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Autobiography/Memoir Two Mothers Deidre Michell 2011 Recipes for Survival: Stories of Hope and Healing by Survivors of the State ‘Care’ System in Australia is a collection of stories by those who have grown up in care in Australia during the 20th century and is therefore contribution to a growing body of literature on the experiences of the Forgotten Australians. External Website

Autobiography/Memoir The Truth about My Fathers Gaby Naher 2002 Though she may have entered the world alone, Gaby Naher was destined to know the most genuine, heartfelt fathering a girl could hope for through her adoptive father, her beloved Daddo. Yet still she had never seen her features reflected in anothter person's face and so, in her 20s, she went in search of her biological father. External Website

Fiction by Care Experienced authors The Hobbit J R R Tolkien 2013 The Hobbit is the unforgettable story of Bilbo, a peace-loving hobbit, who embarks on a strange and magical adventure. A timeless classic. Frodo Baggins was born in the Shire on 22nd September 1368 (SR). He shares his birthday – though not date of birth – with his 'uncle' Bilbo Baggins (Master of Bag End in Hobbiton). He was orphaned at the age of 12, when his parents, Drogo and Primula Baggins, drowned in a boating accident on the Brandywine. Bilbo Baggins enjoys a quiet and contented life, with no desire to travel far from the comforts of home; then one day the wizard Gandalf and a band of dwarves arrive unexpectedly and enlist his services – as a burglar – on a dangerous expedition to raid the treasure-hoard of Smaug the dragon. Bilbo’s life is never to be the same again. External Website

Blogs/Web Pages/Articles Growing up in care Áine Kelly 2016 Áine Kelly describes how she began to access healthcare again after humiliating childhood experiences, including being removed from her parents by the police and being placed in the care of the state. External Website

Fiction featuring Care Experience The Flight of Gemma Hardy Margot Livesey 2012 The Flight of Gemma Hardy is a modern take on a classic story—Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre—that will fascinate readers of the Gothic original and fans of modern literary fiction alike, with its lyrical prose, robust characters, and abundant compassion. Set in early 1960s Scotland, this breakout novel from award-winning author Margot Livesey is a tale of determination and spirit that, like The Three Weissmanns of Westport and A Thousand Acres, spins an unforgettable new story from threads of our shared, still-living literary past. External Website

Authors P Pihu ➝ Pan ➝ Philomena ➝ Patrik, Age 1.5 ➝ Pray for Our Sinners ➝ Proud Mary ➝ Paper Lives ➝ Back to Top

Films/Videos The Last Black Man in San Francisco 2019 A poignant story of Jimmie Fails, who has been in the foster care system, seeking home, family and roots. The film is partly based on the life of Jimmie Fails who, with Rob Richert, wrote the screenplay. External Website

Performing Arts Australian, opera singer Stephen Smith Australian opera singer, Stephen Smith (b. 1977), was in foster care until he was ten. Stephen then when to live with his father. At 15 he left home and dropped out of school. He discovered he loved singing when he was living on the streets as a homeless teenager. When he was 17, Stephen was working at David Jones when a colleague suggested he take music lessons. Continuing to support himself at the Footscray markets, Stephen went to the Victorian College of Arts and got himself a Bachelor of Music. Stephen toured the world as an opera singer for 20 years. He now works as a real estate agent. External Website

Autobiography/Memoir Me, My Bike and a Street Dog Called Lucy Ishbel Holmes 2018 Ishbel Holmes, also known as World Bike Girl, a Scottish-Iranian woman became a champion racing cyclist in spite of having been abandoned by her family. At just 16, Holmes was put into foster care, at 17 she was homeless. A key worker told her she would always be in the gutter and that was when she decided things had to change. She started cycling. Holmes was determined to cycle the world but her journey took a completely unexpected turn when, despite her initial instincts not to, she rescued a street dog in Turkey. Ishbel was lost and alone when she started on her epic trip, but in Lucy found a companionship never previously known. Between the two there formed a deep bond and their relationship was followed and supported by thousands of readers online, before becoming a media sensation overnight when Ishbel put out a plea for help to transport Lucy to an animal shelter three hundred miles away. External Website

Writers Keith Saha Keith is Co-Artistic Director of 20 Stories High Theatre Company based in Liverpool. His role within the organisation is as a writer and a director. His plays are for young adult audiences and are often researched with young people on the fringes of society who have important stories to tell. LOOKED AFTER – Keith’s debut screenplay, a drama series about teenagers in today’s care system, is under option to Twelve Town Productions and Sky. After a period of development the 60’ series was adapted into a 10’ short form drama and a non-broadcast pilot was produced. Originally one of Sky’s diverse table reads and a runner-up on the TriForce DramaWriterSlam. BABUL AND THE BLUE BEAR is a story about Benny a young grime artist -his life in and out the care system, looking after his alcoholic mum and being reunited with his Dad - a black comedian who tells self-deprecating racist jokes. His writing is largely informed by his upbringing, and the time he spent in care as a child, fused with the work he creates with and for young people in Liverpool and nationally in similar situations. External Website

Authors J Allan Jenkins ➝ Julian the Apostate ➝ Alan Johnson ➝ Back to Top

Authors W A. Lincoln: A Biography ➝ The Mystery of Charles Dickens ➝ Tracker ➝ Fortunate Son ~ A 20th Century Romance: Based on the Life & Times of Frederick Hunter Wilkinson 1890-1969 ➝ Jane Austen at Home: A Biography ➝ J. S. Bach: A Life in Music ➝ Agatha Christie ➝ Back to Top

Academic Articles Exploring the legal representation of individuals in foster care: What say youth and alumni? J Jay Miller et al. 2017 Despite the overwhelming consensus that foster youth involved in dependency court proceedings are entitled to effective legal representation, few studies have examined this issue from the perspective of those most impacted: foster youth and alumni. This exploratory study examined the perceptions of foster youth/alumni (N=100) about the legal representation they received while in out of home care. All participants were either currently or previously in foster care in one southeastern state in the United States. Results indicate that participants perceived a lack of quality communication and interaction with their legal representatives. No difference in these perceptions was found by reported permanency outcome or demographic trait, though analysis did reveal a positive relationship between overall foster care experience and perception of legal representation. After a review of relevant literature, this paper reports findings, outlines salient discussion points, and discusses implications derived from this study, including identifying apposite areas for future research. External Website

Authors M The Orhan Among Us: An Examination of Orphans in Newbery Award Winning Literature ➝ Back to Top

Blogs/Web Pages/Articles A digital archive of care experienced people in fiction, on screen and in real life IMO 2021 Care experienced journalist Sophia Hall spoke to Rosie Canning and Dee Michell, Founders of Care Experience and Culture about their care experienced led project and why they do what they do. External Website

Blogs/Web Pages/Articles The Meaning of Maggie in Toni Morrison's 'Recitatif' Catherine Sustana et al. 2019 In Toni Morrison's short story "Recitatif" the girls of the orphanage revile the character of Maggie, the one person more marginalized than they are. External Website

Behind the Scenes Angela Shelton Angela Shelton (b. 1972) is an American actor and screenwriter. She was in the foster care system as a child and in 2001 was inspired to make a documentary for which she interviewed 40 women, many of whom had experienced domestic violence. Search for Angela Shelton won 12 awards and the May of Asheville proclaimed April 29, 2005, Angela Shelton Day. Shelton's memoir about surviving sexual abuse was released in 2007. External Website

Authors K Poet Jackie Kay traces her journey to her birth parents ➝ Betty, Queen of Donks ➝ Back to Top

Films/Videos Luce 2019 Luce Edgar was adopted from war-torn Eritrea and at the end of his high schooling is a star pupil. He develops animosity towards his history teacher, a woman he believes treats students unfairly depending on whether they fit stereotypes or not. External Website

Authors B Jamie Baulch ➝ Olympic Medallist ➝ Back to Top