If you've spent any time on our website or social pages, you might have noticed something a little different about the way we represent the people we work with. Instead of real photographs, you'll see colourful, personalised cartoon avatars, illustrated characters that capture a person's personality, interests, and style.
It's a deliberate choice, and one we're really proud of. Here's why.
Privacy isn't just a policy, it's a value
The people we support trust us with some of the most personal parts of their lives. That trust doesn't stop at our front door. When we share anything publicly, on social media, in newsletters, on our website, we carry that same responsibility with us.
Real photographs can reveal a great deal: where someone lives or spends their time, what they look like, who they're with. Once a photo is online, it's extraordinarily difficult to remove completely. Cartoon avatars simply don't carry those risks. They celebrate a person without exposing them.
Consent is ongoing, not a one-time tick-box
Everything we do is person-centred, and that includes how we represent people publicly. Meaningful consent around photography and image use is complex. Circumstances change. People change their minds, which is their absolute right. A cartoon avatar is something we create with someone, choosing colours, features, and accessories that feel like them, and it can be updated or removed without any lasting trace. The person stays in control of how they're seen.
What is a digital footprint, and why does it matter?
Every time a photo is posted online, it adds to a person's digital footprint, the trail of information that exists about them across the internet. Search engines index images. Social platforms store metadata. Photos can be downloaded, shared, or used in ways that were never intended by the person in them.
For many of the people we support, having a large or unmanaged digital footprint can create real risks, from unwanted contact to losing control over their own story. We believe it's our responsibility to minimise that footprint wherever we can. Cartoon avatars leave almost no footprint. They can't be reverse-image searched to identify someone. They don't reveal location data. They're a joyful representation, with none of the exposure.
Behind every avatar is a real person with a real story. The cartoon just means that story gets told on their terms.
It's also just a lot of fun
Creating someone's avatar is genuinely enjoyable. People choose their favourite colours, their hobbies, their vibe. Some avatars are bold and bright, others are calm and considered. Each one ends up feeling remarkably like the person it represents, in all the right ways, without any of the risks. It's a small creative act that says: we see you, we celebrate you, and we protect you.
What about video?
Video is something we're genuinely excited about. It's one of the most powerful ways to show who we are, what we do, and why we do it. You might start seeing our staff step in front of the camera soon. We'll be honest, we're learning as we go, and we're okay with that. It won't always be polished, and that's kind of the point.
The same values that guide our use of avatars will guide our approach to video. Our staff are willing participants who understand and embrace what we're doing, that's very different from putting a client in front of a camera. We'll be creative, we'll be thoughtful, and we'll keep the focus on the work and the people behind it, not on individuals who haven't chosen that kind of visibility.
A note to other providers
We want to be clear: sharing this isn't about pointing fingers. There is no single right way to do this work, and we know that every organisation is navigating these questions with the best intentions for the people they support. The cartoon avatar approach works really well for us, and we hope that by sharing our thinking, it might spark a useful conversation for others too. If you're curious about how we do it, we'd genuinely love to chat. We're all in this together, and the more we share what we learn, the better it is for everyone we serve.