Free Loaves on Fridays: The Care System As Told By People Who Actually Get It

In this exclusive Q&A for BASW, we asked BASW Professional Officer and the book's editor, Rebekah Pierre for an insight into the aims of the book and how anyone with care experience can contribute to it.
 

1. What is the aim of the book and how did the idea first come about?

Back in February, I wrote an article for The Guardian about the harm of unregulated placements from a care-experienced perspective. Shortly after, a publisher who had come across the piece reached out to ask if I’d be interested in editing an anthology of care-experienced stories. According to the publisher, the piece had highlighted the lack of care-experienced representation in the publishing industry – something they were keen to address.

I almost declined at first. I thought that publishing a selection of stories would mean rejecting a great many, and that was something I wasn’t prepared to do – care-experienced people face enough rejection as it is, and have done over the past year especially given the treatment the community has faced in major reviews. But after much  thought, I agreed - only on the basis that there would be a no-rejection policy, and each and every contribution would find a much-valued home, and be given the care and respect it deserved. 

The aim of the book is to give a loud, clear message that care-experienced voices matter –that they deserve to have a place in the centre of book shops, and not just on the bottom of feedback forms which are read once and forgotten forever. Or worse still, in consultations where our voices may be cherry-picked and misinterpreted.

Free Loaves on Fridays deserves to exist, because there is a care-experienced gap in bookshelves, in parliament, and in the media. We are systemically denied access to such platforms; only 13% of care-leavers end up at university compared to 43% of the population – and the adverse outcomes don’t stop here. Whilst we’re underrepresented in education and positions of power, we are overrepresented when it comes to homelessness, the criminal justice system, and even cases of premature death.

The project will provide opportunities for our community to feel a sense of worth and achievement. To celebrate who we are and what we have overcome – and to see our names in print for all the right reasons. This is particularly close to home given that so often we are written about, but without, whether in care records, policy documents or in the press. This year I made the decision to request my care files and almost immediately regretted doing so due to what I found. It made me realise that due to the power imbalance, some of those in power feel they can write about us without impunity – because, for example, they doubt we would ever have the wherewithal to request what is written about us. These attitudes need to change.

Through this work we aim to touch the heart of the general public, including professionals – to increase awareness (and allyship), have a stake in our own story, and reclaim care-experience as something to take pride in. I personally did not disclose my care-experience until my late twenties, partly because I had no positive frame of reference. I hope Free Loaves go some way toward bridging that gap.

Finally, I hope it can provide CEP with a sense of achievement. Hearing that your words have power can be a life-changing thing. I know this because, when in care, I almost didn’t finish my A-levels. Living at the hostel made it all but impossible. How can you study with raves going on til 4am, and a drug dealer next door? But one thing stopped me – my English teacher, Miss Baines, gave me some positive feedback about my coursework. It sounds trivial, but it was a true turning point, in that in made be believe that what I had to say had value. I hope others can experience this, too.

Proceeds go to Article 39 and Together Trust – two fantastic charities who fight for children’s rights. The work undertaken by both has never been more vital, and in the current political landscape,  I would fear a world where they did not exist.

2. The title of the book is really interesting- what is its meaning and its connection to changing people’s understanding of what it means to be care-experienced?

Free Loaves on Fridays, is a throwback to when I lived in an unregulated hostel in care. Every Friday, residents were given a donation of free loaves from the local bread factory. It was always the same old half-stale  leftovers. Thick sliced white – plain, simple, and loaded with cholesterol. When you’re living in poverty, any sort of donation is like gold dust, but still, it felt humiliating to be doled out whatever was left without any choice. I remember feeling somewhat taunted by the ‘TOASTIE’ label on the front – because half the time couldn’t even afford to turn on the electricity on. Toasting the bread wasn’t even an option.

The title is a way of reclaiming that experience – to allow us an element of choice for once. If not about bread, then at least about the way we tell our stories.

Free Loaves on Fridays aims to bring professionals into our world, for once – which is quite something, given that so often it is care-experienced folk stepping into theirs (often quite literally in offices and meeting rooms).

It is one thing, for example, reading about PTSD or poverty. But when you see the very world through this lens – when trauma, fear or hunger linger long after the page is shut, well, that is something which cannot be explained in any policy briefing.

Finally, it is clear to me that those who come up with cruel, draconian policies – such as to place 16/17 year olds in care-less settings such as caravans, bedsits, and even boats with no adult support (see the #KeepCaringto18 campaign for more details) – have no lived experience of the care system. And yet, at the close of 2022, the government is making serious proposals that settings like these could be used to home some of the most vulnerable children in society – despite knowing 29 children have died in these types of settings over the past 5 years.

It is time eyes, hearts and minds were opened.

3. You’ve launched an open call for care experience individuals and those who were care affected to contribute to the book. How do people get involved?

If you were in care for any period aged 17 and under, and want to help change the public's understanding of what it means to be care-experienced, we would love to publish your words. You are welcome to submit regardless of your age, background, or level of writing experience. 

The deadline is 15th January.

There are two ways to get involved – either by submitting a poem, reflection or any other piece of creative writing on any topic around care up to 250 words, or by submitting an open letter on the theme of children’s rights up to 750 words.

Further detailed instructions can be found below in our submissions guidace – as well as safeguarding considerations for professionals supporting children or vulnerable adults to take part, tips on taking care whilst writing about painful topics, and more: https://unbound.com/books/free-loaves-on-fridays/updates/do-you-have-a-story-to-tell

Anyone who has access needs can email freeloavesonfridays@gmail.com for further support.

4. Most people who are interested in submitting their stories probably don’t have previous writing experience. What advice do you have for them?

First of all, I’d like to stress that all voices, no matter whether you have no writing experience at all,  are welcome – the heart of this book is to amplify the voices of those who have been traditionally unheard, overlooked, or made to feel invisible. If we don’t hear from people who have no say, we will never get close to understanding the realities of life in/post-care.

It may sound cliché, but I would advise to keep things simple. The most powerful writing isn’t about using fancy words or clever metaphors – though those are welcome too. It’s about writing from the heart, speaking honestly and plainly about what matters. Remember that your voice is unique – no one else in the world can write the way you do, and there is immense value in that. There is no ‘right or wrong’ when it comes to speaking your truth.

If you don’t know where to start, simply starting with the sentence ‘I have no idea where to begin right now, but…’ and just free-writing whatever comes to mind can help. Some people may find inspiration from different sources – an image, a certain song, or an object which means something to you. Keeping the body active where possible can also help when ‘writers block’ strikes. Pacing yourself and taking time out is crucial. On this note, it is important to note that whilst writing can be immensely empowering, it can also bring up memories we may rather forget.

For this reason, our submission guide contains some tips on how to look after yourself during what can be an emotionally taxing process. If you are interested in submitting, please do take the time to check these out – and most importantly, put yourself first. Now may not be the right time to write about your experiences, and there is absolutely no pressure to take part. There are many other brilliant writing opportunities which we also signpost to in the guidance.  

5. There is a care-experience gap that still exists in our media, politics and literature. What do you think should be done to address this? How do we raise awareness and improve public understanding of the care system?

It all starts with representation. We know that sadly, barriers to care-experienced folk accessing higher education, and therefore social mobility, are many. If CEP are not represented in politics, newsrooms or in places of power or influence, little will change. The government, but also local authorities and businesses must commit to providing opportunities for CEP who would otherwise be excluded – grades, hampered by poor living conditions, trauma or school exclusion often fail to represent the many strengths CEP have to offer. Widening participation in a meaningful way is a must.

But employers and newsrooms must do the work internally to make their environments welcoming to begin with. Who would want to work for an organisation which churns out stigmatising headlines about them on a weekly basis?

Only last week, I came across an article reporting on how members of the public were protesting the development of a children’s home on their road. I shall not provide the link to this article, because the news outlet does not deserve further traffic to its website for publishing something so stigmatising. This is just one example of the scaremongering caused by the media, which causes literal children to feel unwelcome in their own homes. Is it any wonder so many of us do not disclose – and therefore find the support we are entitled to?

Usually, it is damning headlines or outdated media stereotypes on TV, such as Tracey Beaker (which was written with no care-experienced input whatsoever) which have the most influence over how our community is perceived. It is time the public heard directly from people who have lived through it. Not just cartoonish caricatures, or worse – characters who live up to harmful stereotypes and entrench stigma even more.  

I personally didn’t begin to open up about my own care-experience until my late twenties – partly due to the stigma, but largely because I didn’t have any frame of reference.  Growing up, I had never seen any positive media representation (which is why this year’s John Lewis advert is such a powerful watershed moment). I think that, had positive, humanising representation like this existed when I was younger – or indeed, if I could have walked into a bookshop and seen Free Loaves on Fridays on the shelf, I would have felt seen, heard, and validated. This is what I hope the book will provide for younger generations.

When it comes to politics, there is often a tokenistic approach to involving care-experienced folk in discussions about care. We’re at the periphery, rather than the centre – true co-production lies in centring marginalised voices, not just adding them in as an after-thought. To even get close to improve public understanding we need to be in partnership with decision makers – not just shoehorned into an online survey.

Finally, there are so many misconceptions about care, and in the social work sector, we often forget that others may not have the context we do. I recently did a talk to a hall full of children in year and around half admitted to not knowing what the care system even meant. De-mystifying it and explaining it in simple terms, unhampered by industry jargon is an important step to raising allyship.