A group of care leavers have created a manifesto calling on leaders in Northern Ireland to make the care system a better place for them and future generations.
The young people have been working with Barnardo's NI in order to develop the manifesto which aims to improve the lives of those currently living in the care system and those who have left it.
They want long lasting and permanent changes to be made to the care system in Northern Ireland, to ensure that all young people have access to the same resources and support, as their peers in the rest of the UK.
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Titled 'What About Us' the manifesto has been created based on the experiences of 17 young people and has seven key recommendations that it has made to politicians in Northern Ireland that would improve the lives of children in care.
Helen, one of the young people involved in the project, spoke of the fears that care leavers have regarding safe and affordable housing, saying that many people leaving the care system are at risk of homelessness.
She said: "“It feels like Northern Ireland politics doesn’t care about care and it’s time that things changed for young people with care experience.
“The issue of housing is a huge one for us, as young people leaving the care system, we’re at an increased risk of homelessness and of being exploited because we don't have a safe place to live.
“There just aren’t enough options for safe and affordable housing for young people in Northern Ireland and moving us into hostels is not an option.
“The waiting lists for social housing are just getting longer and longer. To get private rentals, landlords favour people who are in permanent employment and can provide references and guarantors.
“Young people leaving the care system often don’t have someone who will act as guarantor for them, so it’s a vicious cycle.”
Carla, another young person who developed ‘What About Us’, said that there is not enough support available for care leavers and that they are unable to access it after a couple of years even though it is meant to be available until the age of 25.
She said: “Decisions are being made about young people, without young people and that’s something we really want to change.
“We are supposed to be able to access support to the age of 25 and that just isn’t the reality of what is happening. I stopped getting support at 21, because I was considered to be independent.
“A lot of young people in the care system are really worried about what will happen once they leave their supported accommodation. They just don’t know what support they might get – it could be none.”
The recommendations made in the manifesto are;
1) We need more support as we progress into adulthood, we need:
- A leaving care worker until we are 25
- Access to financial support to help us navigate adult life and independence
- Access to a mentor/ floating support who will support us in daily life
2) To be able to challenge the stigma and discrimination we face as young people with care experience there needs to be:
More education to raise awareness about care experience
A change to the uncaring language in policy
3) To be able to get the skills and resources we need to help us to help ourselves through interdependence. To support this we need:
- The same opportunities as the rest of the UK starting with the scheme 'Care Leavers Covenant' for Northern Ireland
To 'level up' with young people who are not care experienced and combat loneliness and isolation with schemes that offer access to:
- Free Wi-Fi
- Free bus travel
4) We need long-lasting relationships with people in our lives such as foster carers,workers and other young people that are protected through important schemes like Lasting Links and Staying Put.
5) We need workers who adapt, reflect and are aware of our needs - including more understanding of our emotional health and opportunities to support our wellbeing.
6) We need safe and affordable housing in order to build happy and loving homes; help with guarantors for private housing and more points for social housing.
7) We need support and opportunities to make friends, be part of society and make our own decisions.
Trasa Canavan, Senior Policy & Public Affairs Lead at Barnardo’s NI said: “We're happy that the Adoption & Children Act 2022 extended support to care leavers up to the age of 25, however we need to make sure that legislation becomes a reality, and we need these changes to be actioned as soon as possible.
“Our young people aren’t asking for the world, they’re asking for achievable and minor adaptations to be made, to put them on an equal footing with their care experienced peers elsewhere in the UK.
“In order for these young people to see real change and progress on their manifesto asks, we urgently need our politicians back in office and we need them to prioritise making the care system a better place for children and young people in Northern Ireland.
“Barnardo’s NI, along with our children, young people and services, have been engaging with the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care Services led by Professor Ray Jones, to help ensure that the Review leads to real change for the children and young people of Northern Ireland.”
To view the manifesto developed by young people click here.
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