Together We Can is a new forum run by Leicestershire Cares. It brings together care-experienced young people from Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland to speak up on the issues that matter to them, build confidence and leadership skills, and talk directly to the professionals and decision-makers who shape their lives.
The first session was relaxed and welcoming. Cara opened with an overview of the forum: what it is for, how members can make it meaningful, and what they can expect from it. Nobody has to be an expert or feel confident to take part, and nobody ever has to share their story.
How we work together
The first thing members did was agree the ground rules for every meeting. Everyone in the forum understands these principles and has agreed to uphold them:
- Active listening
- Empathy
- Confidentiality
- No pressure to share
- Respect for differing opinions
- Safeguarding
- Focusing on the priorities we have identified
- Learning and building new skills together
What matters to care leavers
In the main activity, "What matters to you?", members shared their experiences of leaving care. They talked about what works, what doesn't, what they would change, and what they want professionals to know.
What works
Members said therapy and support make a real difference. They described the care community as welcoming, and valued the young person advisor role.
What doesn't work
The biggest message was that care leavers often don't know what they are entitled to. Members also raised:
- Housing: care leavers need more priority. In Leicester, the wait for permanent council housing can be two years.
- Personal Advisors: support isn't regular enough, because advisors leave their jobs or are on annual leave.
- Family: care leavers want more contact with their brothers and sisters.
- Money and education: there isn't enough financial aid or educational support.
- Government: there is a lack of direct support from government.
- Turning 18: under 18 the process is complicated, and after 18 there is little support.
- Confidence: some young people don't feel able to speak out when they are younger, and may make misinformed decisions about their future.
What we would change
Members want care leavers to know much more about what they are entitled to. They also want every young person entering care to get at least two to three years of support, tailored to their mental and physical situation. That support should cover community support, financial aid and mental health, and help each young person into the right education so they gain the skills they need for the future.
What professionals should know
Members had a clear message for the professionals they work with:
- Know when someone at an appointment is a care leaver, and understand their situation.
- Personal Advisors are often on annual leave, and that gap is felt.
- Care leavers are just as competent and skilful as anyone else, and often more so.
- "We want to grow and have our own dreams and aspirations in life."
- People who have been in care have lived the system, so they can help solve many of the problems government is trying to fix.
Our first priority: care leavers as a protected characteristic
The forum chose its first campaign: making sure care leavers are treated as a protected characteristic.
In February 2024, Leicestershire County Council voted to treat care experience as if it were a protected characteristic, like race or disability. This is a council promise rather than the law, because care experience is not in the Equality Act. The forum now wants to find out what that promise has meant in practice.
Members have drawn up these questions for the council:
- What has changed?
- Do you know of any other councils that have adopted this?
- Who is the best person to talk to about the impact this change has had for care leavers in the county?
- Has the way you work with care leavers changed since the decision?
- Are staff aware of the change, and what impact has it had on their practice?
- How do you make sure care leavers know about it, and how do you promote it in your service?
- Do you make partners and other services who work with care leavers aware of it?
- What additional support have you given care leavers because of the pledge?
- What training did Personal Advisors and social workers receive when this change was agreed?
What happens next
The forum will take its questions to Leicestershire County Council and report back on what it hears. Every meeting will build members' confidence, skills and voice, so that care leavers can create change themselves.
Get involved. If you are a care-experienced young person in Leicester, Leicestershire or Rutland, you are welcome to join us. Our next forum meeting is Monday 9th November, contact Cara@leicestershirecares.co.uk.
Together We Can: Your Voice. Your Ideas. Your Power to Create Change.