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The Story Behind Care Leavers Cymru
Care Leavers Cymru was founded by Jayne Tanti, drawing on both lived and professional experience of the care system.
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Having grown up in care, Jayne understands many of the challenges that care-experienced children, young people and adults can face throughout their lives. Questions around identity, belonging, relationships and trust do not simply disappear when a young person leaves care. For many, these experiences continue into adulthood and shape how they see themselves and the world around them.
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Through both personal experience and years of working alongside care-experienced individuals, Jayne recognised the need for a different approach. One that looks beyond services and systems and focuses on what every person needs to thrive: belonging, meaningful relationships, opportunity, understanding and a voice.
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Care Leavers Cymru was established to improve outcomes for care-experienced children, young people and adults, while supporting professionals and organisations to better understand the impact of care experience and trauma.
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Today, our work spans training, consultancy, advocacy, system change and community-based initiatives. We work alongside local authorities, education settings, criminal justice agencies, third-sector organisations and communities to create services and opportunities that place care-experienced people at the heart of decision-making.
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Everything we do is guided by a simple belief: care experience should never define a person's future.
Because every child deserves more than a service. Every care leaver deserves more than survival. They deserve belonging, opportunity, identity and a future filled with possibility.
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Our work focuses on identity, belonging, trauma-informed practice, criminal justice, emotional wellbeing and creating systems that recognise the unique experiences of care-experienced individuals
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About Jayne
Jayne is the Founder of Care Leavers Cymru and Care Leavers Collective Community Interest Company.
For Jayne, this work is more than a profession. It is personal.
Having grown up in care herself, Jayne understands many of the challenges that care-experienced children, young people and adults can face. Questions around identity, belonging, relationships and trust do not simply disappear when a young person leaves care. For many, these experiences continue into adulthood, shaping how they see themselves, the opportunities available to them and their sense of place in the world.
Her own experiences, combined with more than 18 years of professional practice, have fuelled a lifelong commitment to improving outcomes for care-experienced people and ensuring their voices are heard, valued and included in decisions that affect their lives.
Over the years, Jayne has worked across children's services, fostering, adoption, leaving care and criminal justice, supporting children, young people and adults at different stages of their journeys. Through this work she has witnessed both the challenges that many care-experienced people face and the difference that can be made when people are met with understanding, opportunity, consistency and genuine relationships.
As a trauma-informed practitioner with a degree in Social Care Management, Jayne develops and delivers training, consultancy and practice improvement initiatives that help organisations better understand the impact of care experience, trauma, identity and belonging.
Jayne is particularly recognised for her work supporting care-experienced young adults involved in, or at risk of entering, the criminal justice system. Her expertise has led to opportunities to work alongside HMPPS, the Ministry of Justice, local authorities and national partners to improve policy, practice and outcomes for care-experienced people across England and Wales.
At the heart of everything Jayne does is a simple belief: care-experienced people deserve more than survival. They deserve to feel seen, heard, valued and supported. They deserve opportunities to belong, to heal, to grow and to build futures filled with possibility.
Through Care Leavers Cymru and Care Leavers Collective Community Interest Company, Jayne continues to work alongside professionals, organisations and communities to create meaningful change and improve the lives of care-experienced children, young people and adults.
MISSION
Our mission is to improve outcomes for care-experienced children, young people and adults through belonging, advocacy, community action, training and system change.
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We work alongside individuals, professionals, organisations and communities to create opportunities, strengthen support and influence services so that care-experienced people feel valued, understood and empowered to thrive.
VISION
Our vision is a future where every care-experienced person feels they belong, has access to the opportunities they deserve and is supported by systems that recognise their strengths, experiences and potential.
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We want to see a society where care-experienced voices are heard, stigma is challenged and no child or care leaver is defined by their experiences of care.
VALUES
Belonging
We believe every care-experienced person deserves to feel connected, valued and understood.
Lived Experience
We place the voices and experiences of care-experienced people at the heart of everything we do.
Compassion
We lead with empathy, understanding and a commitment to trauma-informed practice.
Collaboration
We work alongside individuals, communities and organisations to create meaningful and lasting change.
Courage
We are not afraid to challenge systems, influence practice and speak up for what care-experienced people need.
Accountability
We are committed to transparency, integrity and improving outcomes through action, not just intention.
Care Leavers Collective
Community Interest Company
Care Leavers Collective CIC is the community impact arm of Care Leavers Cymru, created to deliver projects that support identity, belonging, emotional wellbeing and opportunity for care-experienced children, young people and adults.
This includes initiatives such as The SNUG Project, Theatre for Change, Belonging Through Sport and future community-based projects.
These projects sit alongside the training, consultancy and system change work of Care Leavers Cymru, helping us create both direct support and wider change.
Who We Work With
​​​​​Our services are designed for professionals working with:​
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Children and young people in care.
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Care experienced children and young people in education.
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Care experienced young people in custody settings.
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Care-experienced young people transitioning into independent living.
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Teams seeking to integrate trauma-informed approaches into their practices when supporting care experienced children and young people .​​
Why Choose Us?
Lived Experience
As a team with personal and professional experience in the care and criminal justice system, we bring authentic insights into the challenges children in care and care-experienced young people face.
Tailored Solutions
We customise every service to fit the unique needs of your organisation, ensuring meaningful, lasting impact.
Proven Expertise
With extensive lived and professional experience across care, custody and community settings, we bring insight, credibility and practical understanding to our work.