A woman from Wirral has gone from being a care leaver to a peer educator.
Tora, from Higher Bebington, moved in with her foster carer Lesley when she was just 10 years old.
Lesley and her family supported Tora in pursuing her passions for drama and dance.
The 18-year-old said: "I go to Pilgrim St [arts centre] three times a week, I’ve been going for about 10 years.
"I’ve always loved performing and communicating my feelings by turning words into dance.
"Over the years I’ve met lots of other young people, some like me and some from all sorts of backgrounds."
Tora has mobility issues and learning difficulties that would make living on her own difficult.
When Tora turned 18 earlier this year, she moved from foster care to Shared Lives, a council service that matches carers with adults who need support.
This meant she was able to stay with Lesley as she transitioned from children’s to adult services.
Speaking about the transition, Tora said: "Moving from foster care to Shared Lives didn’t make much of a difference to me – as I was able to just stay with Lesley.
"But I was moving into adult services, which for me meant different social workers and other challenges.
"I met my new social workers when I was 17 and it was nice to build up a relationship with them before I turned 18.
"Of course there were some teething problems, as with any big change, but there was no gap where the support stopped.
"It was consistent."
Now a young adult, Tora is part of the SEND youth voice group.
She said: "I love being part of the SEND youth voice group.
"Our aim is to promote the voices and needs of SEND young people in Wirral.
"Now I don’t just take part in the sessions, I help out too, supporting others, mentoring, offering ideas.
"We do everything from ballroom to break dance, it’s a lot of fun.
"I want to make sure that people feel great about themselves and feel included.
"I’m still involved in the dances but I’m also sitting and watching, seeing how I can help people improve."
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