While making our production The Children's Inquiry with care-experienced young people, we gathered there was a real need for practical tools to help build genuine connections within the care system. The wider issue was a lack of relationship-based models - care often felt transactional rather than real. 

How to Build a Family grew from that need. It's a multi-faceted project creating resources that center care-experienced voices. We've reached 2,770 students through workshops and assemblies across schools, consulting with them on what makes a good game and what care means to them - responses have been astounding! All young people have valuable insights about what it takes to feel seen and loved in a family setting, whatever it may look like.

At the heart of the project is a card game we're co-designing with Creative Associates Tamara Browne and Tom Hume-Steer, alongside key consultant groups of care-experienced young people.

We're also creating training videos featuring social workers and witnesses from The Children's Inquiry aimed at professionals in the field, and rolling out CPD webinars for children’s social care professionals, all designed to amplify the voices that are needed in these conversations.

Young people we work with consistently show us that they know exactly what they need to thrive – they just need the adults around them to listen and create the right conditions for relationships to grow. So on that note, here’s to more play!

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