Care Leavers Blog : Cumbria County Council

We all like to read about Young People's different experiences of events, activities or just life in general. If you would like contribute to this Blog, please contact your Personal Advisor or local Children's Rights Officer.

Liz Wright (Carlisle and Eden) 07825 340 475
Rebecca Barnes (Allerdale and Copeland) 07770 938 021
Joanne Gawne (Barrow and South Lakeland) 07967 469 996

Kim's Blog

I'm Kim, I've just turned 18 and I'm a member of the Care Leavers Forum. Being a member of the Care Leavers Forum gave me the opportunity to attend The National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum. As a young person who has just turned 18 and will be leaving care I feel I have learnt a lot from this experience.

The day involved talks from young people who have been right through the care system from when they were small to leaving care, they talked through their experience of their transition; what helped and what didn't; issues they faced and how they overcame them. I found this really inspirational as their experiences were similar to mine and they have achieved so much, it made me think that I can do that too.

There was also a lot of talk about the different types of support available for carer leavers in different areas of the Country.

Here is my list of support available that I think would be really good to develop in Cumbria:

Medway: Leaving Care Nurse: Providing support and advise on various topics and can be someone to talk to about any worries or concerns. The Care Leavers nurse uses Facebook and text messages to support care leavers. They have recently supported care leavers over 18 to report sexual exploitation that has resulted in convictions.
Stockport: Café Zest: A café just for care leavers that has information and advice sessions, support groups for different things and a chance to hang out and learn independent skills. It also offers sessions on mindfulness.
Stockport Newsletter. To keep Care Leavers updated on what's happening, where it's happening, who to go to for help and advice and what we're entitled to as care leavers.