National Care Leavers Week 2020 (26 October-1 November) is an opportunity to showcase and celebrate the successes of care leavers from across the UK, and to inspire them to achieve their full potential.
There are approximately 99,000 children in care in the UK and over 10,000 young people leave the care system every year. It is estimated that in 2017-18, only twelve per cent of care leavers went to university, and that half of those consider quitting due to a mix of health problems, money worries, high workloads and personal and family issues.
Our Student Inclusion Team are delighted to share some details of the events going on this week to help promote National Care Leavers Week and raise awareness throughout our wider community.
On 26 October, a panel event will take place, with Kirsty McQueen from the Care Leavers Covenant, David Munn from our Student Inclusion Team, and a current care leaver studying at the University. The event aims to raise awareness of the issues care leavers face and end associated stigmas.
On 27 October, one of our students, a care leaver themselves, will be staging an Instagram take over on our University channel to help raise awareness.
Southampton PhD student Rosie Canning, whose research focuses on care leavers in literature, has launched an online exhibition on Instagram, A Portrait of Care.
“By using portraits, the aim is to de-stigmatise the experience of care. You cannot tell from a photograph a person’s care experience,” says Rosie. “We hope that those with care experience and those that work with children in care and care leavers will take part.”
Find out more about University support for care leavers.
