News Beat
How a North East mentor changed a young woman’s future
Having been in care since she was seven, she’d spent years being passed through the care system and battling with mental health, desperate to find a parent figure in her life.
“I just didn’t want to live,” said Ellie.
“Being in care was the roughest place ever. I didn’t get to see my siblings, and my whole life was upside down.
“All I ever did was tell my story over and over again, because nobody in my life was permanent.”
But six years ago, that all changed when Joanne Andrews entered Ellie’s life, and everything started to change for them both.
Over a cinnamon bun inside a Hartlepool branch of Starbucks, the pair clicked over a shared love of rugby.
The meeting, arranged via Changing Futures Fostering, would change both of their lives forever.
“Fostering was something that I had wanted to do, but I just didn’t have the space,” said Joanne, 57.
“I have a small house and a daughter, and it wasn’t realistic.
“But then I came across Changing Futures’ Independent Visitors scheme, and I knew that this was exactly what I wanted.”
The scheme pairs adults with a young person in care and offers both sides support throughout the whole process, ensuring that it’s a good fit and a positive outcome.
Via Changing Futures, the adult receives full training and funding to take them on trips out, forming a friendship and becoming a role model in the process.
Over the past six years, the relationship has blossomed into far more, and both Joanne and Ellie have praised the services that Changing Futures offers.
“For someone who never had a strong parental figure in their life, Joanne was magical,” said Ellie, now 20.
“I thought that I would just go through my life alone, but Joanne showed me that I didn’t have to.
“When I’m down, she picks me up.
“She says that I’m her second daughter, and she showed me what a mother’s love should feel like.”
Currently, one in every 88 children in the North East is in care, the highest rate in the country.
Nationally, the number of children entering care has risen to record levels, and services like Changing Futures are vital for helping this, according to both Joanne and Ellie.
However, the number of applications to foster has fallen, showing a worrying trend and growing need.
Changing Futures helps find foster families for looked-after children.
The agency supports families from Teesside right up to Washington, Tyne and Wear, with training and round-the-clock support.
“What started as a chat in Starbucks has ended up as a bond that will last a lifetime between Ellie and Joanne, and one that has changed both of their futures for the better,” said Sarah Richardson, Changing Futures fostering manager.
“Often, that is through fostering, but we know that isn’t for everyone, and there are less intense ways to support children, many of whom just need someone they can rely on.
“We also offer mentoring, where you can support children leaving care for up to six months, and it doesn’t matter if you are 21 or 81, our door is open.
“There’s no such thing as the ideal applicant. We need different adults for different children – and what we look for primarily are people with the right set of values and a big heart.”
Sarah says that since launching Changing Futures North East in 2013, being there for the children of the region is what it’s all about.
And that’s just what Ellie needed.
Having entered care whilst still in primary school, that period was admittedly “rough” and left her feeling lost in those formative years.
“I couldn’t open up or trust anyone, never mind an adult, and from an early age, I felt like I’d been failed,” she added.
“But when Joanne came along, it felt different. We laughed, and it all just felt so natural.”
Over the years, Joanne took rugby-mad Ellie up and down the UK to matches and trials, supporting her every step of the way.
During lockdown, when Ellie lost her best friend to mental health, Joanne would meet her for walks.
She became her rock, but also, for the first time, an ear she could trust would listen.
Fast-forward six years, and while Ellie has left care and is living independently, the pair still share a mother-daughter relationship.
For Joanne, her experience led to a career change as a personal advisor working for children leaving care, something she says she would have never considered without having gone through this experience.
“With Ellie, she’s now part of my family, part of me and part of my life,” proudly added Joanne.
“I couldn’t imagine my life without her in it.”
And for Ellie, the feeling is mutual.
As a residential worker, she now works supporting other young people in care, and recently won a national award, handed to her by Princess Anne.
“I was failed so many times that I wanted to do something with my life to try and ensure no other child goes through that,” she added.
“But without Joanne, I couldn’t have as much love in my heart as I do.
“Don’t let the past define you, as I’m now thriving in my own home with a mortgage, a gorgeous partner and our little dog.
“The things that are the most challenging in life come out with the most beautiful rewards at the end, and what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.”
What is an Independent Visitor?
An Independent Visitor (‘IV’) is a volunteer who specifically supports a child or young person living in care.
This could be foster care or a residential children’s home.
The role is unique and unlike any of the other support offered to children in care, according to Changing Futures.
Whereas social workers, foster parents and living arrangements for children can change, the IV should be a consistent and reliable figure.
It is a befriending role that is built over time.
IVs “take an interest in the lives, hopes and concerns of a child or young person, and are there to listen and, most of all, have fun,” says Changing Futures.
Who can apply
- You need to be 21+ to apply.
- You live in Teesside.
- Use of a car is beneficial but not essential.
- No previous experience of supporting young people is necessary.
- Changing Futures is looking for volunteers with the right values. People who can befriend, support, advise and are committed to young people reaching their potential.
Becoming an Independent Visitor
To speak to a team member at Changing Futures, call them on 01429 891 444 or leave them a message.
They ask all their volunteers to complete a quick application form.
Once they receive an application form, they’ll book people in for an informal volunteer interview, usually on Zoom.
