About Me
Li Jean-Luc Harris, a care-experienced professional with an NVQ Level 4 in Residential Child Care, uses his challenging journey through the UK care system to empower others. He entered foster care at ten, facing instability and navigating new environments. As a teenager, he dealt with bullying, coming out as gay, and mental health struggles, leading to hospitalization at fifteen. Despite facing homelessness and addiction after leaving care, Li persevered, achieving stability and becoming a homeowner.
Today, he's the founder of Looked After Child Limited, a platform supporting care-experienced individuals and professionals. He's also held positions as a House Manager and an ambassador for the Rees Foundation. Li's dedication to creating positive change within the care system inspires others and highlights the power of shared experiences.
You can read more at About Li Jean-Luc Harris
EXPERIENCE
April 2024 - Present
Support Worker
Step4ward Services
Aug 2023 - December 2024
Charity Ambassador
Rees Foundation
I'm Proud to announce i will start a new venture as a charity ambassador at the Rees Foundation. on the 21st of august
Rees Foundation is a Charity that is specialised at providing support services and advice to Care Experienced Adults who have been left to "Survive" By our local authorities after reaching the ages of 18 through to 25
About Rees Foundation:
We offer help and advice to care experienced individuals about any concern and are always here to listen. We run a number of projects that hopefully can make a real difference to care experienced people of any age and want to celebrate any and all personal and professional achievements of those who have experienced being in care no matter how big or small.
Jan 2023 - April 2024
Acting House Coordinator
Step4ward Services Kent Limited
covering for the manager due to a long period of sickness
this role is temporary.
August 2021 - Jan 2023
Support Worker
Step4ward Services Kent Limited
Providing support as well as outreach to people ages 16-25 with mental health or learning difficulties to become independent
Dec 2022 - Present
Public Speaker
Looked After Child Limited
27th April 2023 - will be speaking at children and young peoples mental health: The Path To recovory Conference From open forum events
8 Dec 2022 - Spoke at the Looked After Child Promoting Equality Conference From open forum events
May 2022 - Present
Lead Content Creator / Director
Looked After Child Limited
Creating a platform to educate and assist care workers, and to advise Looked After children on the requirements / needs to progress from Residential Support homes to full independence.
Currently building out a knowledge-base to promote support workers into the best practice and sharing my own stories as a looked after child and how i progressed.
With aspirations to become an educator and build courses both for Looked After Children and Care Workers Creating a platform to educate and assist care workers, and to advise Looked After children on the requirements / needs to progress from Residential Support homes to full independence. Currently building out a knowledge-base to promote support workers into the best practice and sharing my own stories as a looked after child and how i progressed. With aspirations to become an educator and build courses both for Looked After Children and Care Workers
Check out Looked After Child Limited's Website for more details
Aug 2018 - May 2022
Life Story Blogger
liharris.me
I Created my blog in 2018 to broadcast my personal traumas to the world. i decided to get deep and personal with some of my demons to help show people suffering with Mental Health, Homelessness, Addiction, Self Harm that recovery is possible. and with the right mind frame and mindset, you will unlock your powers to unlimited energy and ambition
In 2021 with some struggles getting into a new career i've decided to market myself and my blog. to not only allowing myself to network as well as having physical demonstrations of my skills and knowledge applied within the website.
Mar 2021 - Jul 2021
Support Worker
Inspire Care Outreach Limited
Inspire Care was born out of a genuine drive and desire to support the most vulnerable young people in the community to find their rightful place in society. We understand and believe that the work we undertake now can have a profound and enhancing effect on a young person’s future, their safety and their fulfilment in living and participating in the community. We will achieve this through the quality of relationship, professionalism of our work and continuing quality assurance reflective practices backed by a team of professionals and partnership with local authorities. We provide services to those living in the community with no family or support networks, who may be living in the community alone for the first time, and those who may be at significant risk. We also use person centred approach to meet the needs of our young people.
Feb 1st – Mar 21st 2021
IT Project Manager
The Irwin Family Limited
Mar 2020 - Dec 2020
Support Worker
Independence-Development Ltd
In my last work placement I was looking after a young person who had underlying mental health issues and was a frequent self-harmer who was on 1-1 Eyesight 24/7 unless in their room. Which then would change to 5min-observations checkups. on my checkup the service user had tried to ligature themselves with a bit of string from their tracksuit bottoms.
(thankfully our office was nearby) I shouted to my colleague to get the scissors and to come and assist. I had to struggle with the service user, unable to get the scissors to cut through, and at one point I called my colleague to call the ambulance. While they were on the phone, I cut it loose and I then sat there by the door making sure they were okay and recover like normal. (There was a multi-agency agreement out that stated we could not have an ambulance on site unless it was life threatening.)
Once myself and the ambulance team on the phone agreed they were now okay and that we just needed to change our plan temporarily to 1-1 eyesight in their room. That night I got a lot of abuse, and the service user kept saying that they would repeatedly self harm until the ambulance had to be called out. Thankfully, they never did.
Caring for Service users and helping them to gain independence
• Safeguarding
• Medication
• Recording Data
• Dealing with Challenging Behaviours
• Knowledge with Children Suffering Mental Health / Autism And Learning Difficulties as well as Youth Offenders and Harmful Sexual Behaviours
Aug 2017 - Mar 2020
IT & Admin Support
Independence-Development Ltd
• Develop and Maintain Archiving System
• Backup Devices through FTP.
• Manage 4 Remote Computers Via ITSM + 2 Local Machines
• Follow and Implement IT Policy And Procedures
• Research and Compile Data
• Support / Train Staff in any computer related issue that may occur
• Report And Log I.T Incident Reports + Risk Assessment’s
• Maintain Computers And Networks Within the organization
January 20th 2017 – August 26th 2017
Store Support
OCS Group Limited
Mar 14th 2016 – Apr 23rd 2016
Work Experience
Alpha Core International
Jan 12th 2015 – Aug 6th 2015
Specialist Stock Taker
OCS Group Limited
July 2013 - July 2014
Volunteer Sales Assistant
Oxfam Rochester
Nov 2012 - Sep 2014
Founder
Blue Shark Projects
Blue Shark Projects Provides company's/clubs and bands a easy to use platform to create websites which needs no coding at all. we currently employ 3 People and have 15 Outside Freelances who help balance off the work. We also work in computer repair And Graphics design but we will soon be moving deeper into Computer Services.