This week we're proud to be celebrating National Care Leavers Week 2022 between 24 to 28 October.
National Care Leavers Week is a brilliant opportunity not only to reflect on the ongoing challenges faced by care-experienced young people as they begin their independent lives, but also to showcase the incredible achievements of care leavers and to help make their voices heard.
Celebrating You! An event for Care Leavers on 27 October
As part of our National Care Leavers Week celebrations, we're pleased to invite Surrey's Care Leavers to join us at The Lighthouse in Woking for a celebratory event on Thursday 27 October.
The event will include a free buffet lunch, a raffle (with prizes including a mountain bike and an Xbox gaming console!), a wellbeing area, and a range of stalls with useful information and giveaways.
If you're a care leaver, we'd love to see you there. And if you know or work with any care leavers, please share details of the event with them. You can learn more about the event and sign up to attend by visiting the Eventbrite page today.
Putting the voices of Care Leavers at the heart of National Care Leavers Week 2022
This National Care Leavers Week, we wanted to put the voices of care leavers at the heart of our celebrations. Take a look below to discover the experiences and achievements of a handful of our incredible care leavers - Grace, Sameer and Alice – who shared their stories with us.
Grace Mumford
"I work in the User Voice and Participation Team at Surrey County Council, which lets young people in Surrey get their voices heard. My proudest achievement would be becoming fully independent and being able to live by myself.
"My goals for the future are to have a stable job and be able to live in a nice home and be able to manage this. My Personal Advisor has helped me by putting me on the housing register and keeping me in the loop of what is going on.
"My advice to other care leavers and young people in care is to always listen to what people are saying to you. It might not be relevant at the time, but it will always come back to help you."
Alice
"I am currently in college studying health and social care and I am about to start a part time job in a primary school's afterschool club.
"My proudest achievement since becoming a care leaver has been when I finished sixth form with a much better grade than I was expecting despite missing so much school due to being unwell. I want to become a paediatric nurse so I am hoping to study paediatric nursing at university next year.
"My personal advisor helps me by supporting me with many things such as making sure my college is supporting me enough, helping me sign up for housing registers, and helping me claim things I am entitled to like a free gym membership.
"My advice to other care leavers would be to speak up when something is not right. And if you have support workers or a PA that isn't doing their job properly then you have the right to request someone different, which can make a massive difference to your life."
Sameer Hussain
"I work as an apprentice with the User Voice and Participation Team and I found this job through my Personal Advisor. I don't have a Personal Advisor anymore, but when I did they helped me to become independent.
"My proudest achievement since leaving care is having my own family. My ambition for the future is to have my own business and run a company. My advice to other young people in care or who are care leavers would be to be patient and good opportunities will come your way."
