Care Day 2025 – will You use Your Voice to Show You Care?
February 21, 2025
by Celestine Greenwood
‘I Care.’ I care about children and young people with experience of living in the care of the State and those who are currently being cared for outside their families, many in foster families and some in children’s homes. Because I care, I will today, as requested by BECOME, The charity for Children in Care and Young Care Leavers, demonstrate that by writing ‘I care’ on my palm, taking a selfie and sharing that on social media. In doing this simple act I will be adding my voice to the many others that care and promoting this year’s theme for Care Day – “Voices that Care.”
Care Day is a day to celebrate children and young people with care experience (experience of being cared for by the State in foster families or children’s homes). It is a day to focus society’s attention on our children and young people who cannot be cared for by their parents and families and instead, are cared for by foster families or care professionals in children’s home. Held on the third Friday in February each year, Care Day is a joint initiative of five charities across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland that support child and young children with care experience. Known as the “Five Nations, One Voice” alliance, they are Become (England) , Who Cares? Scotland, Voices from Care (Wales), Voices of Young People in Care (Northern Ireland) and EPIC (Ireland).
Their work is vital. As at 31st March last year a record 107,043 children were in the care of the State, under the care and control of their local authority’s children’s social care teams. Approximately 70% of these children and young people live in foster families, others live in children’s homes and some in secure settings. Children are taken into the care of the State when they cannot be cared for safely in their families. Many of them have endured traumatic experiences, such as neglect and abuse, before they experience separation from their family and are taken into the care of their local authority. Many lived in poverty.
Whilst many care experienced children and young people receive the sort of loving and nurturing care that we would each want for our own children, some do not. Overall, the longer-term outcomes for care experienced children and young people in terms of educational experience and achievement, employment, health and even contact with the criminal justice system, are all too often poorer than those of their peers who have not experienced care. In other words, they are deprived of the start in life that we want and expect and, they suffer the consequences throughout their lives.
I care because of what I have learnt during my professional experience as a barrister, because of the wonderful children and young people I have had the privilege of representing in court proceedings. I care because of what I have learnt in my other professional experiences supporting children in need in the UK and in various parts of the world. I care, most importantly, as a fellow human being who was lucky to have parents, family and community who believed in me and nurtured me and who continues to reap the benefits of that start in life. I care because I believe that it should not be a matter of ‘luck,’ that every child deserves such a start in life, to have the foundations to pursue their dreams and become the best version of themselves.
I suspect that if you’re reading this you share such views. If so, I invite you to join me in showing that you too care about our children and young people, especially those who are unable to grow up in the care of their parents and families. There are myriad ways in which you can show you care: learn more about the experiences of children and young people who grow up in care, donate money if you can, spread the word about Care Day.
Add your voice today – it will only take a minute!
