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On a day-to-day basis, we provide advice, information and signposting to care leavers on relevant issues, such as how to access their child care files, or what they are entitled to when they leave care. We offer advice and training to professionals working with care leavers or adults who were formerly in care as children. We coordinate a worldwide network of care leavers through our membership and through the CareleaversReunited website. This provides a space where care leavers can network with one another, share experiences, meet up and work together for change. Also, we campaign for improved services for care leavers and young people currently in care and to combat negative social stereotypes of people in and from care. We operate through a variety of media, including our own websites.
View our mission statement or view our policy section for more information about the CLA's position on various issues.
Advice/Information & Signposting
A large part of our work involves providing advise to care leavers and directing them to services that can help them. We are often contacted by young people from care, or who have just left care, who want to know about their entitlements or to get advice on certain issues, such as housing, education and employment etc. However, we also get many enquiries from older adults, who were in care as children, on issues such as access to records, abuse in care and family tracing. Where we do not have the resources in-house to deal with an enquiry we direct people to organisations that can provide further help and information.
If you have a query, please contact us: 0161 236 1980 or
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Presentations/Conferences & Training
Over the past couple of years, the CLA has been developing its work to reach out to social workers, students, foster carers, policy makers and other professionals working in this area, through delivering presentations and training on leaving care issues. In 2009, so far, we have delivered training sessions to the Scottish Institute of Residential Childcare (SIRCC) and to the Post Care Forum. We have also hosted a joint conference, with British Association for Adoption and Fostering and the Alliance for Child Centred Care on the experiences of post-care adults.
In 2008, we spoke at the Social Policy Association conference, the Pure Innovations conference during National Care Leavers' Week and the Community Care conference on Care Matters. We also delivered a training session to Pure Innovations and to social work students at Bradford University. During these sessions we use the opinions and experiences of care leavers to influence current and future leaving care practices.
Our Websites
We currently run two websites, www.careleavers.org and www.careleaversreunited.org. In summer 2009, we will be relaunching the two websites as one newly developed website, which will be much more interactive, accessible and secure.
The CareleaversReunited website, allows care leavers to register their former children's homes or in the area in which they were in foster care and reconnect with others whom they were in care with.
Keep In Touch Gatherings
We hold regular 'keep in touch' gatherings throughout the year, which are open to all care leavers. These gatherings are very friendly and informal, sometimes there is a speaker, or sometimes we arrange a particular activity, such as bowling. The events are a chance for care leavers to meet one-another, share experiences, or just socialise with people who share a similar background.
In 2009, we have held two keep in touch events already, one in London and one in Manchester.
The next gathering will be in London on Saturday 12 September 2009. All care leavers are welcome to attend. If you would like more information about times and venues for any of these events, just contact us:
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0161 236 1980
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