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Know Your Rights in Care Project | Boundaries & Safe Spaces

Home > News > Know Your Rights in Care Project | Boundaries & Safe Spaces

Emma-Louise, our Regional Youth Engagement and Participation Officer, writes about the most recent workshop in our Know Your Rights in Care project. 

At our most recent workshop, we kicked things off by talking about something really important: how we treat each other. Our EPIC Care Community members, Dani (our Creative Lead!) and our EPIC team sat down to create a group contract – not just a list of rules, but a shared understanding of what we all expect from one another. 

We called it our “Link Contract” and imagined our group like a chain – every link is important. We made links out of paper, with each link representing an expectation: respect, honesty, support and kindness. We discussed how sometimes links can be broken – and that’s okay. If a link is broken in a future session, we will work together to repair the link and come back stronger. That’s how trust is built. 

What are boundaries? 

We spent time talking about boundaries – what they are, why they matter, and how they look in everyday life, especially for young people in care. 

It wasn’t just about what staff expect from young people: it was a two-way conversation. Everyone had a voice. We explored what healthy boundaries look like both ways, and how we can all help make them clear and respectful. 

Pizza break (obviously!) 

After all that hard work, we had our usual pizza break (some things are sacred!). Then it was time to get creative! 

Build your safe space 

The next part of the session was all about imagination, design, and comfort. We gave everyone a challenge: “Build your safe space.” 

Young people got to explore the bottom floor of the building, choose their materials, and start creating. They had 15 minutes to build the first version of their space. Then we all toured each other’s creations, shared ideas, and offered encouragement. Everyone had a chance to explain their vision. After that, they had 15 more minutes to tweak and improve their spaces. 

The results were really illuminating. Some participants built cosy wooden boxes with closed walls to provide privacy, while others created soft, colourful spaces that felt like a big warm hug. A few designed secret hideouts, complete with hidden entrances, and some crafted welcoming homes that included places for guests to sit, relax, and share food. Each space was unique – just like the young people who built them.

 

Why it mattered 

This session wasn’t just fun (although it definitely was) — it was meaningful. It showed that: 

  • Everyone deserves a space where they feel safe and understood. 
  • Boundaries don’t have to be scary – they’re tools for building better relationships. 

And when something breaks (like a link in our chain), we don’t throw it away, we fix it – together!