Working with Looked After Children is immensely important to us. It is the cornerstone of our work and has been since the company began. We have over twenty-five years pioneering experience in this field. The approach is multi-disciplinary; but our main media are music and film.
We have worked in partnership with Social Services, Children’s Services, Foster Carers, LACE teams, NCH Action for Children, Barnardo’s, the Foster Care Associates.

We are especially proud of our relationship with Calderdale Social Services which ran from 1997 to 2006. CSS now allocates funds specifically for music and other creative arts work with looked after children with our sister organisation, "Wise Up Arts" run by Sue Walker.

We have been working in partnership with Cumbria Children's Services for the past year and are pleased to be delivering a service level agreement for creative arts work with looked after children for the next two years.

New Notes 2 - January - June 2010

Following the success of our 2009 Beyond the Mainstream project when we ran two weekly singing and music clubs in Barrow-in-Furness for looked after children as well as providing training for three experienced community musicians, we are launching New Notes 2 - our new weekly singing & music club for twenty children.

We are in discussion with Beyond the Mainstream developing our new programme for singing with looked after children and training musicians in our techniques. We will be launching a new year-long programme in April.

The Pledge - make it real

We are working alongside Cumbria Children's Services with young people from the West Coast of Cumbria and South Lakes on this project.

We will explore a wide variety of art forms to produce work for a touring exhibition and launch event in April 2010.

The exhibition will tour to venues across Cumbria.

Every Dream Matters. November 2009

Young people perform in London at the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 20th Anniversary celebrations.

A group of eight young people from all over the county braved the elements and travelled to London on Nov 19th,( the day of the incredible floods).

Despite the weather the group managed to get to London to stay overnight. The next day they performed their song in the palatial setting of Lancaster House for the 20th Anniversary conference to celebrate the UN Rights of the Child - we were honoured to be invited and delighted to perform. Well done to all the young people and staff who worked hard to give an unforgettable performance which was praised by ministers and delegates alike.

The Children's Commissioner for England, Sir Al Aynsley-Green and Children's minister Baroness Morgan commented that they were extremely impressed by the talent and enthusiasm of all who performed.

Finding the Key Conference
In May 2008 over ninety people from all over the country attended our conference, a memorable day with looked after children playing a major role throughout.
Click here to read the Final Report on the pilot project, and for more information about the conference.

As a result of our recent pilot project, “Embedding Creativity” in partnership with Arts Council England, Creative Partnerships and National Children’s Bureau, we have developed an exciting new partnership with Cumbria Children's Services, and are planning a series of new projects with looked after children in Cumbria.