Our care leavers
Our young care leavers inspire us with their resilience, strength, and aspirations. Read some of their stories below.
Poppy
18 year old Poppy came into foster care when she was 4 years old.
What are you doing now?
I currently work as a Young Ambassador for Gateshead Council, and I am in the process of moving from my foster care placement into my own flat.
How have your foster carers supported you?
My foster carers have been there for me through the high and low points and have supported me throughout everything.
How have Gateshead Council Children's Services support you?
They have supported me through the choices I have made and continue to make. They have also given me the opportunity to make a difference to other young people in the role I am working in.
What are your plans for the future?
I will hopefully get a full-time job within the council or another organisation to continue a similar role of supporting young people.
What advice would you give to other children in care about the future?
Don't give up! When it gets hard, you might think at the time it's the end of the world, but the bright side is things will get better.
Jake
18 year old Jake first came into foster care at the age of 9.
What are you doing now?
I trained as a superyacht cadet with the United Kingdom Sailing Academy training to be a deckhand on motor/sailing yachts over 40m and have done various work on yachts since then.
How have your foster carers supported you?
My foster carers have always supported me to do my best and achieve anything I possibly could.
How have Gateshead Council Children's Services support you?
The council supported me with funding for equipment to fulfil my sailing course.
What are your plans for the future?
I want to be a bosun on superyachts and in the distant future I aspire to be a captain of a superyacht one day.
What advice would you give to other children in care about the future?
My advice to any children in foster care would be to follow your goals and dreams. Anything is possible as long as you believe it is.
Aisha
21 year old Aisha came into foster care when she was 10 years old.
What are you doing now?
I am in my final year of university studying to be a Social Worker. I also works as a sessional member of staff for the council supervising family time and as a play worker and was one of Gateshead's first Care Experienced Young Ambassadors.
How have your foster carers supported you?
My carers made me feel part of their family and gave me a safe, happy home environment, where they believe in me. This meant I could achieve my goals.
How have Gateshead Council Children's Services support you?
They have supported me as any good parent does. Before I turned 18, I was worried about what would happen, fostering supported me to stay with my carers until I was 21 and they understood what my foster family meant to me.
What are your plans for the future?
In the future I plan to qualify as a social worker, have a nice home with my own family (and to make loads of money!).
What advice would you give to other children in care about the future?
Work hard - put your head down and do as well as you can at school - believe in yourself! You can achieve your goals! Utilise all the support you can get.
Alexandra
22 year old Alexandra came into care when she was 12 years old.
What are you doing now?
I work part time in a bar and have recently started my new position as a young ambassador as well as juggling resitting my maths and English exams and raising my little boy.
How have your foster carers supported you?
My last foster carer gave me a safe space to become an independent young women.
How have Gateshead Council Children's Services support you?
I am grateful to the service for providing opportunities like the one I'm in now. The young ambassador role is ideal for me as I'm hoping it's going to jumpstart me into a career I'm incredibly passionate about.
What are your plans for the future?
In the future I'm hoping to work closely with vulnerable children and family's in need.
What advice would you give to other children in care about the future?
The advice I would give to children now in foster care is to remember nothing is permanent and life gets so much better.
Josh
24 year old Josh came into care at the age of 9.
What are you doing now?
I am a Bar Manager and have gained a lot of confidence in my current job, and it has given me the motivation to work with Gateshead Council as a Young Ambassador.
How have your foster carers supported you?
My foster family support me in every aspect of my life ranging from supporting me with contact with my family to including me in theirs. They pushed me to make a success out of my life and I can't thank them enough for it. I still visit them to have a catch up every now and then.
How have Gateshead Council Children's Services support you?
Children's services supported me with getting my flat when I turned 18 and setting up a life outside of the foster care system. They supported me with setting up my independent finances and applying for a passport. Overall they supported my transition into independence.
What are your plans for the future?
I hope to develop in my career and branch off into other lines of work to increase my job satisfaction. I want to support my daughter and create many family memories.
What advice would you give to other children in care about the future?
You are young and sometimes things take time but you can achieve anything you put your mind to.
Clarice
21 year old Clarice came into care when she was 8 years old.
What are you doing now?
I am currently working with adults with complex care needs, I am living independently and have been from the age of 17 years old.
How have your foster carers supported you?
I mainly lived in residential children's homes; the staff supported me to the best of their abilities. I found that staff used a therapeutic approach, which made me feel safe and secure. They always had my best interests at heart.
How have Gateshead Council Children's Services support you?
I feel most of the time I was listened to.
What are your plans for the future?
I eventually want to move away from the North East, start a fresh and pursue a career in the Police. I want to become a detective working within the complex abuse department.
What advice would you give to other children in care about the future?
Try to engage in the support that is offered. If you have a goal, go for it, there is nothing stopping you and you will get there.
Care Leaver's Local Offer
Gateshead Council provide a range of support to care leaver's from the age of 18 up to the age of 25 to provide them with stability, help them to access new opportunities and gain skills and confidence to become independent young adults.