Care Leaver Covenant launches in England
A new Care Leaver Covenant, a promise made by private, public or voluntary organisations to provide support for care leavers aged 16-25 in England to help them to live independently, was launched in Birmingham today during National Care Leavers Week 2018.
More than 50 businesses, charities and every government department in England have signed up to the Covenant, which commits to provide work based opportunities to young people leaving the care system.
The UK Government's Children’s and Families Minister Nadhim Zahawi set out an ambition for the scheme to create 10,000 work opportunities over the next ten years helping these young people gain vital skills and experiences as they enter the jobs market. Different policy department Secretaries of State have government have published offer letters pledging to commit their departments to the principles Covenant, and have outlined the ways in which they will provide help care leavers in their transition from care to independence in order to improve their life chances.
The Scottish Care Leavers Covenant and CELCIS welcomes this initiative as an exciting and ambitious collaboration to address the transitional and aftercare support needs of care experienced young people in England.
Committed leadership at all levels, along with meaningful partnerships across the full range of corporate parents, is necessary to drive forward the cultural and practice change necessary to transform services and supports for care leavers.