Care Leavers

In 2019 Barnardo’s were gifted legacy funding from a supporter who requested that the money be used to support work with children or young people in Nottingham city or Nottinghamshire county. Following a tabletop exercise, Barnardo’s agreed the funds would be used to support care experienced young people in Nottingham city. 

Three areas of a care experienced young person’s life were initially considered: mental health, accommodation, and positive destinations (which includes Employment, Education, Training (EET) and the pathway for those young people who chose to become parents).  At an event hosted by Barnardo’s in 2019, key stakeholders within the local authority, the health sector, the voluntary sector, and other interested parties shared their views that all three areas should be the focus of the legacy funds to ensure the pathway for care-experienced young people is considered holistically. 

Since that time, the three workstreams have been established: Accommodation, Mental Health and Positive Destinations. These involve the local authority, the Integrated Care Board (ICB), Barnardo’s, and other organisations involved with the People-Based Partnership (PBP). These workstreams have been active in developing and setting up new services as part of the pathway for young people leaving care, using both lived and professional experience.     

Our overall objectives for care leavers are:

• To develop services that promote and respond to the mental health and wellbeing of young people as they transition to adulthood and reduce the impact of loneliness
• To develop a transition pathway from CAMHS to Adult Services for care experienced young people
• To develop sustainable pathway to suitable accommodation for young people with additional support needs
• To continue to explore partnership working to develop a network of positive providers who can offer accommodation options for young people
• Ensure support for positive destinations which includes EET is holistic and takes account of health and wellbeing
• To promote aspiration and to support those who wish to engage in EET
• To develop a pathway for care experienced young people who choose to become parents which helps minimise the risk of their own children becoming involved in the care system.   

How will we know we have made a difference?

• Young people report improved mental and emotional health and wellbeing, as they transition to adulthood, and are able to get the right support at the right time
• Young people report feeling more prepared for independent living, through the development of a sustainable accommodation pathway for stable housing options
• Young people report increased educational engagement with a range of associated improved outcomes, including higher participation in aspirational opportunities, and increased engagement in gaining additional functional skills
• Young people report a decreased need to seek specialist services due to better/improved resilience and confidence to seek the support of universal services
• Through financial savings made on specialist services due to a decreased reliance on these
• Care experienced young people being less likely to have their own children becoming part of the care system
• Outcomes for care experienced young people being similar to or better than those of other young people in the general population

Read about our other programmes of work…