Events for Care Leavers’ Week

23 October 2019

A number of initiatives are being organised in Jersey for National Care Leavers’ Week.

National Care Leavers’ Week, which runs from 24 to 31 October, is about highlighting the needs of care leavers and encouraging the agencies responsible for looking after them to work in a coordinated and effective way.

The Children’s Rights Officer, Fostering and Adoption team in Children, Young People Education and Skills and Barnardo’s charity are working together to organise an event for care leavers, this Saturday, called ‘Reasons to Care’.

Ashley John Baptiste, a BBC journalist and presenter with experience of care, and who attended the Jersey Foster Care Awards earlier this year, will give a motivational talk for care leavers on Saturday.

Children’s Minister Senator Sam Mézec said: “People with experience of care must be at the heart of what we do to improve services for children in Jersey. I am pleased to see that this event has been organised for Care Leavers’ Week in Jersey. The recent report following the Care Experienced Conference, in the UK, in which a number of care-experienced young people and adults attended from Jersey, sent out an overwhelming message that care-experienced people just want to be heard and that children in care feel loved, valued and have a true sense of belonging.”

This Saturday, Care Leavers are being invited to ‘Reasons for Care’ taking place at Transform Together gym and ‘Reasons’ DJ Ben Newman is providing a live DJ set.
There will be a nutrition talk with Katy Pierce from Moo (Mostly Organic Origin) about how to cook nutritious food on a budget, and who will prepare lunch for the group.

There will be a Yoga and Meditation Workshop by Yin Yoga (Nikki G) teaching mindfulness techniques and Lauren Burnett, who has experience of care, will give a talk on ‘Healthy coping mechanisms’.

Next Tuesday, 29 October, Children’s Rights Officer Sheree Maher has organised an event with Jump Jersey, with the support of the Bosdet Foundation, which will involve a trampoline session and a silent disco bus.