ChangeKitchen CIC is delighted to announce a new partnership with Rees Foundation and will be hosting Café Connections sessions in Balsall Heath for care experienced people across south Birmingham.
This new initiative brings local care experienced people together through welcoming community spaces, creative activities, wellbeing support, and opportunities to connect. ChangeKitchen CIC is proud to be one of only a few Midlands delivery partners chosen by Rees Foundation and are excited to welcome care experienced people monthly this summer at our ChangeKitchen Kindness Cafe.
Care leavers can experience additional social and emotional challenges as they navigate the adult world of independence. Young people particularly leaving care at 18 years old often find there’s a lack of support, sometimes referred to as the ‘care cliff’, leaving them isolated, separated from their families or siblings, and struggling to get going as young adults. (Source: UK Government, 2025)
Café Connections sessions offer a friendly, welcoming ‘time out’ to connect with other care experienced people of all ages, find a safe space to listen and be heard as well as learning new soft skills such as cooking or wellbeing practices, and gain from peer support.
For ChangeKitchen CIC, being deeply rooted in the community in and around Balsall Heath, understanding that for care experienced individuals in these wonderfully diverse and vibrant ethnic groups in south Birmingham, can be an additional challenge to social connection and access to work.
“Being committed about providing better life opportunities and promoting greater inclusion is at the heart of what we do – and we do this through our passion for food and our award-winning catering social enterprise” says Birgit Kehrer, CEO and Founder of ChangeKitchen CIC, and as someone who has direct experience of the care system.
Tonya Hepburn, Project Coordinator for Café Connections at Rees Foundation, says, “At Rees Foundation, we believe that lasting change happens through collaboration. That’s why we’ve chosen to partner with ChangeKitchen CIC, an organisation whose values closely align with our own and whose work has a proven impact within the community.
ChangeKitchen CIC creates welcoming, inclusive spaces where people can connect, develop new skills, improve their wellbeing, and access opportunities in education, training, volunteering, and employment. Their experience and community-focused approach complement Rees Foundation’s mission to support and empower care experienced people to reach their full potential.
By working together, we can build on each other’s strengths and create a community café that is much more than a place to eat and drink. It will be a safe, welcoming hub where people can learn, grow, build confidence, and access support and opportunities that improve lives.
This partnership reflects our commitment to working alongside organisations that share our vision, because together we can achieve much more.”
ChangeKitchen CIC Cafe Connections (summer 2026):
Tuesday 28th July 2026 | Tuesday 18th August 2026 | Tuesday 29th Sept 2026
Always 1.30pm to 3.00pm | Always at ChangeKitchen Kindness Cafe, 196 Edward Road, Balsall Heath B12 9LX.
To find out more or book your place, please contact:
cafeconnections@reesfoundation.org | call 0330 094 5645 | scan the QR code
