To mark 10 years of Care Day, we asked EPIC Advocates Brenda, Edel and Peter to tell us more about the development of Care Day and what it has meant for EPIC over the past decade.

Care Day was established in February 2016 by young care-leavers from Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales. It was created to celebrate the positive experiences and contributions of children and young people with care experience. A community that rises every day and overcomes challenges most of us will never experience.

From the beginning, Care Day focused on pride, visibility and community. It created space to challenge stigma, recognise achievements and ensure that the voices of children and young people with care experience were heard where it mattered.

Care Day began as a joint initiative across five children’s rights organisations, now known as the 5 Nations 1 Voice (5N1V) alliance:

• EPIC Empowering People in Care (Ireland)
• Become (England)
• Who Cares? Scotland (Scotland)
• Voices from Care (Wales)
• Voice of Young People in Care (VOYPIC) (Northern Ireland)

Over the past decade, Care Day has grown beyond its original five nations. It is now recognised internationally, with countries including Holland, Finland, New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Croatia and Italy participating in Care Day celebrations.

The idea for Care Day originated when members of EPIC’s Youth Council joined young people from across the five nations in Scotland. Through discussions about their experiences of care, young people identified a shared concern: public understanding of care and aftercare systems was limited, contributing to stigma and persistent stereotypes.

They envisioned a day that would celebrate achievements while also improving public understanding of care systems and the realities faced by children and young people. A key objective was to build a sense of community – a space where young people could support one another and confidently identify as care-experienced.

The first Care Day was celebrated across the five nations in 2016. Since then, EPIC’s Youth Council has played a central role each year, including setting themes, organising events, leading promotion and engaging with national media to raise awareness of care-related issues.

From the first celebration in 2016 in the Ombudsman for Children’s Office, to large-scale national events, virtual Care Days during the Covid-19 pandemic, touring exhibitions and creative showcases, Care Day has continued to develop and expand.

Key milestones include:

• Early poetry and creative projects led by young people
• Football blitzes and sports events
• Regional coffee mornings and welcome days
• Virtual Care Day in 2021, with webinars on equality, justice, education, disability and LGBTQI+ issues
• The It Takes a Village theme in 2022, featuring exhibitions and international youth-led events
• Touring exhibitions such as Embrace Our Stories in 2023 and again in 2025
• The Care Day Carnival in 2024
• The EPIC Times, a Care Day newspaper produced in 2025

As Care Day reaches its 10 year milestone in 2026, it is both an opportunity to reflect and a prompt to look ahead and this year, the EPIC Youth Council and Care Community chose the theme: “The Future Starts With Us”. Each year, young people leave care with ambition, plans and potential, yet too many continue to face barriers in policy and practice as they transition to adulthood.

Care Day 2026 focuses on recognising care-experienced children and young people as leaders of the future – innovators, activists, artists and decision-makers shaping the Ireland of tomorrow. It is also a clear call to action for government, communities and wider society to strengthen aftercare, expand eligibility and meaningfully invest in young people’s futures.

As EPIC’s Care Community emphasises, the future of Ireland is not written by chance. It is written by those who are supported to reach their potential.

To learn more about Care Day and how to get involved, visit www.careday.ie.

In 2024, EPIC advocates worked across Ireland supporting care-experienced children and young people with issues ranging from unstable placements and aftercare planning to access to services, accommodation, legal support, and financial challenges.

Residential care remained the most common source of referrals, with 220 young people supported during the year. Complaints also emerged as a main presenting issue for the first time, particularly from children living in Special Emergency Arrangements (SEAs). This coincided with the start of a pilot project providing advocacy specifically to young people in SEAs in the Dublin North-East and Dublin Mid-Leinster regions. 

The organisation also supported a rise in separated children seeking international protection, a group that accounted for almost 10% of all advocacy cases in 2024, up from 3% in 2023. Alongside direct advocacy, EPIC delivered youth engagement and participation opportunities, giving care-experienced young people the chance to develop skills, make friends, and influence decisions that matter to them. The team also carried out research and educational initiatives to inform policy, improve practice, and raise awareness of the experiences of children and young people in care. 

Wayne Stanley, CEO of EPIC, said: 

“Ireland is at a pivotal moment for improving how we support children and young people in the care system. The Programme for Government set out a real opportunity to deliver meaningful change within the alternative care system, and it is vital that this ambition is fully realised. Developments like the forthcoming National Policy Framework on Alternative Care build on this commitment and offer the chance to create a more coordinated and child-centred approach – one where every child’s needs are met and the system around them is grounded in dignity, stability and belonging. 

Achieving this will require properly and sustainably resourcing Tusla, strengthening national coordination across services, and ensuring that every child and young person has access to independent advocacy so their voices are heard. 

We now have a clear path in front of us. If we commit to this, we can deliver a future where every child in care is supported to thrive.” 

In mid-November, EPIC and TU Dublin welcomed care-experienced young people, educators, researchers and policymakers to our Empowering Care-Experienced Students Through Their Education conference. From the opening remarks to the final discussion, there was a sense of shared purpose in the room. Everyone came with the same intention: to make education work better for young people with care experience.

The conference was shaped by EPIC’s Youth Advisory Group (YAG), who helped design the day and guide the conversations. Their experiences and insights were central throughout, keeping us focused on what actually matters to young people, rather than what adults imagine might matter.

Young people from the YAG opened the first session by talking honestly about school and college life from a care-experienced perspective. They described the things many people never see: sudden moves, lost paperwork, constant changes, and how all of this can silently chip away at confidence, routine and educational progress.

They also spoke about what makes a difference. Support that’s flexible. Staff who understand the care system. Adults who meet them with empathy instead of assumptions. Stability during transitions. Someone to check in with. Their stories set the tone for the whole day and reminded everyone why this work matters.

The research inputs provided a strong evidence base for change.

Dr Merike Darmody from the ESRI shared findings from Care to College, research commissioned by EPIC, which highlighted the individuality of care-experienced young people and their hopes for the future.

Martin Grehan from the CSO followed with new data on attendance and attainment for children in care. It showed, very clearly, why joined-up supports are needed rather than scattered initiatives.

Professor Neil Harrison from the University of Exeter rounded off the morning with insights from England on what actually works. He spoke about the value of having a single contact person in schools and the need for policy to keep pace with what the evidence already tells us.

Later in the morning, the YAG shared their priorities for improving the education system. They want teachers and guidance counsellors to have proper training on care awareness. They want schools to understand the language and realities of the care system. They want smoother, more supportive transitions into further and higher education.

They also highlighted barriers in accessing schemes like HEAR and DARE and were very clear that Ireland needs a dedicated education policy for children in care. As one young person put it, the research is there and the recommendations are there, so there’s no reason for policy to lag behind.

The afternoon began with a panel on visibility in national policy, chaired by Anne McCluskey. This discussion brought together contributors from the ESRI, the University of Exeter, the Department of Children, Equality, Disability and Youth, and the Department of Education. The conversation focused on data sharing, coordination and the need for a more joined-up national approach.

A second panel, chaired by Dr Eavan Brady, looked at practical support for care-experienced students at school, further education and higher education levels. This session included contributions from Áine O’Keefe, Director of Tulsa Education Support Service, whose perspective highlighted the importance of consistent, school-based support and the value of early intervention. The wider panel discussed collaboration across services, aftercare provision and the importance of pairing practical supports with emotional and social scaffolding. They also engaged directly with the suggestions raised earlier by the Youth Advisory Group, making for a lively and grounded discussion.

Róisín Webb and Anne O’Donnell closed the day by reminding us that hearing young people’s voices is only the first step. Their insights need to lead to real, meaningful action. One young person summed it up when they said, “If you can be sound, be sound.”

It was a simple message, but it captured the spirit of the day: understanding, fairness and respect should sit at the centre of every decision involving care-experienced students.

A huge thank you to the Youth Advisory Group, who shaped this conference from the beginning and spoke with honesty and clarity throughout the day. Their contributions grounded the event. We are also very grateful to all the speakers and panellists who brought research, lived experience and practical insight to proceedings.

Our thanks to TU Dublin for hosting us and to Karen Carter and Sinéad Dunne for their support in the lead-up to the event and on the day itself.

A special thank you to the EPIC team whose work was central to making the conference run so smoothly.

And finally, thank you to everyone who came, listened, asked questions and shared ideas. The level of engagement leaves us with a renewed sense of what can be achieved. We look forward to continuing the work begun here and building on the strong direction set by the young people who led the way.

Members of the EPIC Care Community were excited to participate in the Ombudsman for Children’s Office (OCO) conference on incorporating the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) into Irish law. The event, organised by the OCO Youth Advisory Panel, took place at the Irish Museum of Modern Art. It brought together young people, youth workers, and organizations from across the country.

Our involvement in this conference connects directly with our Know Your Rights in Care project. This project, funded by the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY), is for children and young people in care to learn about their rights and find creative ways to express them.

During a visit to the OCO earlier this year, our group learned more about children’s rights and the Ombudsman’s role in protecting them. It was during that visit that we received an invitation to attend this national event to share experiences and help shape future actions.

Ireland ratified the UNCRC in 1992, signaling the State’s agreement to uphold children’s rights. However, without full and direct incorporation into Irish law, these rights are not fully upheld.

At the conference, speakers told us that incorporation would ensure:

• Children’s rights are considered from the start of any decision-making process in government and public services.
• Children could seek justice in Irish courts if their rights are violated.
• Adults and institutions would be legally accountable for respecting children’s rights.

We heard about the progress in Scotland where the UNCRC was incorporated into law in 2023. Children and young people played a leading role in the campaign, showing that meaningful change is possible when young people are at the forefront.

Outside IMMA before the event

The Chapel window @ IMMA

Ellie and Emma Louise

Get it Right (!!!) badges

Big chats during the World Cafe

Our group included under 18 members of the Limerick Care Community, who travelled to Dublin with Emma Louise (Regional Youth Engagement and Participation Lead) and Ellie (Communications Officer). In Dublin, we met up with two Dublin based members of the Care Community and Thomas (Youth Engagement and Participation Coordinator).

The day started with a welcome from the Ombudsman for Children, followed by a keynote speech from youth activist and disability rights campaigner Cara Darmody. Her call to “be brave and imagine a better future; it’s our future” resonated with everyone and set a positive tone for the day. Cara was followed by inspiring youth activist Mohammad Naeem who shared his advice with attendees.

Throughout the event, young people participated in:

• A storytelling workshop with Fighting Words.
• A drumming session.
• A World Café discussion to share ideas on what incorporation should look like in practice.

There was also a panel discussion and a special session for youth workers with the Ombudsman.

The conference launched Get It Right, a youth-led campaign calling for full incorporation of the UNCRC into Irish law. The campaign aims to ensure that:

• Children’s rights are legally protected.
• Adults consider children’s rights when making decisions.
• Children have clear ways to stand up for their rights if they are violated.

The EPIC Care Community was proud to be part of this important discussion. Young people in care offer valuable insights into how rights are experienced – or not experienced – in daily life. Taking part in national discussions ensures those insights are heard where they can make a real difference.