Life Blogger Series: Forever Care

Tuesday 02 September 2025

As part of our national Participation Programme, children and young people under the care of Five Rivers take part in skills-based workshops throughout the year. Some of the young people have recently taken part in a life blogging workshop in partnership with the Royal Literary Fund and produced short blogs about their care experience.  

Cruise Star, one of these young people has written this blog about finding a forever home, reflecting on their experience and the impact finding a permanent home had on them. As with all the young people in our care, our Participation programme is part of the support we offer young people, who are often supported by our Clinical Services team. 

6 HOMES IN 11 YEARS, I FINALLY HAVE A PERMANENT ONE! 

5 Years ago, my life changed. I have lived in the same town but in 2 different homes. One of the homes I moved to, was in February 2020 and that move was the first home in this town. 

Each day I woke up with different people on shift, at times I liked the people and at times I didn’t. At that home I was learning new stuff about myself, but it still didn’t feel like I knew myself. I made some new and fun memories, in the home but it wasn’t a proper family. New staff came and some left, nothing felt right when the staff changed shift, but it was also nice not seeing the same faces every day. Being in this home nothing was consistent and things were always changing.  

One of the members of staff there left to become a supervising social worker, this person actually found a perfect family for me. She spoke to the residential home and they agreed it would be a good move for me. 

During the transition Covid hit us and surprise, surprise – I caught it. I had Covid during the summer holidays which is when I was meant to have a couple nights round the family’s house that I would be staying with. We had video chats to get to know each other better.  When I had Covid, I spent a lot of time in my room which meant I could start packing. The day came – we called it the big move towards positive change. It was a Thursday in August 2021. 

I was dropped off in the afternoon, I was sad to be leaving but also excited for my new start with a new family. I was taken to my room; my stuff came up the stairs with me and no it didn’t grow feet it was carried unfortunately. While dinner was being made, me and a couple other family members went over a field opposite the house, we kicked a football and a rugby ball around. We came back in and had dinner. After that I went for a shower and funny thing the pool table arrived and was set up, I say funnily enough because it came the evening I moved in. Me and the pool table have been here the same length of time.  

It came to being a year, then two, then 3 and we are nearly at 4 years with this family. A Tuesday in April 2025 I went up for a permanency panel in Slough that should have been done 3 years ago.  

My foster mum and I went into a panel room, it was overwhelming. It was a long table and there were 9 other people in the room. The table opposite had a gap between it from the panel people. I sat in the middle of the table, I felt so anxious, and I was like ‘No thanks.’  

I went out the room for a while on my own with a social worker and I wrote a lovely piece about why I wanted to stay where I am. After a while I took my piece of paper with everything on it back over to the meeting. I wasn’t confident enough to read so I asked my Foster mum if she could read it for me, so she did. They listened to what we had to say, and I got told I should be a poet. My foster mum and I went out the room for 5 minutes before coming back in. This is where we find out if I can stay with the family. 

The panel people said that the connection was amazing between us and that we are definitely a Perfect match! 

I’m now here permanently and this home is my last and I’m so happy that I am here. This family has taught me to be myself and made me who I am today. They helped me know what I want in life and I’m really glad that I can be here to share the rest of my teenage life with these amazing people. I love them all and they all actually want me here -they care deeply for me. I am who I am because of these people, and those panel people made the rest of my life safe and great because they are allowing me to be in a home that I love more than anything in the world. This is my home and I’m happy to call it that. 

This is a blog written by a young person in the care of the Five Rivers family as part of our Life Blogger Series, in partnership with The Royal Literary Fund.