11 years ago today I was a care-leaver receiving my A level results, having spent almost 2 years in unregulated accommodation. No additional marks were given for having written coursework with no electricity, having done exams on 3 hrs sleep given the raves, police incidents &...
Noise until all hours in the morning, or for simply having got through the school day despite knowing I'd be going 'home' to a hostel with grown men who were known to police. Whilst friends had parents call UCAS/clearing operators for advice when grades weren't as expected,
I had to navigate the system alone, despite having no context as a 1st gen applicant. But I managed to find a place in the end, relieved it had worked out. After saving up my McDonald's wages all summer just to afford the transport, I arrived with £20 to spare. But the rent...
Deposit was due before the student loan kicked in. It was so humiliating to tell the landlord that I had nothing to give them. And to watch on as housemates had their shelves filled up to the brim by anxious families, as I stood there again alone. You might be reading asking how
This is relevant now. You might hope policies have changed since then, so that no care-leaver would face such a stark cliff-edge of care. They have not. Since that time, the use of unregulated accommodation has skyrocketed, increasing by 89% between March 2010- March 2020.
If you'd have asked me what the future held for care-leavers a decade on, I'd have hoped experiences like mine would be banished to history. That no child would have to do coursework under candlelight, go weeks without adult contact, or live on corridors where drugs are sold.
It is so disheartening to see that, if anything, experiences like these are not only becoming more common, but exacerbated by the cost of living crisis & a culture of profit > care. And by an increasing attitude that childhood must end abruptly at 16.
The point is, we can't be having the same conversation in another 11 years - to watch 7-year-olds of today go through the same. #KeepCaringto18 affects children of all ages. Solidarity to care-leavers this week- what you've achieved & overcome can never be measured by grades ♥️
Thanks for each word of encouragement. My experience isn't unique - there are 1000s of untold stories. Pls support #FreeLoavesonFridays & help put care-experienced words into bookshops & off feedback forms no one reads. unbound.com/books/free-loa… Proceeds to charities @unbounders
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