The Care Leaver Covenant is a game changer. The Care Leaver Covenant encourages public, private and voluntary sector organisations to pledge support, including: apprenticeships, work experience, free or discounted goods and services.
The Care Leaver Covenant is a serious commitment to young care leavers. It is asking our society to take the reigns and providing the means.
In Birmingham At KPMG on March 25th business leaders and Universities came together for The first presentation of Care Leaver Covenant Certificates. Children and Families Minister Nadhim Zawahi delivered an impassioned speech for care leavers.
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“Unlike many of us in this room, young people leaving care don’t have the advantages of family support networks that I know I certainly needed at 18.“
– Nadhim Zawahi MP Minister for Children and Families
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“The 10,000 young people leaving care each year don’t always have role models. Nor do they always have the trusted adults they need to believe in them and see the person behind the care leaver label. So that’s what the Care Leaver Covenant is about. Seeing the potential of young people leaving care. Nurturing their potential and helping them to realise that potential. It’s unlocking that potential that’s really at the heart of the cross-government care leaver strategy, appropriately called ‘Keep on Caring’….”
Minister for children and Families Nadhim Zawahi MP
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“What it means on the ground is that every part of a local authority asks itself this question when developing its services: ‘Would this be good enough for my child?”
– Nadhim Zawahi MP Minister for Children and Families
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“I was delighted that on the day of the Covenant launch I was able to announce that every Government department had signed the Care Leaver Covenant. I’m also proud that each Government department has backed its commitment to care leavers in the most practical way it can: by participating in the care leaver internship scheme, which offers care leavers a 12- month paid job in the civil service with the option of being made permanent at the end of that period.
It started with one intern working in the care leaver policy team. That’s grown over the last 5 years and in the recruitment round for 2019, 75 care leavers were successfully appointed across 17 government departments. I’m proud that one of those young people is my diary secretary. Others have gone on to secure promotion and permanent jobs. With the right support and given the chance care leavers can blossom.”
Download the whole speech here. This level of commitment to the care leaver is unprecedented. Government is urging us to the care leaver covenant. . The care system will not change unless we make action and The Care Leaver Covenant facilitates that change. My University, The University of Manchester, has signed up to The Care Leaver Covenant. It’s my ambition, my hope and my dream that all universities sign up to The Care Leaver Covenant.
In Piccadilly at The Manchester International Festival.
The Care Leaver Covenant is the next step for private public and voluntary organisations to enable the care leaver into a better future.
and one’s supposed to believe what a Government Minister says?
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