Councillor’s Jeremy Yabsley- Chairman of Devon County Council and Andrea Davis- Cabinet member for health and wellbeing both spoke about their
pride at being able to present and recognise so many young people’s achievements.

With a camera in one hand and clip-board in another, I was able to mingle freely and get chatting to many people there including one of the youngest nominee’s
Mckenzie who’s award stated, ‘Loves going to School and goes every single day, he also actively joins in in class. Well done.’
He was chuffed to bits to be at the awards do and loved that it was being held at Crealy! He was most excited about holding the animals in the Animal Kingdom
and going on the pirate ship ride!
Another nominee, Shannon aged 17 who was there with her mentor was pleased as it meant she got to go out for the evening and meet other people like her.
She was surprised to see someone from School who she never knew was also in Foster care!
After the ceremony they got to adventure off around the park!
First stop- the Merry go round!

For the next couple of hours, everyone got to  sample the rides at Crealy and it was a real novelty being there after ‘closing time’ and riding the roller coaster in the pitch black!
There was also an interactive zone run by the participation workers who facilitated craft based activities and also gained feedback from the event.
in just the space of a few hours, those that attended had got the chance to feed and handle the animals including many of the new additions- cuuuute!
Socialised with old friends and made new, got their photo taken with Buddy Bear- the parks mascot! Indulged in a yummy buffet and cupcakes,
got a certificate to take home, run around in the indoor playzone and gone on all the rides!
By 9pm, it was all over, and what a night it had been!
With special thanks to all those involved in making this happen, and to the children and young people for making it so much fun! I was honoured to be a part of it

The event was attended by Devon County Council Chairman Jeremy Yabsley, and cabinet member for children and young people’s health and wellbeing, Councillor Andrea Davis.
Cllr Davis said: “I was honoured once again to be invited to this truly inspirational awards, which is a wonderful opportunity for us to pay tribute to the many and varied talents and strengths of the young people in our care.“The breadth and depth of nominations shows their vast range of achievements, which never fail to leave me with a huge sense of pride. Some have achieved a personal goal, others have dedicated themselves to helping others, or their local communities, but all are truly remarkable young people who have not had the easiest start in life, but have refused to let that get in their way.

“I would like to thank all the people who sent their nominations and without whom these young people would remain unsung; and also to the organisers, to Mark Tyler for once again proving a superb compere for the evening, and all the entertainers and helpers who made the event so special. I’d also like to say a big thanks to Crealy for hosting the event – the staff were wonderful and went out of their way to make sure everyone enjoyed the night, and thanks also go to Kiss & Bake Up and Especially Balloons who provided superb cakes and displays.

“I’d like to pay tribute to Devon’s foster carers and residential care workers, who play such a vital role in providing the love, support and stability that you need to flourish. It is testament to their ongoing commitment that we have so many nominations this year.”

Young people were also key in putting on the event working with the Participation Workers in the run- up to the event and also on the night.

Go to the blog for a feature post on the event including photo’s, and also the ‘Members Zone’ for more photo’s, where you can also post up comments and ideas.

Hi there! Im Sophy and I have the role of the online Participation Editor!
What this means is I will be blogging and updating the newsfeed on things that are happening for all you Care Leavers out there!
So whether you live in a small Village in rural Devon, or are already a member of the ‘Children in Care Council’ based in Exeter then here is the place to get the low down on whats happening.
You can find out and get involved in groups and events locally, but you can also get the chance to get involved in this website directly!
Want to write an article? Have a story to tell? Or a piece of artwork you’d like to show off?
Then you can either email me via the site, or I will be coming along to local groups and events to work with young people one to one.
There have recently been loads of brilliant things happening for young people in care in Devon, but also more to come!
Including young people getting involved in national projects to implement CHANGE in the service,
yes you can make a real difference to things that happen to you and positively contribute to a better future for other young people in Foster Care, but more on that later!
I will be working closely with the Participation team and also workers including a local Social Worker, He’s called Ben and hes on holiday right now
but soon you will get to meet him via the blog and sure enough at a group meet-up.
Ben heads up the Devon wide ‘About Us’ magazine, and very soon will be looking for young people to get involved in our next issue.
So thats a ‘hi’ from me!
I look forward to meeting people within this new and exciting role- please feel free to get in touch

• new out-door skills including rock-climbing, canoeing and caving

• communication, team building and problem solving skills.

Young people will need to get to the venues themselves which are in the Lake District, Wales and Scotland, if you need help with the cost of travel then please talk to your support worker or Social Worker about possible funding methods.

If you are between 16 and 24 then its easy – just go to their website and fill in the application form online!
www.chichestertrust.org.uk

You can get your Social Worker or someone from the Youth participation team to help you, the deadline is the 6 April 2012 so go for it!

If you have not already viewed our first edition of the quarterly e-zine series for young people leaving care you can do so online at careleavers.com.

Also, “Do you want to be part of the publication team for the CLA’s young person led guide to leaving care?

Share your experiences, tops tips, stories and other creative writing style entries on the following:

• “Accommodation”, tell us your experiences, good and bad!
• “Getting on in life” Share your success stories, whether it be education, employment, becoming successfully independent or any other achievement you would like to share
• “Getting in trouble with the law”, tell us your experiences and what you did to resolve things

Any entry can be either anonymous or you can be credited in full. For more information please contact Clare on clare.edge@careleavers.com.

Deadline for entries is 09^th January 2012″

Devon care leaver Sophie Easterbrook and her carer Mandy Plumridge appeared on Spotlight News – Mandy and Sophie were filmed by BBC Spotlight talking about Staying Put, and how it helped Sophie as she moved on from being in care. We have had a lot of positive comments from people that have seen it, especially about how well they both came over. Well done!

Devon care leavers and staff did a presentation to the All Party Parliamentary Group at the Houses of Parliament, London – Mandy Plumridge, Sophie Easterbrook, Nick Tyrell and Operations Manager Ian Stewart-Watson went to speak at a meeting that included MPs from the main parties, policy officers and a lot of young people.

They were able to share the positive things we do in Devon such as the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, the various outdoor activity groups set up by fostering, the drama work with Exeter University, About Us magazine, The Lounge website, the children in care and care leavers packs, and Staying Put arrangements. The reception they got was very positive, and it was recognised that we offer an impressive range of activities – a lot of young people said that their local authority did not provide these. In the discussion that followed it became clear that a lot of local authorities were struggling to meet their responsibilities towards children in care and care leavers. I think we came away with the view that while we have not got it all right in Devon, we have got a lot of good things to be proud of.

The Balloon Launch on 27 October at St Luke’s School – This is the first time Devon has tried such an event and everybody who was there enjoyed themselves. Over 25 young people filled out a consultation paper and we will circulate their views shortly. Some of the hopes, aspirations and messages from care attached to the balloons were:

• To successfully achieve in university and my chosen career.
• To win the lottery – more than once!
• To be a builder or go into the military.
• One day I’m going to join the Navy and explore the world.
• My wish is for everyone to treat each other how they’d like to be treated.
• To be close to my sister and be successful in the life ahead of me, as well as keeping on the straight path.
• To get out of hospital, get rich, be an artist, become a carer and help children that have come from a bad background.
• I live in my own flat.
• I am an A* student.
• I am more confident at college.
• I am at university studying law and sociology.
• Being in care has made me achieve better things.
• I am going to university to better myself
• The best thing about being in care is about the support I get for my education.
• I have been involved in the Children in Care Council
• I have been at college for three years.
• I did a presentation for school.
• I started college.
• I moved into independent accommodation.
• I found out who I really am.
• Leaving care made me want to change stuff.
• Hopefully I will be a football player when I grow up.
• I have a degree in teaching.
• I gave birth to my first baby, a beautiful girl.
• My care experience has made me stronger to succeed.
• I want to join the army or become a fireman.

As a result of this event, our young people have been invited to speak at a forthcoming full council meeting. It is going to be very helpful to give our councilors some positive messages about our care and care leaver’s service.

We also have some workers from the national Who Cares? Trust coming to Devon in March 2012 to interview young people for their magazine, and to lead a workshop to help our young people develop media skills. We will report on this in About Us summer 2012.

To help combat this they will be producing a quarterly magazine which is written by young people who have been through leaving care as a guide for others.

The magazine is free and is available free here or on the Care Leavers Association website.

Don’t forget you can register on the site if you are in care or a care leaver aged 15 years or older.