It’s not long now to go until Christmas. Having spend most of my adult life working with young people in and leaving the care system, I find this time a difficult one to discuss. I am acutely, and probably overly conscious of what a fraught and frightening time it can be for many young people. Having grown up away from parents, many adolescents decide with trepidation to spend a few days with family over the Christmas period. Like many of us, they are pray to the media’s portrayal of an idealised image of families eating and laughing together. When the reality is quite different, it can be a painful reminder of everything that defines you and your current situation. I can’t help but think of our young people over this period and want to make our bit of it as festive and warm as possible. I’m not pretending we’re compensation for families, but some moments of Christmas warmth and cheer don’t go amiss. We’ll be decorating a tree with young people on 1st December showing as much empathy, sensativety and warmth as we possibly can.
