This month is National Care Leavers Month – a time to celebrate the strength and potential of young people who have grown up in care, and to shine a light on the work still to be done to support them. The theme this year, “Rising as Me”, feels especially fitting. It speaks of transformation, of finding your place in the world, and of the importance of being recognised for who you are – not just where you’ve come from.
In my recent speech in Parliament, I described the disadvantage faced by care-experienced people as one of the greatest social-justice challenges of our time. Too many young people leaving care step out into adulthood without the safety net that most of us take for granted. I have met young people here in West Cumbria who have shown immense courage – navigating housing, education and work, often without family to fall back on. Their resilience is inspiring, but our system should not depend on resilience alone.
That’s why this government has been taking practical steps to make life fairer for care leavers. We’ve scrapped outdated housing rules that made it harder for care leavers to get a secure home, and we’ve extended corporate-parenting responsibilities across public bodies, so that the NHS for example, must play their part in supporting care-experienced people. We’ve also removed the cruel requirement for some care leavers to declare themselves “intentionally homeless” before getting help – because no young person should be put through that. And for those who want to study, we’ve increased financial support so that higher education can be a genuine option, not an impossible dream.
But change can’t come only from Westminster. It must be felt in places like West Cumbria – in our schools, colleges, housing associations, and workplaces. I’m working closely with local partners to make sure national policies translate into real improvements here. I want every care-experienced young person in this community to have a strong foundation: a home they can rely on, a trusted adult in their corner, and a fair chance to build the future they choose.
We are also confronting deeper injustices. I have commissioned work to understand the unacceptably high number of early deaths among care-experienced adults, and we are investing in recruiting and retaining more foster carers and supported-lodgings hosts, because stable, loving relationships matter more than anything else.
To every care-experienced young person in West Cumbria: I see you, and I believe in you. Your past does not define your future. You bring strength, creativity and courage to our communities – and my commitment, both as your MP and as Minister for Children & Families, is to keep breaking down barriers so you can rise as yourself, and thrive.
Josh MacAlister MP 