We have a lot of experience of working with young people who are in care or who have left care (we use the term “care experience” to represent this group). We believe that we can provide the young people we support with the skills, confidence and experiences that can empower and support them to find lasting solutions to many of the problems they face.
We currently work with young people from 15 to 25 years old, and offer a holistic approach to supporting them, whether that’s with their mental health, housing issues, employment, social isolation or being at risk of offending. Care leavers are disproportionally impacted on more likely to experience limited life chances (BBC 2017). Our aim is to shift that expectation and find opportunities for the young people we support to make positive changes in their lives. All our services are free.
We work with our young people in a range of ways offering one to one support and group projects and activities. We have strong links to business which means we are very good at helping young people develop employability skills and find work, as well as offer a wide range of practical support to care experienced young people.
To make a referral please use our referral form at the bottom of the page.
What can we offer a young person?
One to One Mentoring
Our offer is focussed on providing one to one support to young people aimed at improving their opportunities and helping them to develop the skills needed to move in to education, training or employment. We also offer a range of group projects including a weekly football session and campaigns and participation activities
Joining Up Joining In - Joining Up Joining In | Leicestershire Cares
We strongly believe that young people’s voices and lived experience should shape the support they are offered. We help young people develop the skills and confidence they need to inform both our work and the work of all agencies who impact on their life. We see young people as the “solution” not the “problem” and are committed to helping them be seen and heard. If you want to have your voice heard about an issue affecting the care experienced community, get in touch.
We use a number of techniques to get you voice heard by the right people. We could work with you to make a video, a podcast, articulate your point through photography, art, drama, or work with you to support your voice to be heard politically. Our young people have fed into government consultations, Independent Care Review, The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Looked After Children and Care Leavers and more. We have also published a book created by care experienced young people exploring their heritage. You can get a digital download here: Taking Hold of Our Heritage
Powering Up Football Project
Employment, Education and Training
Through our strong links with local business we can help the young people we support to develop key “employability skills”. This could include support and advice on CV’s, job interviews, mock interviews, work tours, gaining work experience and being coached and mentored by local business people. We also have strong links with a wide range of training and education providers.
What we can offer professionals
Foster carers, and Children's Homes
We are always happy to work with a range of partners including foster carers and children's homes. We offer a warm, safe and inclusive environment, for young people to develop learn and leap into independence.
We are happy to speak to you about how we can work with your young people to support them into employment or training, help them reduce their social isolation, or be another responsible adult in their lives.
Social Workers, Personal Assistants and Virtual Schools
We have strong links with Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland’s youth services, as well as the Virtual Schools. We understand the pressures you are under, and we are here to help, being another free service that can support young people into employment, education, help with reducing social exclusion, and give them a voice to speak out about the issues affecting them. If you have a young person you would like to refer, please get in touch or fill out the referral form at the bottom of the page.
Are you a business that wants to support care experienced young people?
Too many care leavers do not achieve the same outcomes as their peers, with 40 per cent of care leavers aged 19 to 21 not in education, employment or training (NEET), compared to 13 per cent for this age group overall. As a business you could help change that. There are many ways to work with us to support care experienced young people, and it could come under your corporate social responsibility (CSR).
Promise to Care
Over the past three years we have been working with businesses and care experienced young people to create our Promise to Care Toolkit. It gives an insight into the issues facing care experienced young people looking for work and gives ideas on how to support them before and during the recruitment process, and when they are in employment.
Get the Promise to Care Toolkit here
We are also always looking for businesses to sign our Promise to Care pledge, and join other companies and business in the local region supporting care experienced young people. It could be offering work placements, mentoring, industry showcase events, interviewing practice, discounted offers, or run a session of a life, business or practical skill.
If you are interested in offering work experience, please contact aidan@leicestershirecares.co.uk We will arrange a meeting to discuss how you can work with us to support unemployed people in the city and/or county.
Employ a Care Leaver
There are a number of benefits for employing a care experienced person. It can makes good business sense, as it makes good use of the Apprenticeship Levy, you could receive financial support from the government, it improves support for other employees, helps to create a diverse workforce and it can make a huge difference to young people’s lives. You can find out more about the benefits of employing a care leaver here.
Become a Leicestershire Cares member
As a business you can support our work by becoming a member of Leicestershire Cares. Membership enables your staff to participate in a wide range of activities and also provides you with opportunities to network with other members. We also have an annual awards ceremony and recognise the contribution of companies and individuals. Find out more about becoming a business member.
Get in touch
Aidan Croughwell - Burton - Powering Up Project Development Manager
M – 07748932386
E – aidan@leicestershirecares.co.uk
