NCLW: A guide for allies 

Take a seat & listen

This week isn’t about you.

Listen to us.

Don’t talk over us.

We have the lived experience, you don’t.

Don’t be a voice

Rather than doing your own posts or events. Re-share a care-experienced person’s post or attend an event by them.

Highlight care-experienced people, don’t drown them out.

Don’t be our voice. Amplify and platform our voices.

Do the work

Read books, articles or blog posts by care experienced people.

Watch our ted talks or listen to our podcasts.

Read the research we have done about care experience and listen to our recommendations.

Don’t make it about you

Don’t tell us how good you had it growing up and use it to compare to ours. We know the differences.

Highlight how our experiences could be improved without sharing how great yours was/is.

Check yourself

Check your privilege and learn how to challenge it.

Do you keep using outdated terms?

Or do you have stereotypes about care experience that are inaccurate?

Check-in on us

Check-in on care experienced people.

It’s difficult to see your identity being celebrated when you have spent most of your life hiding it or being punished for it.

What are you doing

What are you doing offline, beyond sharing a post?

How are you championing care experience people or supporting them? Or pushing for change?

You could:

Support a care experience charity

Volunteer in your local service

Become a mentor for a care experienced person

Sign a petition

Email your MP/Council

 

@IsabelleKirkham