Open letter re: care experienced apprenticeships support
Together for Children
City Hall
Plater Way
Sunderland
SR1 3AA
Tel (0191) 520 5555
www.togetherforchildren.org.uk
Open letter to Sunderland partners and local businesses
Dear all,
I am writing to you on behalf of Together for Children to raise an important initiative that we believe can significantly enrich and positively impact the lives of care experienced young people in Sunderland. As Corporate Parents, we all share a responsibility to support these young individuals as they transition into adulthood, and we have developed a comprehensive Care Experienced Apprenticeship Programme that we urge you to adopt.
The TfC programme aims to address the unique challenges faced by care experienced young people, who often encounter significant barriers to education and employment. In Sunderland, only 40% of care experienced young people aged 19-21 are in education or employment, compared to 51% nationally. This disparity highlights the urgent need for targeted support to help these young people thrive.
Key components of our programme:
- Protected Characteristic: We have recognised care experience as a protected characteristic in Sunderland, providing additional legal protections for these young individuals.
- Financial Support: We have increased the Care Leavers Bursary to £3,000 in line with the Governments Guidance. We offer further discretionary payments for essential items such as tools, clothing, and travel costs.
- Simplified Application Process: Offering all care experienced young person to submit an Expression of Interest in an apprenticeship and guaranteeing each of them an interview.
- Mentoring: Each care experienced apprentice is allocated a trained mentor to provide guidance and support throughout their apprenticeship journey; this support spans both personal and professional issues that may arise for the young person.
- Apprenticeship Forum: A forum chaired by our Care Experienced Ambassador, where the apprentices can lean on one another for support and create a strong supportive peer group.
- Progression Planning: We have built-in progression meetings at the end of the apprenticeship to help identify future employment opportunities, ensuring stability and long-term success.
We are proud to share that we have already appointed four care experienced young people to posts within our organisation, demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach. Nine young people applied for the apprentices. Other young people were better suited to vocational opportunities, in more hands-on roles which unfortunately we are unable to offer at Together for Children; others were suited to roles in an office environment however we were sadly restricted to four posts. There is still much work to be done, and we believe that by working together, we can expand these opportunities and support even more young people.
Next steps:
- Monitor and Adapt: Continuously monitor the success of the programme and make necessary adjustments to improve its effectiveness.
- Partnerships: Develop stronger partnerships with local employers and educational institutions to expand apprenticeship opportunities.
- Support Systems: Continue to enhance our financial and housing support systems to meet the needs of care experienced young people.
- In-Placement Support: Strengthen in-placement support through transition meetings and mentor engagement.
Following a motion presented to full council by Cllr Michael Butler (cabinet member) and agreed by all present council members, we invite Sunderland partners and local businesses to join us in this vital initiative. By adopting our approach, you can help ensure that care experienced young people in Sunderland have the support they need to succeed in apprenticeships and beyond.
We appreciate not all organisations will be in a position to offer a full apprenticeship programme of this nature, however there are some smaller steps that could be taken towards supporting care experienced young people seeking work which we would be happy to advise on.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to the opportunity to collaborate and make a meaningful difference in the lives of these young individuals.
Should you wish for more information on the programme or advice on how you can set this up within your organisation please contact Rachael.dover@togetherforchildren.org.uk
Cllr Michael Butler
Portfolio holder Children's Services, Child Poverty and Skills
Simon Marshall
Director of Children's Services
