Art exhibition aims to inspire young people in care

Lorretta Fontaine was taken into care as a baby and now works for the Shaw Trust helping care-experienced children and young people

A woman who was taken into care as a baby says she wants to help "inspire young people" in care and give them hope.

Lorretta Fontaine from Haringey is one of 68 adults and children involved in an online art exhibition.

It was released on Tuesday to mark the 40th anniversary of the Shaw Trust.

"To have your work accepted and published creates a real sense of achievement and something to be proud of," Ms Fontaine said.

The 48-year-old from north London works for the charity managing a team of mentors for 15 to 19-year-olds at risk of dropping out of education, training or their job.

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Ms Fontaine was taken into local authority care as a baby. She was fostered at 18 months old and officially adopted the day before her fourth birthday.

She said: "My life could have been very different, but thanks to my beautiful angel who I call Mum and the man who is my hero who I call Dad, my life turned out to be everything and more.

"They gave me the most beautiful family that I might never have known. That will always be the greatest gift I ever had."

Ms Fontaine (pictured with her parents) said that her mother and father gave her the "most beautiful family"

Her submitted artwork features a photograph of London's Millennium Bridge with the message: "Don't let a bridge be a barrier to your success. You just need to take the first step to find hope at the end."

Ms Fontaine said that art had always been a "form of therapy" for her, and now she enjoys street photography.

"You'd always find me with a crayon in my hand... it was my voice," she said.

The 68-piece exhibition, Inspired by Hope, was shown privately at London's Foundling Museum, Britain's first home for children at risk of abandonment, on Monday night.

It included drawings, paintings, collages and photographs created by adults and children as young as five, and has also been published in a book.

Ms Fontaine said that many young people her team work with had experienced rejection, but seeing their art published created a sense of pride

Children have drawn people that have changed their lives as part of the exhibition

Subjects include teachers, adopted parents, foster carers, support workers and "superheroes" that have changed their lives.

Ms Fontaine said that many of the young people her team work with had experienced rejection in their lives, but seeing their art published created a sense of pride.

"Everyone is different and has their unique story to tell," she added. "That's reflected in the individual pieces and the stories that go along with those pieces.

"There were times when I was growing up that I felt really misunderstood. I was born in the 70s and there wasn't as much knowledge and understanding when I was growing up."

Ms Fontaine said that her photograph of London's Millennium Bridge represents taking a step forward an overcoming barriers

She added: "Adoption was the best thing to happen to me but I had a sense that I was viewed differently. I'd like to see that awareness continue to grow.

"We're not just kids in care, we're people and we're amazing and unique and we have a lot to offer."

The Shaw Trust's Boost scheme, which Ms Fontaine is a part of, has supported 1,400 teenagers in central London.

Recent data released by the Department for Education revealed the number of children in care is the highest on record.

In London, this has resulted in children being sent 450 miles away due to lack of care home capacity.

Between December 2021 and September 2022, 12 children were sent to secure welfare facilities outside the capital, data from Lewisham Council showed.

At least three of those children were sent to homes in Scotland.

The high number of children in care means that some are being placed in settings that are not suitable for their needs. Some are placed in unregistered homes where the care they receive is not subject to formal inspection or regulation.

Chris Luck, CEO of Shaw Trust CEO, said that creative expression could aide personal recovery and expression of identity.

"For many of our children in care, such expression can be difficult, but art is a powerful avenue for building confidence, and sharing it is an act of trust and a sign of confidence," he said.

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