Our Story
The Why Not? Trust for Care Experienced Young People began in 2014 as a project of Care Visions Children’s Services. We became an independent charity in 2018, and since then, we have focused on breaking down barriers and putting relationships at the heart of everything we do. We believe in listening to those with experience and in keeping the Promise to support care-experienced young people.
We started Why Not? because we recognised how important relationships are for the wellbeing and resilience of young people in care, both during and after their time in care. Many young people faced challenges in keeping these relationships, so we created Why Not? to help protect and support them. As the young people involved became successful adults, we saw the positive effects of these relationships. We wanted all care-experienced young people to have the same opportunities.
To highlight the importance of relationships, we developed the Rights to Relationships Charter and actively participated in the Independent Care Review. We were thrilled when the need for ongoing relationships was recognised in The Promise.
Now that keeping relationships after care is valued, we aim to support care-experienced individuals at different life stages. We focus on helping those who are becoming parents or starting their studies. Our goal is to provide safe, caring relationships at all life transitions. With our new digital HUB, we create specific communities, allowing everyone to join the groups that suit them best.
Currently, our main programmes include:
A welcoming online community for anyone impacted by the care system who is parenting or the parent of a child aged 0-5 years. It’s a space to connect, learn and share support. The Village was created by parents for parents.
An online community designed by students with care experience. It’s a safe space to connect, share experiences, and find helpful information about higher education.
Thinking Space offers young people impacted by the care system a confidential space to recognise the impact of their past. It is a space free from judgment or correction where they can process their experience from their perspective. By supporting self awareness we can support empowerment.
The Rights to Relationships Charter
The Why Not? Trust supports care-experienced young people to continue trusting relationships with the people who have cared for them. Based on insights from our community, we created a Charter that highlights what makes these relationships meaningful. We hope every organisation supporting children and young people will adopt these principles. As our charity grows, the Right to Relationships Charter will remain central to our work.