Care Leavers' Association

The next get-together for care leavers is planned for 11^th September in London at the Holborn Community Association, Bedford House Community Centre, 35 Emerald Street, London WC1N 3QW at 2.00pm.

As usual, this will be an informal gathering for care leavers to come together, share experiences and discuss CLA activities.  All will be welcome and those who wish to continue socialising after the event at 4.00pm can move on together to a local café.  It is hoped that as many of you as possible can come along.

A map showing the venue location can be found at the following link:  Map to Bedford House

The CLA has been successful in generating publicity for the experiences of care leavers who go on to university. In the 'Education' section of The Guardian for Tuesday 24th of August (page three) is an article based on the findings of the Listen Up! report which the CLA published a few weeks ago and which was written by Zachari Duncalf, care leaver and CLA Treasurer.

Television presenter and producer, David Akinsanya,  expressed his regret that social work is now less of a ‘calling’ than a ‘career’ in the Guardian yesterday (9 August).  In the article he recalls his experience of one particular social worker, Jenni Randall, who helped him during and after his time in care in the 70s and 80s, a practice which would be ‘frowned upon today.’

David explained how he was allowed to build up a long-term relationship with this social worker from his first being assigned to her at the age of eight; a relationship which continued and was beneficial to him long after she had moved on.

David’s subsequent work in respite care for children has made him realize that multiple foster homes and short stints in residential care combined with a lack of genuine relationship building experience from the care system can make care leavers feel ‘worthless’.  He calls for more investment in social work so that it can retrieve its ‘human face’ through better nurturing and relationship building with vulnerable children.

Read the article in full and add your comments to the Guardian blog at:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/aug/09/social-work-needs-human-face

On Monday 2nd August the Care Leavers' Association launched a ground-breaking report on the experiences of adult care leavers. Listen Up! Adult Care Leavers Speak Out is the first-ever national survey on this subject. This innovative research report looks at the experiences and views of 310 care leavers aged from 17 to 78. It looks at both their experiences in care and their subsequent lives after care and brings together, for the first time, information covering life in care, leaving care, education, accessing records and reflections on the past. A copy of the report can be found here: Listen Up! Report