Care leavers across Greater Manchester are to be supported with greatly improved employment prospects following the introduction of a significant new Care Leavers Guarantee and a Common Core Offer, backed by more than half a million pounds of Government funding.
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority has outlined a bold new approach to boost employment and training outcomes for young people who leave the care system across all 10 boroughs of the city-region.
In 2018 the Department for Education (DfE) launched its Care Leaver Covenant, as an ambition for businesses, charities and every Government department in England to sign up to commit to provide work-based opportunities to young people leaving the care system.
At a Combined Authority meeting in Stockport on 29 March, all 10 local authority Leaders approved the release of £550,000 of central Government funding to kick-start the city-region’s bespoke plans.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “We know life as a care leaver can be hard. Without the safety nets so many of us take for granted, such as parental support, everyday living can be a struggle when faced with barriers most people never encounter.
“That is why I want Greater Manchester to act as the parents of all our care leavers – this Guarantee is about our city-region’s bespoke system offering the support, encouragement and opportunities care leavers need.
“On my regular early morning rough sleeper walkabouts in Manchester city centre I meet too many people who have been through the care system. We have to do right by them and others like them who face their own challenges.
“In the autumn I hosted a roundtable event with individuals who had experienced the care system – our bold new approach has been drafted with them in mind. Greater Manchester’s Care Leavers Guarantee is a significant step in the right direction and something I am proud to prioritise.”
The ambitious new Guarantee will be underpinned by the Greater Manchester Guarantee for Care Leavers. It is proposed this guarantee will go much further than the National Care Leaver Covenant
