National Care Leavers Week gives our incredible young people who have been in care the chance to raise awareness of the challenges they have faced, but at the same time show the amazing success they have gone on to achieve in their lives.
We have spoken to three care leavers – Ahmed Mohammed, Irene Hazelwood and Daniel Edwards – and wanted to hear about their own personal experiences and how it has helped develop them all into the people they are today.
By sharing their stories, struggles and standout successes, we hope that it helps support and inspire other people who are – or have been – in similar situations.
Ahmed is a mentor/motivational speaker and the CEO and founder of You vs You CIC. He said:
I had a great experience, despite the challenges that come with being a young person in the care system. I was fortunate to be placed with a lovely foster family and an amazing social worker. I have so many great memories.
Being in care has moulded me to become the man I am today. It made me realise that circumstances are just a part of life and it does not define your future.
One of my proudest moments was to achieve 10 GCSEs Grades A-C within a short period of time & I couldn’t have done it without my foster mum, social worker & my teachers, who always pushed me to work hard & believe in myself.
I’m now the CEO/Founder of You vs You CIC, supporting young people - including children in care & care leavers - through mentoring & personal development workshops.
On any advice he'd give to youngsters in care, Ahmed added:
There’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Use your current situation as motivation to keep going.
Be humble and respectful to those around you, who are willing to help you succeed. Believe in yourself and stay focused, ignore the negative and learn to focus on the positive experiences.
Mum-of-two Irene Hazelwood works at the civil service having graduated from university.
She says her experience had its “good and bad points,” adding:
I was blessed to have really good social workers, who guided me & helped me to achieve all my goals.
I’m grateful because it moulded me into the strong, resilient woman I am today. I’m hard-working and I feel as though I can accomplish anything that I put my mind to. I have been able to not let any hardship or difficulties in my life break me down.
I was able to graduate from university and also get a job within civil service. I did all this with two children and I never gave up.
In terms of her advice to a young person in care or a fellow care leaver, Irene stated:
It might look like it’s a never-ending tunnel, but there’s a light at the end.
Take any opportunity that comes your way & don’t think being in care is a bad thing. It’s a stepping stone within your life that is moulding you to be a strong person and giving you life experiences that will shape you as a person.
It’s not the end of your journey, it’s only the beginning. You’re special and never judge yourself for being in the situation that you are in. Rise up and shine. Don’t let anybody dim your light.
Like Ahmed, Daniel gets the opportunity to work with children in care and care leavers as a Project Support Officer here at Haringey Council and can readily emphasise with their plights and predicaments having been in the exact same situation himself in his formative years. He commented:
I first entered care when I was 11 years old. To begin with, it was very overwhelming…to leave my family and join a new one can be scary for anyone.
My foster carer welcomed me with open arms; this made the process easier and more bearable. I was also lucky enough to have a good run of social workers, who explained my situation to me and outlined all available support.
Being in care has shaped me today as I needed to grow up faster and develop my confidence. It has allowed me to meet some good friends and even work with many charities and organisations, one of which even helped me to get full-time employment once I finished university.
Daniel added:
My proudest moment is being able to help facilitate change for other children in care and care leavers within the borough. With my current job, I am even able to assist in facilitating more change from behind-the-scenes with my new role within the council.
The advice that I would have for others who are in – or leaving – care would be to embrace the support that’s available. There’s a lot of support out there and a lot of support workers who care about your wellbeing and are willing to help.
Thank you very much indeed to Ahmed, Irene and Daniel for sharing your experiences and stories with us.
National Care Leavers Week takes place between 25 October – 1 November.
