We invite artists, policy makers, care sector workers, arts professionals and educationalists to join us for our third Culture Cares Conference, an incredibly insightful event bringing the cultural and care sectors together for lively conversations, presentations and workshops.
For 2025, we are delighted to welcome Olympian, Fatima Whitbread MBE as our guest speaker.
Co-produced by care-experienced young people, this nationally significant event enables delegates to:
- Extend and update their practice through examples of inspirational work
- Join practitioners and speakers to explore what is making a positive impact on the lives of young people in care and care leavers
- Hear from young people themselves who will be sharing their thoughts and questions with delegates
- Gain an invaluable insight into the lives of young people in care through an inspiring performance that has been co-created with them.
Schedule
9:30 – 10:00
Arrival and Registration
Join us to check in, grab a refreshment, and get ready for an inspiring day.
10:00 – 10:30
Official Welcome
Presented by Plus One Ambassadors, Niki & Sam
Join Plus One Ambassadors Niki and Sam as they welcome attendees and introduce a special screening of the Youth Theatre Film, created in collaboration with care-experienced young people.
And meet keynote speaker, Richard Dawson.
In 2024, Richard spent five months embedded within Derby Theatre’s Plus One Programme, observing its delivery and impact. His resulting report offers a powerful reflection on the programme’s reach, celebrates key successes and partnerships, and provides an honest evaluation of what it takes to create meaningful arts opportunities for care-experienced young people.
10:30 – 11:30
Breakout Sessions
Blue Cabin — Creative Aid
Facilitators: Jane Gray (Project Manager), Catherine, Gail
Creative Aid is a co-creation project involving care-experienced participants at Deerbolt Prison, supporting them to be recognised as artists and creative contributors.
In this session, we will:
- Introduce the Creative Aid project
- Explore the experiences of care leavers within the criminal justice system
- Share the project’s impact to date
- Offer space for open questions and discussion
Blue Cabin — This is the Place
Facilitator: Lucy Ridely (Director)
This is The Place is an early years music-making project designed to support the development of attachment and relationships.
In this session, we will:
- Introduce the project and its approach
- Discuss why early years music-making supports attachment
- Share insights into the impact of the project
- Provide time for questions and open discussion
Care to Dance
Care to Dance is a social enterprise led by social workers and dancers, supporting care-experienced young people through dance. We create safe, creative spaces where young people can express themselves, build confidence, and connect with others who understand their experiences.
In this workshop, we will:
- Explore the principles of trauma-informed practice
- Reflect on how practitioners can create safe, supportive environments
- Share strategies to help care-experienced young people feel secure, empowered, and able to thrive
Join us to discover how movement and understanding can come together to create transformative impact.
The Verbatim Formula
The Verbatim Formula (TVF) invites you to an interactive workshop exploring the transformative power of creativity in the lives of care-experienced young people. Through our arts-based research, we centre the voices and experiences of young people, co-creating methodologies that foster imagination, agency, and change.
In this session, we will:
- Share creative methods developed by our care-experienced co-researchers
- Explore how the arts can positively impact identity, expression, and wellbeing
- Invite you to create and share your own testimony using our unique headphone theatre technique
Derby City Virtual School
Derby Virtual School, part of Derby City Council, supports the education of children in care and those previously in care. Working with schools, carers, social workers, and cultural partners, we aim to help every young person achieve their full potential.
This session will:
- Share our creative education offer
- Highlight the value of partnership working
- Show how we celebrate and accredit achievements
- Showcase inspiring work by our young people
11:30 – 11:50
Break
Take a short pause to stretch, grab a drink, and connect with fellow attendees before the next session.
11:50 – 12:50
Breakout Sessions
Blue Cabin — Creative Aid
Facilitators: Jane Gray (Project Manager), Catherine, Gail
Creative Aid is a co-creation project involving care-experienced participants at Deerbolt Prison, supporting them to be recognised as artists and creative contributors.
In this session, we will:
- Introduce the Creative Aid project
- Explore the experiences of care leavers within the criminal justice system
- Share the project’s impact to date
- Offer space for open questions and discussion
Blue Cabin — This is the Place
Facilitator: Lucy Ridely (Director)
This is The Place is an early years music-making project designed to support the development of attachment and relationships.
In this session, we will:
- Introduce the project and its approach
- Discuss why early years music-making supports attachment
- Share insights into the impact of the project
- Provide time for questions and open discussion
Care to Dance
Care to Dance is a social enterprise led by social workers and dancers, supporting care-experienced young people through dance. We create safe, creative spaces where young people can express themselves, build confidence, and connect with others who understand their experiences.
In this workshop, we will:
- Explore the principles of trauma-informed practice
- Reflect on how practitioners can create safe, supportive environments
- Share strategies to help care-experienced young people feel secure, empowered, and able to thrive
Join us to discover how movement and understanding can come together to create transformative impact.
The Verbatim Formula
The Verbatim Formula (TVF) invites you to an interactive workshop exploring the transformative power of creativity in the lives of care-experienced young people. Through our arts-based research, we centre the voices and experiences of young people, co-creating methodologies that foster imagination, agency, and change.
In this session, we will:
- Share creative methods developed by our care-experienced co-researchers
- Explore how the arts can positively impact identity, expression, and wellbeing
- Invite you to create and share your own testimony using our unique headphone theatre technique
Derby City Virtual School
Derby Virtual School, part of Derby City Council, supports the education of children in care and those previously in care. Working with schools, carers, social workers, and cultural partners, we aim to help every young person achieve their full potential.
This session will:
- Share our creative education offer
- Highlight the value of partnership working
- Show how we celebrate and accredit achievements
- Showcase inspiring work by our young people
12:50 – 14:00
Lunch Break
A complimentary lunch will be provided for all attendees. Take this time to relax, connect with others, and recharge for the afternoon sessions.
14:00 – 15:00
Care Leavers Presentations
Ty’rone Haughton — 14:00–14:30 Keynote & Performance
Literati Arts
Literati Arts uses the power of poetry to bring people together and amplify voices that are often unheard. We believe poetry creates space for honest self-expression and helps process complex emotions. Our mission is to use poetry and performance as tools for healing, empowerment, and connection—especially for those with care experience.
Talk Summary: Empowering Voices Through Poetry
This session explores how creative expression—particularly poetry—can support self-discovery, healing, and empowerment for care-experienced young people. Drawing on Ty’rone Haughton’s powerful poems If the Door Knocks and Ms. Thompson, we’ll reflect on themes of identity, belonging, and self-actualisation through writing and performance.
Lucy James — 14:30–15:00 Keynote & Performance
More information coming soon…
15:00 – 15:15
Break
Take a short pause to stretch, grab a drink, and connect with fellow attendees before the next session.
15:15 – 16:00
An Audience with Fatima Whitbread
Join us for a standout keynote session with Olympian Fatima Whitbread, as she shares her remarkable journey from growing up in care to becoming a world champion. Through her story of resilience, identity, and triumph, Fatima offers an unforgettable message of strength, perseverance, and inspiration.
16:00 – 16:30
Closing Reflections
As the day draws to a close, join us for a youth-led Q&A and reflection session. Care-experienced young people will share their thoughts on the day, offering honest insights and posing a powerful call to action for everyone in the room.
Care to Dance – Performance
We end on a high with a vibrant performance from Care to Dance, celebrating creativity, resilience, and the power of movement to tell stories that matter.
Gallery
Who to Expect
Blue Cabin
Blue Cabin strengthens relationships between Care Experienced People (CEP) and the professionals and carers in their lives through trauma-informed creative activities. Our work spans ages 0–25 and often includes foster carers, adoptive parents, kinship carers, and social workers—supporting attachment, trust, and wellbeing.
Our Associate Artists, specialists in cross-artform practice and relational work, help CEP express themselves, build confidence and agency, and gain skills. We deliver creative sessions both online and in person, ranging from one-off experiences to long-term programmes. We also offer training to local authority partners and carers to embed creativity into daily care.
Learn more at Blue Cabin’s website.
The Verbatim Formula (TVF)
The Verbatim Formula (TVF) is a practice research collective based at Queen Mary University of London. Our diverse, intergenerational team includes care-experienced co-researchers and members from ethnic minority, diasporic, working-class, neurodivergent, and differently abled communities. Together, we explore how institutions can better respond to complex lived experiences.
Working with arts and social justice charity People’s Palace Projects, TVF has received the TaPRA Prize for Transformative Research (2023), the UK KE Award for EDI in Knowledge Exchange (2024), and was shortlisted for a Times Higher Education Award (2024). We’re currently co-creating a resource with Newham Youth Empowerment Service and Wandsworth CLICK to support Participation Officers working with Children in Care Councils.
Earlier this year, TVF led a care-experienced event at the National Theatre alongside Dr Maggie Inchley and Dr Sylvan Baker. Maggie is a Reader in Drama at QMUL and supports care-experienced and estranged students. Sylvan is a neurodivergent, care-experienced Senior Lecturer at RCSSD whose work includes the BBC’s Person with Care Experience podcast and the Restar project on neurodivergent education.
Find out more at theverbatimformula.org.uk
Literati Arts
Literati Arts harnesses the power of poetry to unite people and amplify the voices of those often unheard. We believe that poetry fosters authentic self-expression and provides a safe space to process complex emotions. Our mission is to utilise the cathartic potential of poetry and performance to enhance the lives of individuals with Care Experience.
Learn more at literatiarts.com
Derby City Virtual School
Part of Derby City Council, Derby Virtual School is a service provided by a team of dedicated professionals to co-ordinate the educational needs of children in care and children previously in care. The Virtual School works in partnership with schools, carers and social workers, as well as cultural and arts venues and providers to ensure that children in care receive the very best education possible to reach their potential in adult life.
Learn more about Derby Virtual School
Care to Dance
Care to Dance is a social enterprise, led by qualified social workers and dancers, that supports care-experienced young people through dance and helps them feel a sense of belonging, freedom and connection. We find creative ways to help them process their experiences and learn how to express themselves in a positive way, in a safe environment free from fear of judgement and among others who understand their experiences. Our programmes are designed to build their confidence and self-esteem, show them what they can achieve and build their drive and motivation.
Find out more at caretodance.co.uk
FAQs
Who is the Culture Cares Conference for?
The conference is designed for care-experienced young people, carers, social workers, educators, cultural practitioners, and anyone passionate about supporting care communities through creativity and connection.
When and where is the conference taking place?
The Culture Cares Conference 2025 will be held on Wednesday 2 July at Derby Theatre. Please check the full schedule for session times.
How do I register for the conference?
Registration details can be found on our website. Please register early as places are limited.
Is there a cost to attend?
Book before 31 May and secure an earlybird ALL DAY ticket for ONLY £50. Any tickets booked after this date will cost £75 per person.
Will lunch be provided?
Yes, a complimentary lunch will be provided for all attendees.
Are there any accessibility accommodations?
We are committed to making the conference accessible to all. — Please contact us on 01332 593939 or email us at DerbyTheatreTickets@derby.ac.uk in advance to discuss any specific requirements or support needs.
If I am unable to attend after booking, can I transfer my place to a colleague?
Yes, you can transfer your place to a colleague. Please notify us as soon as possible with the new attendee’s details to ensure a smooth check-in.
Support Plus One
Please help us to provide looked after young people, care leavers and families access to free tickets and enriching, life-changing creative experiences by making a donation to Plus One today.