In 2009, The Who Cares? Trust helped UK care leavers back into the workplace. The project, called Building Futures, ran in partnership with Business in the Community. Young people took part in an intensive three-day course to build confidence and prepare for the workplace before embarking on a fortnight’s placement.
The Building Futures project is the latest project in The Who Cares? Trust’s series of employability programmes. The overall aim of the project was to provide care leavers with work experience opportunities, which would enable them to gain valuable skills and experience to enhance their employment opportunities. A further aim was to build knowledge about how professionals can best support a young person in care through a work placement and with employment matters in general.
Building Futures set out to demonstrate that effective strategic partnerships between employers and local authorities can enable young people from the care system to reach their potential, become active citizens and make successful transitions into the world of work.
The Building Futures project was made possible by funding from the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and The Mark Leonard Trust, and The Who Cares? Trust is grateful to both for their valuable support.
The Building Futures project was viewed in a positive light by those who participated in it, both professionals and young people. It also had significant outcomes for the small number of care leavers who completed it. [Read project case studies] Overall, the number of participants who completed the scheme was disappointing. However, this pilot has enabled us to learn important lessons for any future work on employability with young people from care.
In addition to particular lessons about how best to engage and work with young people from care on an employability scheme, there were also several broader learning outcomes. The first is that many care leavers may need more preparation before they are ready to engage in and to take full advantage of an employment programme. This may include providing training in skills such as time-keeping, team working, initiative, answering the telephone etc. However, it is also about preparing young people emotionally for the challenge and providing the necessary support and encouragement throughout.
The second is that employment schemes that are tailored specifically for care leavers and young people in care are likely to have more impact. Young people leaving care are in a very unique circumstance; having to make the transition to adulthood more quickly, at a younger age and with less support than the majority of their peers. A targeted employment scheme could take all those issues into account and provide positive outcomes for a greater number and broader range of young people from care.
Download project report [PDF, 3MB]