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What can businesses do to support care leavers?

Care Leaver Covenant logo

Businesses and organisations in Plymouth are being urged to follow Barnardo’s and NHS Professionals, and sign up to the Care Leaver Covenant and offer support to a care experienced young person by offering apprenticeships, work experience, and free or discounted goods or services.

As part of our commitment to promoting equality we offer guaranteed interviews to those if they meet the essential criteria and are considered disabled, or have been in Plymouth City Council care.

The Care Leaver Covenant is a national programme that supports care leavers aged 16 to 25 to live independently. The Covenant works with the Council to create opportunities for care leavers in a number of ways and aims to make Plymouth the best place for care experienced children and young people to live, to grow up and be supported for when they are ready to leave care. Care leavers have dedicated personal advisors, who can help provide information on what the Covenant offers to them.

What’s in it for businesses?

  • the chance to invest in an ambitious young person who will help with the efficient running of their business
  • the young person can bring bright, new ideas to the organisation
  • shows that the business is a supportive organisation willing to give a care experienced young person the chance at starting a career
  • open pathways to success and for some also offers opportunities to change their life around, if they feel they need to
  • fostering apprenticeship talent for the future success of the business
  • helping a care experienced young person start their career path.

The aim of the Care Leaver Covenant, to which organisations commit, is to provide additional support for those leaving care; making available a different type of support and expertise from that provided by local authorities.

Drawing on the resourcefulness and imagination of their staff and their working environment, organisations have the potential to offer new perspectives and professional expertise, which in turn, can benefit them by providing them with the skills and knowledge to succeed. Businesses can offer opportunities and a new way of thinking to help care leavers move successfully to the next phase of their lives.

So far the Covenant have created over 2,000 opportunities covering employment, training, support, free tickets, discounts, giveaways and help with DIY!

Some of these will be local and some will be national, you can search the opportunities on the website: Home - Care Leaver Covenant (mycovenant.org.uk)

By offering to support a care leaver, this can be tailored to their specific expertise, with a specific ‘offer’, or ‘pledge’ setting out what it can provide.

In return the Care Leaver Covenant organisation will support them with advice and guidance on how to best support care experienced individuals in their workplace, or part of the pledge they have made. The Covenant will support organisations by making contact and providing training, advice and guidance on the best way to support the young person.

Examples of a pledge might include:

  • providing a care experienced young person with work experience, work shadowing, internships, traineeships and apprenticeships
  • support such as one-to-one mentoring
  • discounted or free access to activities to broaden their horizons
  • education and training opportunities that will improve their vocational and educational profile and open up future employment opportunities.

Councillor Charlotte Carlyle, Cabinet Member for Education, Skills and Children and Young People, said: “The Care Leaver Covenant is a fantastic opportunity for businesses to support our care leavers who are looking to get their foot in the door and to support them with the next step in their journey.

“Care leavers don’t have the support network that you and I might do, they haven’t got a family network to help them or inspire them with their future. They need your offer to them, a ‘promise’ to help guide them.

“With the full support of the Covenant, they can achieve as many opportunities as possible. Imagine the 14-year-old on a day’s work experience at your business and how it could inspire them in their future.

“We are appealing to the people of Plymouth to get involved and pledge their support, to sign up and offer a care leaver the opportunity to broaden their horizons and support them in their next step in life.”

Sign up to the Covenant today: Companies & Charities - Care Leaver Covenant (mycovenant.org.uk)