North Swindon MP and Works & Pensions Minister, Justin Tomlinson, has welcomed the announcement of a new Care Leavers Covenant, to help create 10,000 work-based opportunities for young people leaving the care system by 2028.
More than 50 businesses; including Amazon, Rolls-Royce and Barclays LifeSkills, and Premier League Clubs have pledged to support the covenant – which Justin, as a Minister, has overseen. In addition to businesses, every Government department has signed up to the scheme.
Many care leavers do not achieve the same outcomes as their peers, with 40% of care leavers aged 19 to 21 not in education, employment or training (NEET), compared to 13% for this age group overall.
The Covenant will help care leavers navigate the work opportunities available and support them in fulfilling their ambitions; giving them access to work placements and internships with big businesses, Government departments, museums, and theatres.
Last month Justin visited PGL to see how the care-leaver employment programme can benefit young people in challenging situation and encourage businesses to sign up.
During the visit Justin said: “The talents of too many unemployed people are being overlooked, with many facing barriers to work. When young people are given a little bit of extra support or advice, it’s inspiring what they are able to achieve. We’re encouraging businesses to do more to tap into the skills, experience and insight of a diverse workforce with our See Potential campaign and PGL is a great example of a business getting it right."
In addition to the private and voluntary sector offers of support, the package of support for care leavers includes:
- 12-month internships from every Government department in Whitehall, including 100 12-month internships from January 2019.
- Support from universities, such as bursaries and accommodation, with Cambridge, Leeds, and Manchester universities committing to supporting care leavers – data shows that only 6% of care leavers aged 19 to 21 go on to higher education; and
- Resources and tools from Barclays Life Skills to help care leavers to manage their money better, as they often lack the safety net of financial support from their families.
The Government has already taken action improve the lives of care leavers, including introducing schemes such as Staying Put, which allows care leavers to continue living with their foster families after the age of 18; and piloting Staying Close so young people leaving residential care can keep links with people they trust.
In addition to this, the Government is already providing £5 million for three Social Impact Bonds to help care leavers into education, employment or training post-18 and £3.2 million for 47 councils to employ specialist personal advisers to help care leavers most at risk of rough sleeping in 2019/20
Justin Tomlinson MP said: “I am very pleased to be involved with this initiative. Care leavers have already faced many challenges in their lives, and I am delighted that the Government is helping to further tackle the challenges they face when they leave the care system. It is great to see so many big businesses supporting this scheme, and I hope many more will join in the future to give care leavers as many opportunities as possible."
(Photo: Justin visiting PGL to learn more about their work with care leavers)
