Care leavers stories

The Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) has launched the Care Leavers Stories oral history project. Care leavers voices are seldom heard, the oral history project aimed to address this by recording the life story of care leavers aged from 21 to 90. The stories are the individual's reflections on their experiences in care. SCIE hopes that by looking back at these stories we can learn valuable lessons for practice. SCIE's Chair Lord Michael Bichard said:

"During their journeys through the care system, care leavers accumulate records mostly written by other people. This project has given care leavers the chance to tell their own story in their own words, unedited and not structured by anyone else. What's more, the person they tell their story to has an instinctive understanding of what they are being told as they too have been in care. I urge anyone who works with looked after children or care leavers to view these life stories. They are a unique and profoundly moving learning experience"

The stories are housed in the British Library's Sound and Moving Image Catalogue; search using 'Care Leavers Stories Project'. You can also view three short care leavers documentary videos on YouTube.