Autobiography/Memoir The Secret Life of Dorothy Soames: A Foundling's Story Justine Cowan 2021 Growing up in a wealthy enclave outside San Francisco, Justine Cowan's life seems idyllic. But her mother's unpredictable temper drives Justine from home the moment she is old enough to escape. It is only after her mother dies that she finds herself pulling at the threads of a story half-told - her mother's upbringing in London's Foundling Hospital. Haunted by this secret history, Justine travels across the sea and deep into the past to discover the girl her mother once was. External Website

Academic Books & Book Chapters After the orphanage: life beyond the children's home Murray et al 2017 Authors: Suellen Murray, John Murphy, Elizabeth Branigan, Jenny Malone. While there is much literature on the experience of growing up in an orphanage, very few books examine life after institutional care. After the Orphanage is the first book to address how care-leavers adjust to life in the outside world. External Website

Writers John Masefield 1878-1967 John Edward Masefield (1878 – 1967) was an English poet and writer, and Poet Laureate from 1930 until 1967. Masefield was born into a comfortable middle class family, lived in the country, went to boarding school, and was encouraged to read. But first his mother died and then his father became unwell and Jack (along with siblings) became the ward of paternal uncle, William Masefield. Jack was taken out of boarding school and sent off to sea which he did not enjoy. Among Masefield's best known works are the children's novels The Midnight Folk and The Box of Delights, and the poems The Everlasting Mercy and "Sea-Fever". External Website

Autobiography/Memoir Damaged: Heartbreaking Stories of the Kids Trapped in Britain's Broken Care System Chris Wild 2018 Chris Wild lost his dad aged 11, leaving him to grow up in the care system. There, he witnessed the incessant physical and sexual abuse of children, with the only escape leading to the streets. So many others like him, failed by the systems put in place to protect them, ended up with nothing but drink, drugs, prostitution, and crime as their normality. Later, working in a care home himself became the only way Chris could help, but he was shocked to discover little had changed and vulnerable children were still being failed. In Damaged, he shares heartbreaking memories of the care system along with the stories of all the boys, girls, men, and women he met along the way—exposing why we must take action now to protect all of Britain's forgotten children. External Website

Children's Fiction The Star Outside My Window (8-11 years) Onjali Q. Rauf 2019 I've always wanted to be a Star Hunter. But I don't want to be the kind that looks for old stars that have already been burning for millions of years. I want to find the brand new ones - the ones that have only just been born and are searching for the people they've left behind...' Following the disappearance of her mum, 10-year-old Aniyah suddenly finds herself living in foster care. With her life in disarray, she knows just one thing for sure: her mum isn't gone for ever. Because people with the brightest hearts never truly leave. They become stars. So when a new star is spotted acting strangely in the sky, Aniyah is sure it's her mum, and she embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to make sure everyone else knows too -- an adventure that involves breaking into the Royal Observatory of London, a mischievous scurry of squirrels and the biggest star in Hollywood... Told through the innocent voice of a child, this is a story that explores the subtle faces and endless impacts of domestic violence, and celebrates the power of hope and resilience, from Onjali Rauf, the award-winning author of The Boy at the Back of the Class. External Website

Films/Videos Slumdog Millionaire 2008 Slumdog Millionaire (2008) is a British drama film about Jamal Malik, an orphan from the slums of Mumbai who becomes a contestant on the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. Accused of cheating when he reaches the final question, Jamal recounts his life story to explain how his difficult experiences on the streets, including losing his mother and struggling to survive with his brother, uniquely prepared him to answer the quiz questions. Through these flashbacks, he also seeks to reconnect with Latika, a girl from his past whom he loves. External Website

Radio & Podcast Today in Focus: Bangladesh The Guardian 2023 A three part series on the Bangladeshi children who were taken from Bangladesh in the 1970s. As a consequence of the Bangladesh Liberation War 1971, and the birth of thousands of babies born to women who had been captured and raped by Pakistani troops, an international adoption campaign was launched. Thousands of “war babies” were adopted overseas, for example, in Denmark, England, Sweden and Canada. External Website

Authors N Not Normal: The uncensored account of an extraordinary true life story ➝ Acceptance: A Memoir ➝ Banana Boy ➝ The Truth about My Fathers ➝ Bridge Across My Sorrows ➝ Twelve Years a Slave ➝ Half and Half: The Memoirs of a Charity Brat 1908-1989 ➝ The Fish Ladder: A Journey Upstream ➝ Back to Top

Radio & Podcast From ‘devil’s child’ to star ballerina | Michaela DePrince Ted Talks 2014 In this TedTalk Michaela DePrince (born Mabinty Bangura 1995-2024) talks about her time before and while in an orphanage in Siera Leone. She was often hungry in the orphanage because she’d receive the smallest portion of food as she was #27, the last one in. It was also while Michaela was in the orphanage that she was inspired – by a photo in a magazine – to be a ballerina. Michaela was 4 when she was adopted by an American family – with her friend #26 – and her adoptive mother encouraged her to dance. Michaela DePrince is currently performing with the Boston Ballet. External Website

Performing Arts British Pianist Brad Kella Brad Kella, the winner of the second series of The Piano, was inspired to audition for the Channel 4 show after impressing shoppers at Liverpool One with his performances. Kella, who entered foster care at the age of seven, was able to learn piano thanks to a government grant that provided him with an electric keyboard. Reflecting on his childhood, he said, “We didn’t have any routine growing up. I never went to school and spent my days roaming the streets until late at night, causing trouble. When I was seven, my twin brother and I were placed in foster care." He credits his foster parents for transforming his life, adding, “They gave us everything—making sure we had structure, went to school, and followed a routine. They gave us more than I could have ever asked for." Now 23 and originally from Bootle, Merseyside, Kella has dedicated his debut single, Eve and Frank, to his foster parents. Despite leaving school without completing his GCSEs and being unable to read sheet music, his talent earned him a scholarship to the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA). Speaking about his experience on The Piano, Kella recalled: “I applied to the show with no expectations. I showed up to the Manchester audition in a tracksuit—not exactly the image of a typical piano player—but they were amazed. I played one of my own songs, even though people advised me against it because other contestants were performing classical pieces. It was a risk, but the judges, Lang Lang and Mika, loved it." External Website

Films/Videos The Illustrated Mum (TV movie) 2003 The Illustrated Mum is a TV movie starring Michelle Collins, Alice Connor, and Holliday Grainger. Two sisters cope with the unpredictable behaviour of their depressed, alcoholic mother who was in care as a child. External Website

Non Fiction Conversations that Make a Difference for Children and Young People: Relationship-Focused Practice from the Frontline Lisa Cherry 2021 Conversations that Make a Difference is a "call to action", an opportunity for those professionals working with children and young people to reflect on their practice and consider how they can "bring about social change, one interaction at a time." External Website

Autobiography/Memoir Lion: A Long Way Home Saroo Brierley 2017 Aged just five, Saroo Brierley lost all contact with his family in India, after waiting at a train station for his brother who never returned. Adopted and raised in Australia, Saroo Brierley tells the story behind the film, Lion, in which a lost little boy who finds his way home twenty-five years later. External Website

Television Shows Vigil 2021 Disappearance of Scottish fishing trawler & death on-board Vanguard class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine HMS Vigil causes conflict with police, Royal Navy & British security services. Chief Petty Officer Craig Burke, a member of the crew of nuclear submarine HMS Vigil, reports his concerns over unusual sonar readings while on patrol. Confined to quarters following insubordination, he is later found dead in an apparent suicide. The police are asked to investigate and DCI Amy Silva is airlifted to Vigil's classified location. Unable to contact her colleagues by radio due to the sensitive nature of the patrol mission, she suspects the crewman was murdered, but the captain and other officers disagree. On land, Silva's DS, Kirsten Longacre, has begun a parallel investigation into Burke's movements and his acquaintances. She finds a clue during a search of Burke's room which she keeps hidden from the Royal Navy. It later transpires that Chief Petty Officer Gary Walsh, an engineer on HMS Vigil was in & out of care 'See the scars on his arm his father used to put out cigarettes on his arms.' though what real bearing this has on his personality is unclear - he is shown in a later series as drinking and eventually threatening to kill himself possibly mentioned as a way to justify his flawed character. Whereas Lieutenant Commander Mark Prentice, the Executive Officer and second in command of HMS Vigil who lied about his involvement in the murder just gets confined to his quarters. Silva's background reveals the recent death of husband and her stepchild sent to his parents (kinship) - consequently she is taking anxiety tablets. External Website

Television Shows A Discovery of Witches (TV show) 2018 A Discovery of Witches is a British fantasy television series based on the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, named after the first book in the trilogy. A Discovery of Witches features Diana Bishop, who is a witch who has rejected her magical heritage. She was orphaned after her parents were killed by humans who feared their powers and raised by her aunts Sarah and Emily. The eight-episode first series of A Discovery of Witches premiered weekly in the UK on Sky One from 14 September 2018. In November 2018, Sky One renewed A Discovery of Witches for a second and third series. The ten-episode second series was initially released in its entirety on 8 January 2021, and aired weekly on Sky One. External Website

Radio & Podcast A Sea-Brooding Poet TLS Podcast 2023 Care Experienced English poet John Keats (1795-1821) was only 25 when he died. In this podcast, writer Christy Edwall reflects on his poetry and the days before he died in Rome, Italy. Keats' poems are part of the canon of English literature and continue to be studied in the 21st century. External Website

Writers Richard Wright 1908-1960 Richard Nathaniel Wright (1908 – 1960) was an American author of novels, short stories, poems, and non-fiction. Richard's father abandoned his family when Richard was young and his mother, Ella, struggled to support her sons, particularly when she was sick. At one point Ella put her two boys into an orphanage. The adult Richard wasn't sure how long they were there for but he was clear he hated it. A few years later, 35 year old Ella had a stroke and her folks arranged for the boys to live with relatives. Richard was sent to his Uncle Clark and Aunty Jody. Again he hated being separated from his mother and insisted he be sent back to live with her (Ella was by then being cared for by her mother). After a series of working class jobs, Richard Wright went on to become a professional writer. In 1940 he became the first African American to publish a best selling book, Native Son. Much of his literature concerns racial themes, especially related to the plight of African Americans during the late 19th to mid-20th centuries, who suffered discrimination and violence in the South and the North. Literary critics believe his work helped change race relations in the United States in the mid-20th century. External Website

Sport Hubert Opperman Hubert Opperman Hubert Ferdinand (Oppy) Opperman (1904-1996) was an award winning cyclist. Oppy was born in Victoria, Australia into a working class family. When his father joined the Australian Imperial Force in WW1, Oppy was sent Melbourne to live with his paternal grandmother. Oppy had been riding a bike since he was 8 and in 1921 he took up racing with the Malvern Cycling Club. He won the prestigious Launceston to Hobart race in 1922 and quickly became a respected sportsman. In 1924, he was the youngest to win the annual Australasian National Road Cycle Championship. In 1931, Oppy raced in the Tour de France (finished 12th). Later that year he won the Paris-Brest-Paris race, breaking all records. For most of the 1930s, Oppy set a number of solo cycle records. He joined the RAAF in 1940 and served until 1945. Oppy became a federal politician for the Victorian seat of Corio in 1949. He was knighted in 1968, became the Higher Commissioner to Malta in 1967, and retired in 1972. External Website

Television Shows Packed to the Rafters 2008 Packed to the Rafters was an Australian television series featuring an adoptee and former foster child, Dave Rafter (Erik Thomson). Dave Rafter runs his own electrical business, is happily married, and is the father of 3 adult children. Series 2 of the show (which ran from 2008 to 2013) features Dave's birth mother being welcomed to his family. In Series 3, Dave meets his biological father, Tom Jennings. Dave meets a half-brother in Series 4. The award-winning series resumed with a new series - Back to the Rafters - in September 2021 on Amazon Prime. External Website

Blogs/Web Pages/Articles Charlie Chaplin and the story of care Coram (Charlie Chaplin) 2021 The story of Charlie Chaplim and his experience of being sent to London workhouses from the age of seven. External Website