From Care2Work, a national programme to increase the range of employability initiatives for young people leaving care, will today mark the achievements of its first year. Managed by young people’s charity Catch22, the National Care Advisory Service (NCAS) led programme has drawn upon good practice and created successful partnerships between local authorities and private and voluntary sector employers. The aim is to provide a range of opportunities including engagement programmes, work experience, apprenticeships and jobs, and to find local solutions to narrow the gap between care leavers and their peers.
Wendy Green, National Manager at NCAS says
'Many young people outside the care system get their first job or work experience through family, friends and contacts.Young people in care, who don’t have these types of personal contacts, have to rely on the local authority, as their corporate parent, to provide opportunities in the "family firm".'
From Care2Work encourages strong and effective corporate parenting and combines this with creative planning and prospects for young people to achieve their goals. A key element in this approach has been reaching out to employers in order to raise the employability of young care leavers. There are now 30 national companies offering support and opportunities. At the end of May this year almost a thousand employability opportunities had been created and a further thousand are in the pipeline.
Children's Minister Tim Loughton said:
'Entering the world of work can be a daunting experience for young people leaving care. However, having a job helps young people build new skills, develop their independence and confidence and can support social mobility. I'm pleased the From Care2Work programme is making good progress helping care leavers find suitable jobs. It is an excellent example of how the voluntary sector, working with local authorities and private businesses, can help to improve the lives of vulnerable young people.'
While the early results are encouraging, more needs to be done to improve the employability of young people leaving care.
Wendy Green explains what NCAS is calling for
“Local authorities need to ensure that there are adequate resources and knowledge within the leaving care teams to help young people get the best opportunities. Career planning needs to start at an early age, just as parents in any family might discuss what their children want to do. This is vital if we are to raise aspirations and close the gap between young people leaving care and their peers. We must see young people between the ages of 16 and 25 as being at a specific life stage and a flexible person-centred process should ensure that vulnerable young people are able to access support and opportunities that are appropriate to their need.”
