Care Experienced History Month 

“An Act to reform the law relating to children; to provide for local authority services for children in need and others; to amend the law with respect to children’s homes, community homes, voluntary homes and voluntary organisations; to make provision with respect to fostering, child minding and day care for young children and adoption; and for connected purposes.” – 16 November, 1989.

The Who Cares? Trust (our previous name) is launched as a charity.

“An Act to make provision about children and young persons who are being, or have been, looked after by a local authority; to replace section 24 of the Children Act 1989; and for connected purposes.” – 30 November 2000.

The only service to help care-experienced young people into further & higher education was launched by Become.

With four other charities for children in care, we launch Care Day – the world’s biggest celebration of children and young people with care experience!

We want to permanently #EndTheCareCliff and the expectation of ‘independence’ asked of young people as they approach 18.

Too many young people are expected to leave care before they feel ready, falling at a time in their life when they need stability the most.

In 2020, we launched our #EndTheCareCliff campaign.

*but no guarantee for 16+.

The Spotlight Inquiry heard from 300+ people with experience of the care system, of which 130 were care-experienced young people across England.

What makes young people feel part of the communities that matter to them? And how does the care system help and hinder them in feeling part of those communities?

Including 13 recommendations pushed for by Become. Read our submission here.

We launched our report findings and our campaign to keep children in care close to the people and places that matter to them. We gained media coverage from the BBC, Channel 4, the Independent, ITV & the iNewspaper Winter Appeal.

We organise the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Care-Experienced Children and Young People (APPG). On 5 March 2024, the APPG published its report with the findings from this inquiry.

The report listed 14 recommendations to the Government. Thank you to all the care-experienced children and young people and everybody who contributed to this inquiry.