 it. I would love to stay working here as I feel in my element when I get to see how children in care and care leavers are getting on and seeing them become amazing, strong people. I want to support them through hard times as I know it’s not easy and to show them that, if you work hard, you can get where you want to be. They can look at me and see that it is possible to do a job you love, and I can show them that there are opportunities for care- experienced people. Anya Pretty Care-Experienced Junior Project Support Worker 3. Essex’s Journey Essex has a well-established culture of listening to and learning from children in care and care leavers, and is committed to empowering children in care to have influence and oversight of their plans. The co-design and delivery of Life Plans in Essex, replacing ‘care plans’ and other documentation, as well as a continued shift in how social workers write to the child in their Life Plan, enables children and young people to recognise their own voices and experiences in their plans and gives them a sense of ownership and autonomy over their care experience. Life Story Work plays a pivotal role in helping children understand their past and develop a sense of identity and belonging. Essex is on an ongoing development journey to ensure that Life Story 73 Work is embedded throughout social work practice and that the workforce is well equipped with the skills and tools to deliver this essential work with children in care. Essex is exploring opportunities to recognise and draw on good practice in adoption services including writing later life letters to children in care and care leavers. It is also exploring the benefit and impact of creating a letter or document which describes ‘what happened on the day you came into care’. The project t