Local Care Leavers celebrated for National Care Leavers Week 2024

FOR National Care Leavers week, local care leavers were celebrated through a range of fun events and activities to bring everyone together as a community and show the support on offer.

The theme for this year’s National Care Leaver’s week was, ‘all of us, we are one’.

It’s important to highlight as the process of leaving care and transitioning to adult life can be a difficult and challenging time, as care leavers start their journeys to gaining independence and overcoming hardships to follow a positive path in life.

Tameside Council offered these events and activities in order to give the care leavers a chance to have experiences they previously may not have had access to.

The week began with a trip to Hollywood Bowl with a bite to eat. This was shortly followed by Tameside Care Leavers coming together for the Care Leavers Tea Club Halloween Party, where they worked as a team to cook up a variety of dishes such as, burgers, chicken kebabs and tuna pasta.

Tuesday was a thrill-packed day riding the rollercoasters at Alton Towers Scarefest, which was sponsored by Inicio, a provider of Accommodation, Support, & Life Skill Services to Children, Young People, & Families.

Jessica, a Tameside Care Leaver said: “I have been looking forward to come out with the Care Leavers, it’s a nice opportunity to get out of the house and meet some other Care Leavers for the first time.” 

The day was finished off by lighting up Dukinfield Town Hall blue in line with National Care Leavers Week 2024.

Whilst Wednesday’s activities consisted of getting creative by painting a pot at the 4C Community Centre with The Potters Hand Creative Crafts. The care leavers were joined by Tameside Council’s Executive Leader Cllr Eleanor Wills and Executive Member for Children’s and Families Cllr Teresa Smith.

For Wednesday evening both the Tameside Care Leaving Service and Tameside Care Leavers attended the Care Leavers Awards 2024 at The Contact Theatre in Manchester, of which a Tameside care leaver was also one of the presenters.

All care leavers in attendance were nominated to ensure everyone was recognised and celebrated.

The awards consisted of keynote speeches, a raffle, where multiple winners received an array of prizes, a sing along performance of ‘Sweet Caroline’ from the three presenters, and a chance to catch up with one another.

Thursday night saw a trip to a local tapas restaurant, The Orange Tree Tapas, where care leavers and members of staff from Children’s services came together to enjoy small dishes and flavours from Spain.

To bring the week to a close, Tameside Care Leavers had the chance to go and watch ‘Venom, The Last Dance’ at the cinema in Ashton-under-Lyne.

Daniel, a Tameside Care Leaver described his week by saying: “It’s really good to get out of the house and see people that I haven’t seen in a while. I’ve had a great week!”

On Monday 4 November, at Care Leavers Tea Club there was a raffle and a draw to win a hamper donated by Morrisons, which one of the care leavers won.

Tameside’s Leaving Care Service begins from the age of 16 years old where each care leaver will be matched with a Personal Advisor that they will receive regular support from until the age of 25 years old.

Tameside Council’s Executive Member for Children’s and Families, Cllr Teresa Smith said: “It has been wonderful to witness our local care leavers be celebrated throughout the entire week, whilst watching them have fun and meet up with other care leavers they may not have already met.

“This has been important, as it shows how much the Tameside Leaving Care Service supports and guides our care leavers to ensure not one young person or child feels alone.”

For more information about Tameside’s Leaving Care Service visit www.tameside.gov.uk/LeavingCare