Home is Not a Placement

Home is Not a Placement is a campaign developed by a National Voice Ambassadors that aims to support children in care and care leavers to be empowered to ask for the things that make a house a home.

Through this campaign we will push local authorities, foster carer’s and residential settings, to really think about how they support young people to feel at home.

The Home is Not a Placement campaign was chosen by exploring the Bright Spots Programme data completed by over 17,000 children and young people. Home jumped out and ANV identified issues such as stability, placement versus home, and feeling safe.

The ANV ambassadors also identified barriers such as feeling settled at home, lack of honest communication, fear of moving again, decorating, being treated equally, and more.

The Bright Spots programme has found that 3/4 of children in care and 1/2 of care leavers always feel settled where they lived.

As a result, ANV launched a social media campaign Home is Not a Placement in 2021, starting a conversation about what home is and is not.

Following this, ANV want to continue this conversation. We have created Home is Not a Placement campaign packs and we encourage you to share completed activities from this pack and other related activities from your children in care council and participation groups. The pack includes interactive activities such as paths to stability and building the perfect home.

What is the campaign pack about?

This is a pack of activities for professionals, children and young people to think about what makes a good home and how to achieve this. The range of activities can be used by children in care councils, participation groups, and with individuals.

ANV want children in care councils and participation groups to complete these activities to influence local decision and policy, whilst sharing this back to ANV to feedback nationally.

What young people are saying…

“I think it is really important that a young person feels settled, comfortable and welcome where they are living. Jargon within the care system has become all too familiar and sometimes people forget that having a home where you feel safe and settled can be one of the most important things in a young person’s life. A home can be defined in many different ways depending on the young person and what they feel makes it their home.” 

 Tia 17, A National Voice Ambassador.

 

“Home for me has always been under my covers with a good book…Home is not moving in with those books in bin liners”

Care Leaver

 

 What can you do?

Be inspired to make a change in your area by completing the activities and sharing what you have done and the key messages from children young people.

Sign up to our A National Voice Newsletter to continue to hear about the ambassador’s work

If you want to find out more about A National Voice please email ANV@coramvoice.org.uk

To keep the conversation going, follow the hashtag on Twitter #HomeisNotaPlacement