katharine Sacks-Jones, made the opening remarks and talked about the issues that care leavers face – such as the care cliff, homelessness, isolation, mental health, and criminal exploitation. She also told The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge about the difference our helpline makes to young people who often have nowhere else to turn.
Become’s ‘Sky’s the Limit’ project was discussed, too, which has seen us work with care-experienced young people to boldly reimagine what leaving care could look like. Speaking about this discussion, Katharine Sacks-Jones said:
“It was great that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge listened so carefully as we shared what young people have told us about leaving care and the ‘care cliff’ they experience – where support and important relationships disappear overnight. We want to see a care system without cliff edges, where young people can expect love, stability, and safety as they move into adulthood.”
Katharine also spoke about how it is a privilege to work alongside young people who have survived and even thrived in their lives by going to university, or getting jobs they loved, or building families of their own. She said:
“There are thousands of brilliant, capable young people who thrive in spite of – not because of – the care system. We all need to listen to them as our experts by experience. They have the answers and huge potential, too.”