Care Leavers' Association

During 2006, the CLA website saw a number of changes. We added new sections to the website, including one on Leaving Care, which currently consists of advice on accessing education and the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000, as well as links to other useful sites. We plan to continue to add to this section over the coming year.

We also added a newsletter archive, so that people can download past copies of our newsletter, The Grapevine . The CLA website also hosts an on-line discussion forum. This can be read by anyone, but only members of the CLA are permitted to post on there. This is to maintain the security of the forum and also to ensure that discussions remain relevant. If you would like to become a member of the CLA and join in the discussions, please visit the Membership page.

On 25th of January 2006, Victoria and Jim went to London and met up with Tim Farron MP at the House of Commons. Tim Farron is a Liberal Democrat MP and is the party's Youth Affairs Spokesperson.

The CLA, through its Executive, has a well-developed knowledge in the area of Access to Childhood Care Files. The CLA website now contains a host of information on this topic, from the legal aspects of accessing files to stories from care leavers who have already been through the process. The Access to Records section of the website also hosts the only national database of Access to Records Officers in the UK, which makes it easier for people to identify exactly who to contact to retrieve their file. During 2006, the organization produced an Access to Childhood Care Files guide, containing detailed, yet comprehensive information on the Data Protection Act, which is available free-of-charge to care leavers.  If you would like a copy of the guide, please contact the office: 0845 308 2755 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

During early 2006, the CLA took part in a joint project, along with organisations such as A National Voice, The Who Cares? Trust, the Children's Legal Centre and the Office of Children's Rights director, to put together a ten-point guide to leaving care. The 'Starter for Ten' guide was launched in June 2006 and can be found on the website of the Children's Right's Director: http://www.rights4me.org.