It took decades after leaving care to get the mental health help I needed

It took a crisis for me to get the specialist support that children in care should receive from the start

Almost 30 years later, my heart still pounds when I think about the night before I was taken into care at the age of 10. Left alone in the house and sleeping with a knife under my pillow. To this day I have nightmares about it.

Trauma in childhood creates physical changes in the body; it makes us more likely to develop serious illnesses and increases the odds of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder later in life.

Related: Children in care shouldn't lose vital support as they turn 18 | Emma Bennett

Related: Only 6% of care leavers go to university. They deserve better chances | Ruth Kelly

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from Children | The Guardian http://ift.tt/2A4igyX