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Exploring the History of Care Untold Stories 22
Exploring the History of Care – Untold Stories
As part of Care Experienced History Month this April, we hosted Untold Stories: a free lecture series where we invited the public to learn more about the history of Care Experienced people and communities. Taking place both in person and virtually, we were joined by expert lecturers who shed light on previously untold stories from history. Find out more about what we learned!
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1. “Her Affecting Story”:
Benomê, a Liberated
African child
Our first guest speaker Dr. Christine Whyte shared the story of Benomê, an African child whose slave ship was intercepted by British antislave trade patrols on the coast of Portugal during the 19th century. Benomê’s story represented thousands of children who entered a new type of care, as they were termed ‘wards’ of the British state between 1808 and 1900. Dr Whyte examined Benomê’s life as she travelled across the British Empire, as well as the experiences of those around her.
2.‘Kindertransported’
We were joined by Holocaust survivor Henry Wuga MBE, who came to Scotland as part of an organised rescue effort which took him from Nazi Germany to the UK. One of nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children who travelled via the Kindertransport scheme, Henry was later arrested for attempting to contact his parents – a major crime during wartime. Henry and his story highlight the importance of showing compassion towards refugees, a message particularly relevant in current times.
3.‘Care, Race and
Illegitimacy in
Eighteenth Century
Britain’
In the late 18th century, thousands of children were born to Indian women and white British men sent to expand the British Empire. Many of these children came to Britain to be raised by white foster families. In this lecture, Dr. Kate Gibson followed the story of the Cust family: a set of siblings born in the 1770s, providing a lens with which to view foster care and trans-racial placements during an early historical period.
4.‘A Home from Home? Children and Social
Care in Britain, 1870 – 1920’
Dr. Claudia Soares explored the experiences of young people in care in the 19th and 20th centuries. Using care records and personal letters, Claudia investigated how children gave meaning to their care experience, the impact it had on their everyday lives, and how people thought children should be raised in the past. Claudia examined handwritten letters during the period which shed further light on the types of jobs Care Experienced people could expect to start as they transitioned into independent living, as well as the close relationship with their guardians.
5. ‘A History from Below: The Rights Movement of Young People in Care in England’
Those of you familiar with us might have joined in with some of our campaigning work! In this lecture Professor Mike Stein brought us back to the very beginning of the Care Experienced rights movement in the 1970s. Starting with influential local groups, such as the Leeds Ad-Lib group, Black and In Care, and A National Voice – Care Experienced people came together to publish magazines and campaign for better conditions in care.
7. ‘Scottish Care History:
An Untold Story’
Intended to mark a new era of childcare, the Kilbrandon report saw Scotland make a number of changes to the care system. Changes in one area involved thousands of children and young people yet is rarely mentioned, with their experiences disappearing into the void of care file storage. Despite little research until now, David Anderson used contemporary sources and lived experience to shine a light on this under-explored period of Scotland’s history
6. ‘Black, Asian and ethnic minority young people and the UK care system’
Dr. Robin Sen looked at the experience of ethnic and minority children in care following World War 2, with an exploration of the published memoirs of Lemn Sissay and Jackie Kay. Robin broke down the issue of black children being adopted by white foster carers, and how the topic of race and care has been perceived by politicians and people of colour.
