Many of us take the support and care we receive from our parents and family members for granted but, sadly, hundreds of people across Wales do not have this same support network. Of course one of the groups that most struggle with this lack of familial support – which can cause them to feel isolated and out-of-place or cause them to struggle navigating daily life as they grow up – is young people and those who have lived or spent some time in care while growing up.
While there is plenty of support available for children and teenagers in care, including from social workers, youth workers, and young people's organisations, there's very little support available for care-experienced adolescents as they grow up and become adults and for care-experienced adults in their early 20s who are perhaps still reeling from their time in care during their teenage years.
But one inspiring woman is hoping to change all that. Helen Davies from Killay in Swansea is the founder and director of Sunflower Lounge, a social enterprise that's supporting care-experienced young adults across Wales – particularly from Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Powys and Carmarthenshire – as they learn to navigate adult life independently.
