‘Baby Steps’ project will provide a vital programme of support for Herefordshire care leavers and care experienced young people
The Care Leaver Programme, supporting young adults leaving care to make the transition to adulthood, is being launched today (18 April) at an event hosted by CCLA and UK Community Foundations (UKCF), and where Cllr Shaun Davies, Chair of the LGA, Cllr Richard Kemp CBE, Deputy Lord Mayor of Liverpool and Chair of LAMIT, Mark Riddell MBE, National Implementation Adviser for Care Leavers, and Ben Robinson, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Strategy at UKCF, will speak.
There were 46,000 care leavers between 17 and 21 years old in England alone in 2022. Each year, young people leaving the care system immediately meet a range of challenges that their peers might not experience. Deficiencies in transitional and practical support mean that care leavers are often less likely to get the help they need to make a fresh start as a young adult. Gaps in support have been found when it comes to relationships and mentoring, education, employment and mental health.
Herefordshire Community Foundation is one of 17 community foundations being announced at the launch event and is working closely with Herefordshire Council to fund community projects supporting care leavers throughout Herefordshire.
Herefordshire Community Foundation will also work with Herefordshire Council to identify support gaps in Herefordshire, collaborating with local organisations to capitalise on their skills and knowledge, and to facilitate a long-lasting, coherent plan of impact for care leavers that can be built on over time.
The ‘Baby Steps’ project will develop a programme of support that will focus on care leavers and care-experienced young people (18-25 years) who are parents or parents-to-be in Herefordshire. ‘Baby Steps’ will bring together experienced providers in the local community sector to work alongside Herefordshire Council to provide early intervention tailored to the needs of young care-experienced parents in Herefordshire.
Cllr Richard Kemp CBE, Deputy Lord Mayor of Liverpool and Chair of LAMIT, says:
“We are delighted to be working with both Herefordshire Community Foundation and their partner local authority Herefordshire Council to deliver extra support to young people within the care system that badly need it. This joint fund of £300,000 for three years will provide that little bit of extra support that is vital for young care leavers.
“Nationally, our care system is creaking at the seams despite the best endeavours of dedicated professionals such as social workers and probation officers. We need to find innovative approaches for young people who have left care, in which society can wrap its arm around them in the same way that we as parents and grandparents wrap our arms around the young people in our own family.
“Over the next three years we hope to hold a series of events both nationally and here in Herefordshire to learn from what has been achieved and challenge all partners and potential partners, such as the NHS and the criminal justice system, to work together in a more challenging and holistic way.”
Councillor Ivan Powell, Herefordshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, says:
“We are incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to work with our partners to secure this funding for Herefordshire. The ‘Baby Steps’ project will provide a vital programme of support for our care leavers and care experienced young people at an important stage of their lives as they transition into adulthood and are or are about to become parents.’’
Rosemary Macdonald BEM, Chief Executive at UK Community Foundations, says:
“Inequalities for care leavers differ from region to region. It is key that we harness the knowledge of local organisations to not just fund fantastic projects for young people leaving the care system, but to nurture those relationships and keep the momentum going to make real change happen.
“By supporting individual care leavers and supportive organisations in Herefordshire, Herefordshire Community Foundation will be able to use this programme as a way of uniting communities and authorities, to explore local solutions to local issues and use the learning to influence wider support.”
Councillor Shaun Davies, Chair of the Local Government Association, says:
“Councils support thousands of young people who become care leavers every year whether that is finding a home to live in or help into work. Alongside our communities, the LGA is delighted to be able to support this fantastic new initiative which can help to transform care leavers’ lives as they make the transition into adulthood.”
Bridie Sullivan, Chief Executive Officer at Herefordshire Community Foundation says:
“We are pleased to work in partnership with Herefordshire Council and local community partners to develop an innovative programme of support for young care-experienced parents in a rural county. We intend that the ‘Baby Steps’ programme that will enable these parents to have their voices heard, to become the best parents they can possibly be, and provide their children with the best start in life, as a family”
Today’s event, taking place at CCLA’s offices in London, will mark the official launch of the Care Leavers Programme. For funding information, head to the Herefordshire Community Foundation website.