Are you a care-experienced person? We want to hear from you 👥 As we continue our investigation into how Government could improve children’s social care, we want to understand more about your lived experience of social services. Complete our survey 👉 forms.office.com/e/6QLpTBMkst

IT’S PUBLICATION WEEK! Most people think of the care system as something distant; a safety net which exists for the good of others, but that would never impact their loved ones. If that’s you, dear reader, then you’re the intended audience for Free Loaves on Fridays (1/6)

A short message of thanks to Free Loaves on Fridays subscribers (which may have got lost in spam/never been received by wise folk who prefer to unsubscribe to emails!) Unbound

Free Loaves on Friday - a new anthology sharing the voices of 100 care-experienced people and edited by Rebekah Pierre is now available. cypnow.co.uk/news/article/f…

So proud! Well done, raising awareness of kinship as a care experience, with thanks to Rebekah Pierre for giving him the oppertunity #kinshipcare #freeloavesonfridays

'Free Loaves on Fridays: 100 care experienced children and adults tell their story' Excellent write up from Community Care which really captures the spirit of the book, featuring authors Kirsty Capes, Kasmira Kincaid, and a live reading from Sam Upton communitycare.co.uk/2024/04/24/fre…

Our 'Care Leavers Connected' project is gathering steam. This is the first face-to-face gathering as part of the project. We have been funded by the National Lottery to bring care leavers of all ages together in a variety of ways, helping form connections and generate activities.

Who's joining us next week for #voxcon2024!? We are so excited to be hosting some of our fantastic community plus 4 phenomenal speakers in #Manchester in just a few days- see you soon! 💙💬 Lads Like Us Sean Monaghan Jenny Turnross #conference #participation #childVoice

Can we stop the culture of expecting people to speak about lived experience for free? Was approached on LinkedIn at 11pm with a keynote request. A polite “Is this a paid opp” was met with “If this is a deciding factor then…”. Would you ask a builder, teacher, hairdresser 🧵

fosterwiki.com/2024-independe… It’s only by shedding light working together, and fixing the issues that we can ensure a supportive and fair system for all carers ultimately benefiting the children #FosterWiki #FosterCare #Kinship #Support

Looking forward to this week, I am in from Mat Leave for sessions with Foster Carers. Wednesday I’m with AFA Fostering talking all things Aspirational Practice; Daring to Dream! Thursday I am with Illuminance Fostering Services for my session ‘Let’s Talk Words, Language in Care’

I will look forward to hosting this tomorrow night. The only qualification for joining us is having lived in the care system as a child. We have a short tea-break in the middle, but you have to supply your own tea and biscuits.

A huge shout out and thank you to AFA Fostering 📞 0333 358 3217 Foster Carers, Social Workers and Practitioners for being so engaged and involved, helping to make my session today moving and meaningful: 'Daring to Dream: Aspirational Practice for Care Experienced Young People'

If you’re care experienced or estranged, 25 or under, you could be eligible for the Unite Foundation scholarship- there are 8 days left to apply! Applications close on Friday 14th June. Apply now at bit.ly/AFreeHomeAtUni… #university #accommodation #scholarship

Not too afraid to admit this message to Lawyers Who Care CIC made me bawl! The impact we’ve made in just a few weeks after our launch is incredible. We’ve given visibility to #CEP in law and are showing that HECK YEAH WE CAN BE LAWYERS ⚖️ If we see it, we can believe it 🌟

An honour to speak to BBC World Service about Free Loaves on Fridays this morning. To summarise, this book is needed because “Our names our everywhere in care files, assessments & headlines - but our voices are nowhere” Listen from 33.30: bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/w1… Unbound

I'm really excited to be working with Katie Ellis looking at 'Everyday Parenting with Care Experience'. We aim to explore the perspectives of parents bound by the common thread of being care experienced. sheffield.ac.uk/ahpnm/research…

4 days left to apply for a rent-free #HomeAtUniversity! If you’re care experienced or estranged, 25 or under, you could be eligible for the Unite Foundation scholarship. Apply by Friday 14th June at bit.ly/AFreeHomeAtUni…… #estranged #careexperienced #university #student

If you know any care-experienced people aged 25 and under who would be interested in a FULL undergraduate scholarship, FYI this brilliant initiative from John Lewis Partnership News in partnership with the The Open University. Applications close 24 July. open.ac.uk/courses/fees-a…

Congratulations to everyone who has been awarded the Unite Foundation Scholarship this year 🎉 95 more estranged and care experienced students will have a year-round, rent-free #HomeAtUniversity for up to 3 years. We're looking forward to welcoming you all!