50 Voices: Ceiridwen’s story

I was working as a teacher in children’s homes and was getting fed up of sitting in meetings year after year, seeing things not getting done for the children. One child kept asking for help to contact her brother but at each review she would be told nothing had been done. There didn’t seem to be any consequences for this for anyone apart from her.

One day I met a visiting advocate from Coram Voice. She told me about advocacy and that children in care could get an advocate to support them to express their wishes and feelings, understand their rights and help them challenge things they were unhappy about.

I was delighted to find out that there was a role that could help children when they weren’t being listened to. I did some advocacy training, applied to be a community advocate and have been advocating ever since.  I now realise I was looking for a role and an organisation in which it was not just acceptable, but encouraged, to treat children and young people with respect and decency and I am happy to say I found it.

I have found that the children and young people I have worked with are very reasonable – the systems that are supposed to support them sometimes less so!

I feel proud any time I can tell a child who has called our helpline because they are facing street homelessness that Children’s Services will accommodate them, and that they will have somewhere to stay tonight.

Working on our Advocacy Helpline I have noticed that, whatever their circumstances, people always feel better after they have been able to have their say about what is happening to them without being interrupted, questioned or judged. The first step to resolving an issue is actually finding out what the issue is and you can only do this if you listen first.

My dream would be for us to advocate to government to give care leavers priority for social housing. Insecure and expensive accommodation is one of the main issues for the care leavers who contact our helpline. I hear over and over again how difficult it makes life for them and would love to see this change. Poor quality accommodation, frequent moves and housing insecurity cause such distress and make it hard to focus on jobs, education and having a good life.