Care Experienced and Care Leavers
What is a care experienced young person or a care leaver?
A care experienced young person and a care leaver is defined as a person aged 25 and under, who is currently or has been looked after by a local authority as a child in care. A care experienced young person or care leaver may be living with foster carers, in a residential setting, semi-independent accommodation or may be living independently.
What barriers do care experienced young people and care leavers face?
A care experienced young person or a care leaver may have experienced difficulties in their past which occurred prior to them entering the care system. These experiences could now restrict their contact with family members and have caused them to relocate.
Inconsistency in education provision
Although a care experienced young person or a care leaver is no less able than their peers, they may be more likely to underachieve due to gaps in their education provision. A care experienced young person or a care leaver may have missed periods at school, and ultimately fell behind, when entering the care system or when foster/residential placements breakdown.
Relationship breakdowns
A care experienced young person or a care leaver may struggle to form/maintain relationships with other individuals, both personal and professional, due to the amount of changes they may have experienced with residential/educational placements.
Case study
"I currently live in a residential children’s home and have had bad experiences when it comes to school/education, so found applying to college very daunting. After I completed my application, I was contacted by my support coach who arranged for me to visit the college throughout the summer holidays, which put my mind at ease as I was able to look around whilst it was quiet.
"My support coach gave me all the information and forms I needed to claim for financial support at the college which included the cost of the kit I would need. They also helped me complete the college bus form which meant that I could travel to and from college for free! Receiving this support before I even started my course made it so much easier for me to come to enrolment and begin my course as a lot of my questions had been answered. Also, I knew that there was always someone at college that I could go to, should I need to talk and if things become too much.
"As I progressed throughout my course, my support coach kept in contact with my residential key worker and social worker and also attended my LAC reviews to update everyone on how well I was doing. During my year at the college, I began to struggle with my emotions and found speaking with my support coach useful as they were able to refer me to specialist counselling support. By engaging in this support, I was able to speak about my issues and have professional support on how to process and overcome them.
"Towards the end of my course, I met with my support coach to discuss how I wanted to progress and they supported me with my application for the next level on my course for the next academic year. I have now passed my qualification and been accepted on to the next level!”
Top five tips to performing better in college
- 1Ask for help!
Don't isolate yourself, people are here to help.
- 2Talk about your feelings
Openly expressing how you feel can help take a weight off your shoulders, and allow us to support and understand you better.
- 3Engage
Our services are always available to use, don't be afraid to stop by.
- 4Remember, you aren't alone
There are other students in the college who are care experienced.
- 5Keep yourself safe!
Especially when browsing the internet!
Useful links