How Children in care gain confidence through creativity
Children in care and care leavers face significant challenges, often shaped by trauma, instability and disrupted relationships. Frequent changes to home, school and support networks can affect confidence, wellbeing and the ability to form trusting connections. Creative projects like our:voices offer something vital in response: space to express themselves, connect and feel seen.
Delivered by professional artists, Create developed our:voices as a multi-artform programme for children in care and care leavers to support wellbeing, confidence and social connection through creativity.
Research highlights the scale of the need. In England, around 45% of children in care are estimated to have a diagnosable mental health condition, and many experience loneliness, lower self-esteem than other children and disengagement from education.
Finding your voice through music
In July 2025, young people from Bolton Youth Service took part in a three dau our:voices music project, led by our musician Matt Dunn. Emily (16), who has been in care for over eight years, described how composing music helped her feel more confident and positive:
“[Having completed the project] I feel great. A lot more confident. Everyone’s very kind and we work well together. [The project] is really refreshing and it gets you out of the house. I feel brighter.”
[Being creative] is important because some people don’t get that chance and it really lets you open up as a person and you can become more positive.
EMILY, our:Voices participant
For Emily, the chance to meet others with similar experiences was just as important as learning new skills:
“Sometimes when you’re in care you can struggle to make friends because you can feel a bit down. But [in projects like these] you meet other people in your situation, and you have a fun time with them.”
New opportunities for expression
In October 2025, participants from Waltham Forest explored filmmaking with our filmmaker Solveig Herzum. Noah (14) spoke about discovering confidence and imagination through the creative process:
“[My favourite part] was how I was so involved in it. You can hear other people’s ideas, take one and make it your own. No matter what [the challenge] is, you can do it.”
[This project] brings out a lot of confidence in you. People who don’t usually do creative things find it really fun and interesting when they actually do it.
noah, our:voices participant
For Noah, creativity opened up new ways of thinking and expressing ideas:
“I [learned] that I have a big imagination. [For example], at the start of the project, we had a picture and we had to make film based on it. When I saw the picture, my mind just started racing with different ideas.”
Why this work matters
Projects like our:voices show how creativity can provide more than activity for children in care. By working collaboratively with professional artists and peers, young people build skills, confidence and connection – and experience a rare opportunity to focus on who they are, not just the circumstances around them.
Thank you to Sarah Jane Leigh Charitable Trust for funding our:voices in Waltham Forest.
*Names changed to protect anonymity
