Why?
The North East Regional Children in Care Council brings together care-experienced young people aged 16 to 24 from across the region to share what works, what does not and how to make change happen. They meet regularly to collaborate, challenge systems and use their voices to improve experiences for others in care.
This year they wanted to focus on sharing what life is really like for young people in care, and making sure that the adults in power listen to them and take action.
What?
Together, they developed the idea of hosting a conference for professionals across the North East Region, where young people could speak directly to leaders about what life in care is really like, and what needs to change.
Working with professionals, they created and hosted the conference calling it, ‘Dear Corporate Parent’. The conference focused on the role of Corporate Parents, and encouraged local authority staff to ‘Be the kind of parent you would want for your own child.’
The young people wrote an open letter to all delegates and handed it to them as they left the conference. The letter included powerful messages such as, “These aren’t just gaps in the system, they’re gaps in our lives,” and, “Be the kind of parent you would want for your own child. When you make decisions, ask yourself, would this be good enough for my son or daughter? If the answer is no, then it’s not good enough for us either.”
Their message was clear: “We don’t need more promises, we need action,” and “Work with us, not around us.”
What difference did it make?
The conference brought together 103 people, including Chief Executives, Service Managers, mental health professionals and government representatives. The day included both keynote speeches and interactive workshops to help delegates understand how the decisions they make impact young people day-to-day.
After the event, several local authorities shared the young people’s letter with their own Corporate Parenting Panels, ensuring the group’s message continues to inspire change across the region.
This case study was shortlisted for the Voice Award at the A National Voice Awards 2025, and won 1st place.