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.

We understand things aren’t right with the current care system, and a lot needs to change. We want to see our two campaigns, #GoneTooFar & #EndTheCareCliff, made history.

#GoneTooFar

• Our campaign to keep children in care close to the people and places that matter to them.
• Over 17,000 children are moved 20+ miles away each year, often without warning – with some children moved more than 500 miles and the number of children experiencing these far away moves is rising year on year.
• “When young people are suddenly thrown into an area they don’t know and have to start a new life away from their family and friends and even people that look like them, it is extremely difficult.” – Jade

We’re calling on the Government to:

1. Commit to stop children being moved miles from home (unless in their best interests)
2. Develop and publish national and local strategies to increase the supply of appropriate local options, so that children don’t have to be moved miles away from their support networks.

#EndTheCareCliff

• We want to permanently #EndTheCareCliff and the expectation of ‘independence’ asked of young people as they approach 18.
• Young care leavers that Become supports have described that time as a “cliff edge” or “like being on death row, counting down the days” until their 18th birthday when their placements are abruptly stopped, and they are expected to become ‘independent’ overnight – often without the support that every young person needs to thrive.

We’re calling on the Government to:

1. Extend the Staying Put and Staying Close schemes for all care-experienced young people up to 25, and ensure the schemes are fully funded.
2. Provide an enhanced offer of support for all young people leaving care, which includes targeted support across health, education, employment, housing, relationships, and financial support.
3. Create legislation to share corporate parenting responsibilities across a wide range of public bodies and authorities, following consultation with care-experienced young people.