The Children's Institute supports children and young people who have lived in foster care or child and youth care centres in Cape Town and Belfast to engage in dialogue about their experiences of alternative care and leaving care. With colleagues at Queen’s University Belfast and expert practitioners, the youth co-produced a research agenda aligned to the common interests of care-experienced youth in both communities.
Comparative reflection on care brought insights that would not have been gained through youth participation in a single country: frequency of social worker rotation, social inclusion, opportunities for being heard, and intersecting identities of care-experienced youth in post-conflict societies. As a priority they wished to challenge a stereotyped ‘care’ identity and to express their commonalities and differences in an unequal world.
To promote youth aspirations for visibility and voice, a documentary has been co-produced by the young people that presents their insights on alternative care and leaving care.The South Africa launch of the documentary, titled United and Unique, took place in 2025.
The priorities for change that the care-experienced young adults are calling for are:
- An end to the stereotyping and negative attitudes that can lead to stigma and discrimination for care-experienced young people.
- Opportunities to influence policy, practice and the law, and have their voices listened to.
- Champions who will make sure that the government pays attention to their needs.
- Supportive relationships throughout the process of leaving care and that continue afterwards.
- Mental health services that are easier for care leavers to access and that recognise them as a priority group.
Alongside the documentary, a youth report was produced that shares the issues that matter most to care leavers, and ideas for how things could change.