Since 1992 The Who Cares? Trust has been a voice and champion for children in care. We work to improve children in care's everyday lives and their future life outcomes.
There are currently around 74,000 children in the UK living away from their families in foster or residential care. The vast majority are in care because they have been abused or severely neglected. Despite recent advances in policy and legislation too many of these children face a future of extreme underachievement, instability and poverty. Half of children in care leave school with no qualifications and their chances of becoming long-term unemployed, homeless, involved in crime and living on the margins of society are still disproportionately, and unacceptably, high.
At The Who Cares? Trust we help thousands of children in care directly through our magazines, publications and projects. We also help bring about change by guiding and influencing those responsible for children in care. With the right help and people in their lives who believe in them, every child in care can thrive. The Who Cares? Trust is dedicated to making this vision a reality.
£5 - could help us provide a young person in care with a booklet to help them understand self esteem and build their confidence.
£10 - could help us provide a school with CD-roms for their teachers to help them better understand the care system and the particular issues children in care face at school.
£65 - could help 50 young people in care receive Who Cares? magazine.
£100 - could help us bring care-experienced youngsters together with MPs to ensure their concerns about the care system are heard.
Who Cares? magazine is the only publication solely for young people in care and is a central part of our work. It offers a voice and a creative outlet for children in care as well as providing support and information on issues that directly affect their lives.
The quarterly magazine reaches 25,000 young people in care and features everything from new legislation and features, to problem pages, young people's poetry and inspirational stories from successful care leavers. Young people from all over the country take an active role in each magazine through interviews, letters, poems, reviews and competitions, helping vulnerable young people in care feel part of a wider community and ensuring they know where to turn to if they need help.
'I remember reading Who Cares? while in a particularly miserable children’s home in South Wales – it was a lifeline. Keep up the good work!'
John Moore, Youth Librarian, Northamptonshire Libraries
CD-rom for foster carers:
We have produced a resource for foster carers around the UK to help them better support children in their care.
Teachers in the Know:
This CD-rom is designed to help teachers better understand the care system and issues children in care face relating to their education. We have already sent out 10,000 copies free to teachers across the UK, many of whom have contacted us to say how helpful the resource is.
If you would like more information about any of our projects, or would like to speak with someone about supporting our work, we would love to hear from you so please contact us.