Cornwall children in care send a poster to every school

Somewhere in a classroom this autumn, a pupil will stop in front of a noticeboard and read a sentence written by someone their own age who has been in foster care. That is the point of it. A poster designed by young people in care across Cornwall is now being sent out to schools, made by the people who know the subject best.

The posters are going to schools across our communities to be used as teaching aids and conversation starters.

Where the idea started

The project began when young people from the charity Carefree Cornwall spoke to Cornwall’s Corporate Parenting Board about what it is like to be a child in care in education. They said there was a lack of understanding and awareness among both school staff and students of what being in foster care actually means.

Cornwall Council’s Awena Virtual School, which supports the education of children in care, provided funding alongside the Council’s Headstart Kernow team to run a project tackling exactly that.

📷Young people with Carefree Cornwall creating the poster.

Ten weeks, a screen print artist and a group aged 12 to 16

The group ran a 10-week session in the Spring term. Young people aged 12 to 16 worked alongside local screen print artist Dena O’Brien to create a poster celebrating diversity and reminding people that care experience is now treated as a ‘protected characteristic’ in Cornwall, similar to the nine characteristics protected under the Equality Act 2010.

In a message sent to schools with the posters, the children who created them write:

“We have created these posters to share the importance of inclusion throughout the care experienced community and beyond.

“In Cornwall, being care-experienced is recognised by the Council as if it were the 10th protected characteristic, protecting us from discrimination and harassment, in the same way that people of a different race or with a disability are protected.

“This has been a topic of conversation amongst care-experienced young people, as we have noticed that this is not recognised by all education establishments, despite it being adopted by numerous organisations as well as the local authority. We would like to help bridge the knowledge gap.

“This poster represents us. No matter where you come from, we all deserve to be accepted.”

📷Young people with Carefree Cornwall creating the poster.

What the Council says

Cllr Hilary Frank, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families at Cornwall Council, said: “The young people behind these posters have drawn on their own experiences to help build understanding of what it means to grow up in care. That’s a powerful way of creating positive change.

“Schools and colleges are at their best when every child feels understood, included and valued. These posters will help build a better understanding of the experiences of children in care and the additional challenges they can face.

“I hope they soon have pride of place in classrooms, noticeboards, and staff rooms across our communities.”

📷Young people with Carefree Cornwall creating the poster.

A charity coming full circle

Mari Eggins, CEO of Carefree Cornwall, said: “We are immensely proud that the voices of young people in care have been heard and that nurseries, schools and colleges will be displaying their posters.

“Carefree began 21 years ago partly because young people in care were saying that they sometimes felt discriminated against in school. This campaign brings our work full circle, helping to make education a place of belonging and inclusion for all children, including those in care.”

Nurseries, schools and colleges across Cornwall will be the ones deciding where the posters go up.

📷Young people with Carefree Cornwall creating the poster.