Cumbrian educational professionals were inspired by the stark story of a star athlete's upbringing.
One of Britain's greatest athletes, who was abandoned as a baby and left to die, has called for improvements to the care system in order to shape the future of society.
The star athlete in question, European and World record javelin thrower and double Olympian, Fatima Whitbread, moved the educational profession across Cumbria with her story at the annual conference of NAVSH - National Association of Virtual School Heads.
Virtual head teachers are tasked with managing the education of thousands of looked after children and young people with social workers, spanning across Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness.
Ms Whitbread shared her chilling history with around 400 conference delegates.
The former athlete said: "I am one of the lucky ones and if we don’t do something to improve the care system who can?
"Children are the nation’s future and the way we invest in them will determine how society ends up".
Alongside being abandoned by her biological mother, Ms Whitbread disclosed how she was left to die until a neighbour heard her cries and called the police.
The athlete spent six months in hospital, recuperating from malnutrition and nappy rash.
"I was very difficult at school and the head told me I would never amount to anything.
"I would end up on the streets as a prostitute or a junky.
"But I was determined to do well at sport and remember being 11 watching Mary Peters in the pentathlon at the Munich Olympics.
"That started a dream that I would be a sports star one day and gave me the mindset to focus on what my life could be like."
She became a notable young figure in hockey and netball, being frequently reprimanded for her zeal.
Her encounter with a local athletics club coach culminated in her adoption by the coach’s family and a successful sports career.
"The best thing you can give a child is the love and security of a home because they deserve to be happy.
"I had key people in my life and it’s important to realise that this could be you," Ms Whitbread told the delegates.
The number of children in care has been surging in Cumbria in recent years, with around 250 and 460 young people with a virtual head in Westmorland and Furness and Cumberland respectively.
However, thousands have a social worker.
Her words particularly resonated with Westmorland and Furness virtual head, Sarah Roscoe, who was adopted at the tender age of three weeks.
She said: "By that stage, I had already learned not to cry because no-one came – in fact they thought I was deaf at first".
Ms Roscoe went on to succeed both academically and athletically, working her way to becoming the head at a school for children with autism before being recently appointed the region’s virtual head.
Ed Strong, Cumberland virtual head, urged for training to counter generational trauma and said: "At the conference, the talk of ‘potential’ was the thing that motivated me and recognising this potential in a child will be the thing I take back to my team".
Ms Roscoe added: "There is potential in every single child and you need to connect with them before you start correcting them.
"You need to earn their respect and never come from a place of judgement."
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