Creative Working with Care Experienced Young People

Creativity Works* is currently working on a project to try and understand what creative activities young people (particularly those aged 14-25) who have experience of the care system are interested in and whether they are able to take part in these activities. Our goal is to assess whether the needs of care experienced children and young people are being met by the creative sector and, if not, to share insights from the research with the creative sector and social services and explore how provision might be developed to meet these needs.
We are working with Durham County Council’s Children’s Social Care to undertake this project.
A number of different groups of people are contributing to the project: care experienced young people; foster parents and other carers of young people; workforce who support care experienced young people (e.g. social workers); and, cultural organisations.
We’re hoping that you can help us by answering a few questions.
At the end of the project we will be sharing our learning via a dissemination event and a report which will be made available to you.
*Creativity Works is a social enterprise which creates opportunities for people from disadvantaged communities and marginalised groups to access the arts, develop artistic and creative skills sets, acquire industry specific know how and know who and build creative careers. The CIC works with cultural, arts and heritage organisations to reduce the barriers to engagement for disadvantaged and marginalised groups and address the lack of a diverse workforce across the creative sector.
1.What is your name?
2.What is the name of the organisation you work in?
3.What is your role within the organisation you work in?
4.What is your email address?
5.What creative activities do you/the organisation you work for offer to children and young people and to what ages?
6.Are these activities accessible to care experienced children and young people?
7.Do you/the organisation you work for actively do anything to ensure that this provision is accessible for care experienced children and young people?
8.Do you/the organisation you work for offer any provision that is designed exclusively for care experienced children and young people?
9.Are you aware of any care experienced children/young people currently accessing any of the following opportunities from your organisation (please tick all that apply, indicating their ages):
Under 4
Aged 4-11
Aged 11-16
Aged 16-18
Aged 18-25
N/A
Creative activity opportunities
Creative education and talent development (e.g. Arts Award, Music grades, Dance grades)
Volunteering opportunities
Work experience
Apprenticeships
Work
10.If you/the organisation you work for are not currently actively making opportunities accessible to care experienced children and young people but would like to, or would like to extend your provision for them, please select which you would like to actively make available (please tick all that apply):
Under 4
Aged 4-11
Aged 11-16
Aged 16-18
Aged 18-25
N/A
Creative activity opportunities
Creative education and talent development (e.g. Arts Award, Music grades, Dance grades)
Volunteering opportunities
Work experience
Apprenticeships
Work
11.Please tell us of any barriers you feel that you/your organisation faces to making these opportunities accessible to care experienced children and young people.
12.Please tell us what you feel would help you/your organisation make the opportunities you offer/wish to offer accessible to care experienced children and young people, for example: access to networks; training; experience; funding.
13.Would you be interested in participating in an in person focus group to explore this issue in more depth?
This would take place over a half day and would be held face to face.
Thank you for answering these questions and we look forward to sharing the outcome of the project with you.

Jane Shaw
Creativity Works