New life-changing help for young people in care in Rochdale and Oldham

Rob Jackson, North West Area Director for The Children's Society

Vulnerable young people in care in Greater Manchester will get life-changing support thanks to £450,000 in new funding.

The Children’s Society has secured the cash from the Department for Education to roll out Care To Be Different, a new year-long programme for 16-25-year-olds, in four parts of the country, including the Rochdale and Oldham council areas.

It will help 450 young people in care, care leavers and children who have run away from care, and give them more of a say in the issues affecting their lives.

The national charity says an estimated 60 per cent of children and young people in care in England have emotional and mental health problems.

It says many experience poor health, educational and social outcomes after leaving care, including difficulties finding a job.

The charity says young people have less than a 50-50 chance of being able to successfully return home when they leave care, often making them feel angry and frustrated, while increasing council care costs.

From July 1, Care To Be Different will offer one-to-one support for the young people with the most complex needs, for instance, around issues like substance misuse and sexual exploitation.

Other young people will receive coaching and mentoring designed to help them with advice around engaging in education, relationships, lifestyle issues and leaving care.

Some will get the chance to boost their job prospects through a work placement in one of The Children’s Society’s charity shops through its Retail Assistant Traineeship programme. The scheme leads to accredited qualifications in retail skills and customer care.

Many of the young people will join one of a number of new care leavers groups through which they will themselves design training for staff on how they can best offer support. During the group meetings they will be encouraged to discuss what they can do to change their lives for the better.

Rob Jackson, North West Area Director for The Children's Society, said: “For many children and young people in care and who are leaving care, the future can seem bleak and uncertain as they struggle with real challenges around their education, health and emotional well-being.

"We are really pleased to have been given the funding to run Care To Be Different because it enables us to offer the one-to-one support needed to rise to these challenges and help to prevent potential problems.

"If we can do that, we can make a positive difference to young people's lives and equip them with the skills and confidence they need to survive and thrive outside the care system."

Paul Maher, Programme Manager for The Children's Society in Greater Manchester, said: “Young people’s needs and hopes will be at the heart of Care To Be Different.

“I’m confident that this, together with our early intervention and intensive support, will really help to boost their confidence, resilience and communication skills.

“We want to give them the support they need to bring about changes themselves and eventually build successful lives outside the care system.”

Care To Be Different will create the 10.5 full time equivalent posts and there will also be volunteering opportunities.

The Children’s Society will work closely with statutory and voluntary service providers including social care teams to ensure young people get the support they need.

The programme is also being rolled out in Lancashire, Cheshire East and Torbay.

Analysis of the approach has shown that for every £1 spent, savings of between £6 and £12 are achieved – for instance, by helping young people into work.

The £450,000 grant is part of a £25m funding boost for children’s services across the country and is one of the biggest made.

More than 450 projects applied for funding, but only bids considered to be of ‘national significance’ were considered and just 94 were successful.

If it proves successful, Care To Be Different could be rolled out across more areas.