30 Jun 21
A National Voice has today (30th June 2021) launched a new national campaign, ‘Home is Not a Placement’.
For the past few months, A National Voice Ambassadors have been developing a campaign that aims to support children in care and care leavers to be empowered to ask for the things that make a house a home, and push local authorities, foster carer’s and residential settings, to really think about how they support young people to feel at home.
They chose Home is Not a Placement as the topic for their campaign, after looking at the key findings and messages from children and young people that have participated in the Bright Spots survey.
“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 is not a placement campaign for me highlights the need for awareness and change for Looked After Children and Care Leavers. It is a campaign I am more than grateful to have been a part of creating as part of the Coram Voice National Ambassadors. As looked after children and care leavers, we as a group have first hand experience of the change that is needed but also the positives of going into care. The idea of going into care being a positive is something that is under reported within media but it is something that very much exists and needs to be recognised that although there are of course areas of change necessary, care gives people like me the ability to live safely and happily. A chance to grow, develop and make it to where I want in life which otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.” – Susan 22, A National Voice Ambassador.
In order to support the campaign, we would love to spread the message far and wide and they are a few different ways you can get involved.
If you are care experienced:
- Share a picture or comment that illustrates something that makes you feel at home over on Instagram or Twitter – don’t forget to tag us @coramvoice and use the hastags #HomeIsNotAPlacement and/or #ANationalVoice.
- Check out our poster and tell everyone what home is and isn’t for you.
- Challenge your Local Authority, Director of Children’s Services, Corporate Parenting Committee or even pass a motion at Full Council to sign up as a supporter of the campaign and make their own pledge to ensure all children in care and care leavers have the opportunity to have a home and not just a placement.
Download care experienced young people poster
If you are an ally, local authority worker, foster carer, or anyone who cares about children in care and care leavers having a home:
- Retweet and share care experienced young people’s messages, help to amplify their voice and add weight to the campaign. Look out for their messages on the hashtags #HomeIsNotAPlacement and #ANationalVoice.
- Sign our pledge to show your commitment and support to ensuring children in care and care leavers are supported to have a home.
- Pass it on, don’t keep the campaign to yourself, share the message far and wide, challenge others to sign up to the pledge and challenge each other to do more to keep it.
- Taking a photo with your completed card and send it to us at anv@coramvoice.org.uk or tweet or instagram your picture and tag @coramvoice using the hashtags #HomeIsNotAPlacement and #ANationalVoice.
Sign your organisation up to the campaign
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask by getting in touch with me via anv@coramvoice.org.uk