IKEA

Throughout our partnership, IKEA have worked hard to support Barnardo’s to be there for care-experienced young people. We are now working with IKEA on a project to support care-experienced young parents, a group of people who are crucially in need of our support.  

Barnardo's research has highlighted a gap in resources to support care-experienced young parents in living well at home as well as poor mental health and well-being. Further to this, research has found that this group are harder to reach and difficult to engage due to the stigma attached to being a care-experienced young parent. We aim to break this stigma through the support of this project.​ 

With IKEA’s funding and support, we will be collaborating between care-experienced young parents and local services to co-design and develop a meaningful offer that benefits the individual, their family and other care-experienced young people in the community. Directly working to improve the home environment, well-being and working together to make systemic, lasting change.​ 

The aims of this project are to: ​ 

• ​Increase access to resources and opportunities to improve their homes and parenting experience.​ 

• Be part of a meaningful co-production, a community, have their voices amplified and their ideas invested in. ​ 

• Build relationships and a support network, reducing loneliness and isolation​. 

• Create positive change locally and nationally for themselves and other care experiences young people and parents. ​ 

The core group of care-experienced young parents will help to build and grow a safe and supportive home away from home. Something which currently, many care-experienced young parents do not have. ​ 

Together we will change this. Through offering workshops, care crates and ongoing support this project will help to improve the lives of 200 care-experienced young people and continue to transform the lives of many more.