In this blog post from the Huffington Post, Rachel Springford writes about her experience in care and the difficulties care leavers face in transitioning to adulthood and accessing opportunities such as studying at university. "When I was 16, I was given a flat and left to my own devices," says Springford. "There was no Children (Leaving Care) Act in place at the time, so 16 was the age that social workers were told to stop looking after me. This created a whole variety of problems; I had no idea how to look after myself and had left school at 14 without any qualifications. I was becoming one of the statistics we’re so used to reading about care leavers."
"I don’t look back on my experience of care very fondly, but what I do remember most positively of all is one particular social worker who saw something in me. She really cared about me and gave me aspirations to think I could achieve anything. At one point, she mentioned I should go to university and become a social worker, but I never properly considered it. As a looked-after child, it’s not something you think you’d be allowed to do." Fifteen years later, Springford decided to heed the social worker's advice and went back to school to obtain her qualifications, eventually earning a degree in social work. "Without that social worker planting the seed, I never would have thought I could beat the odds and find success in something I’m so passionate about."
The future for care leavers can be bright but we all have a responsibility to empower them to realise that they can overcome the odds. If I can succeed, anyone can.