Spark Sisterhood for girls in and leaving care.

Louise Allen Founder of Spark Sisterhood

I grew-up in care. I was fostered, adopted then fostered then sent back to my adoptive family which was not safe. I ran away at 15 yrs. from Oxford to Portsmouth with nothing and nowhere to go. I had also been expelled from school and told that I would be pregnant and on heroin by the time I was 16yrs. old. At 22 yrs. I became a university academic and have gone on to become author of the and exhibiting artist and a foster carer. My first book was my memoir ‘Thrown Away Child’ published by Simon and Schuster.

A year ago, I set up Spark Sisterhood after seeing too many girls fail once they time out of the care system at 16 yrs. old. The research findings for girls in and leaving care are grim . Their options are not the same as their peers. Like me girls from care struggle in school settings, they can become homeless, some girls are offered a tent as part of their leaving care package. They can fall  pregnant, not always from being in a loving relationship. They are more likely to become addicted to drugs, trafficked or caught up in County Lines, suffer from depression, anxiety, self-injury and eating disorders. They can suffer from isolation, loneliness and poverty. 

I had to do something.

So many girls from care are told that they only have a few options, mostly low paid work with no career trajectory. Often further and higher education are not the right options for girls from care either. The lack of routine and structure and debt creates more uncertainty and stress. Girls can’t join in student life because they have so little money and no home to invite friends to. But they do have skills!

Spark Sisterhood has created the ‘Care to Career’ program that teaches girls life and employment skills in recognition that so many girls have little to no financial awareness, some can’t use a washing machine or sew on a button. We teach girls how to cook healthy meals on a budget, how to complete a CV. We do this differently. We work with organisations like the Royal Navy and Funny Women who teach life skills and self-confidence. We teach manners, emotional and physical self-defence, first aid and so much more. All the skills to equip girls for life and employment. 

Spark Sisterhood believes that when girls are financially independent and can see a future for themselves their mental and physical health will improve. We are working with businesses and organisations to get girls ready for work and apprenticeships.