A PEMBROKESHIRE teenager’s story has been highlighted to celebrate children and young people in care.
Friday, February 16 is Care Day 2024, a day where children and young people with care experience are celebrated. The day takes place on the third Friday in February and in Wales, it is promoted by Voices from Care Cymru.
One of the stories they have highlighted is Eleanor’s from Pembrokeshire. The teenager was given a top award back in October for her work in overcoming adversity.
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Eleanor has been living with Jokë, a foster carer, since she was five years old. During these years, she has had to overcome a number of difficult challenges and times but from the moment she arrived at Jokë’s, she has been striving to do her best and was determined to overcome these challenges.
She dedicated her time to working hard and enrolled in a Uniform Protected Services course at college in 2022. Thanks to her determination and hard work, Eleanor passed with flying colours and now has a university place with the aim to work in the police force.
Eleanor was given The Fostering Network [Fostering Excellence] Award for Young People to recognise her exceptional achievements.
In Wales, 53 per cent of young people in care are aged 11 and over, with many of them facing extreme hardship and adversity. In a study, these young people said that the negative perceptions from the wider society hurt them most.
Foster Wales – the national network of the fostering teams across all 22 local authorities in Wales – is looking to recruit around 800 foster families by 2026 to help provide safe homes for local young people.
They have launched a new campaign called ‘bring something to the table’ and have spoken with more than 100 people including foster carers and young care leavers about their experiences of foster care to help provide a realistic insight into the good and the challenges in foster caring. As well as this, a number of young people who have been in the care system have created a mural with a poem in Bridgend in the hopes of helping people understand more about children and young people in care.
Tayler Walters, a young person who has experienced the care system, said: “It’s important to have stability growing up in foster care because you don’t necessarily have much stability around you. It’s so important for children’s mental health and everything around that.”
Alistair Cope, head of Foster Wales, said: “I’m proud of the young care-experienced people across Wales who are doing so much to change perceptions, grow understanding, and build a better future for other young people in care.
“I want to encourage anyone who wants to make a difference to a child’s life, to get in contact with your local authority fostering team.”
For more information about fostering, visit https://fosterwales.gov.wales.
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