VOICES from Leicestershire Cares

What are care leavers experiences of Universal Credit? Care leavers face a number of challenges as they prepare to leave the care system and navigate towards living independently at a young age. They often need support to help them move into education, employment or training. However, there is evidence that the welfare system isn't doing enough to support care leavers. Through consultations with care leavers, desk research and expert interviews, L&W and young people from Leicestershire Cares, Drive Forward and Homes2Inspire have identified six policy changes that we believe would improve care leavers' experiences of the welfare system and help them to achieve better outcomes.Proposed policy changes1. A designated lead at every Jobcentre Plus, focused on care leavers2. Introduction of a ‘marker' for care leavers when they enter into the welfare system3. All care leavers should be entitled to the over-25s rate in Universal Credit4. Right to advanced payment grant (not loan)5. Clear step by step escalation protocol for applying sanctions6. All care leavers should be exempt from paying council tax, up to the age of 25 Improving care leavers' experiences of the welfare systemAbout the projectWith the support of Lloyds Bank Foundation, Learning and Work Institute (L&W) is working with young people from Leicestershire Cares, Drive Forward and Homes2Inspire to understand care leavers' experiences of the welfare system.#CEYPPodcast #CEYP #CareLeavers #TogetherWeCan@LeicsCares

This Podcast discusses COVID-19 in different languages to inform our diverse communities of the most frequently asked questions relating to Covid-19 Vaccination and the importance of having the vaccine when offered to us. The aim is to empower our communities to make informed choices and tackle misinformation and cater to these needs in their native languages from trusted voices within their communities.Twitter: @LeicsCaresZamzam@leicestershirecares.co.uk#TogetherWeCan 

How can we support more Care Experienced Young People into Employment?Why might care experienced young people need support into the workplace?Why should businesses support care experienced young people into employment?What could businesses do to support care leavers?What do care experienced young people want businesses to know about them? This podcast, will give an insight into the issues facing care experienced young people looking for work. It will give ideas on how to support them before and during the recruit process, and when they are in employment.#PromiseToCare#TogetherwecanTwitter: @leicscareshttps://www.leicestershirecares.co.uk/about-charity/news-events/jacob@leicestershirecares.co.uk

This Podcast discusses COVID-19 in different languages to inform our diverse communities of the most frequently asked questions relating to Covid-19 Vaccination and the importance of having the vaccine when offered to us. The aim is to empower our communities to make informed choices and tackle misinformation and cater to these needs in their native languages from trusted voices within their communities.Twitter: @LeicsCaresZamZam@leicestershirecares.co.uk#TogetherWeCan

This Podcast discusses COVID-19 in different languages to inform our diverse communities of the most frequently asked questions relating to Covid-19 Vaccination and the importance of having the vaccine when offered to us. The aim is to empower our communities to make informed choices and tackle misinformation and cater to these needs in their native languages from trusted voices within their communities.Twitter: @LeicsCaresZamZam@leicestershirecares.co.uk#TogetherWeCan

This Podcast discusses COVID-19 in different languages to inform our diverse communities of the most frequently asked questions relating to Covid-19 Vaccination and the importance of having the vaccine when offered to us. The aim is to empower our communities to make informed choices and tackle misinformation and cater to these needs in their native languages from trusted voices within their communities.Twitter: @LeicsCaresZamZam@leicestershirecares.co.uk#TogetherWeCan

Leicestershire Cares' latest care experienced podcast, Fostering a New Approach, explores the issues surrounding being care experienced around Christmas time.This episode Casey and Diana speak about past experiences, coping mechanisms and things to do. Christmas can be difficult for care experienced young people. Lots of things shut down such as schools, colleges and universities resulting in those places of safety, connection to friends and community are not there anymore. People that work with care experienced people (not all) take time off, and lonely isolated people can feel even lonelier.Social media is filled with photos of warm houses with Christmas trees and presents which can make people that don't have a family to spend time with even more an outsider looking in.For care experienced young people, this time of year can be tough. Feeling of isolation, bad memories of difficult childhood, empty university halls, regular support services moved to skeleton staff, more drunk people on the streets, loss of routine. So how do care experienced young people navigate this period?Taking pointsBeing with people that understand can helpTry volunteering. It can be rewarding and make you feel connected to othersUse social media for you. Don't let it use youWhat's the best present for a care leavers?Podcast InformationSocial media:@DianaOmokore@_caseyarmstrongResearch for this podcast: Care Leavers Rock | FacebookThe Christmas Dinner http://thechristmasdinners.org.uk/Letter to all university Vice Chancellor's about the need to support care experienced young people at their universities over Christmas. https://twitter.com/StandAloneHE/status/1333700554095292416Government guidelines: Christmas guidance set out for university students  https://www.gov.uk/government/news/christmasguidance-set-out-for-university-studentsGet involved in the podcastIf you have a questions for Casey and Diana to discuss on their podcast, tweet them at @LeicsCares #CEYPPODCAST or email jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFor more information about our Voices project contact jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFind out how we work with care experienced young people

Leicestershire Cares' latest care experienced podcast, Fostering a New Approach, explores the issues surrounding care experienced young people and university. This episode Casey and Diana speak to Kim Emenike, a care leaver and recent graduate from Loughborough UniversityOnly 12% of care leavers make it to University compared with the 43% of the general population who participate, and once there over half of care leavers consider dropping out of university due to a mix of health problems, money worries, high workloads and personal and family issuesIt can be hard, but it can also be rewarding, inspiring and life changing. So how can care experienced young people be better supported to make a success in higher education? Main talking pointsRelying on friend's parents to drive Kim and her belongings up to university because her corporate parent wouldn'tLiving in a hostel at 17 with no wifi, and finding the self-belief to study for her A-levelsMotivation - Not wanting to be a negative statisticSupport for money is fine, but support of wellbeing can be difficult to findCare experienced young people do not get encouraged to go to university from their corporate parentConversation at 16-18, should be about options for the future, like university, or apprenticeships, or entrepreneurship.Life is not a race. You don't have to go to university at 18.Put yourself out therePodcast InformationSocial media:@KimEmenike@DianaOmokore@_caseyarmstrongResearch for this podcast:Loughborough graduate overcomes the odds to complete her degree and inspire other care leavers to go to universityWhy we must do more to support care leavers at universityCare leavers in higher education: how many are there and why does it matter?Get involved in the podcastIf you have a questions for Casey and Diana to discuss on their podcast, tweet them at @LeicsCares #CEYPPODCAST or email jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFor more information about our Voices project contact jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFind out how we work with care experienced young people

Leicestershire Cares' latest care experienced podcast, Fostering a New Approach, explores the issues surrounding care experienced young people and the criminal justice system. This episode Casey and Diana are joined by Dr Claire Fitzpatrick, a Senior Lecturer in Criminology and the Youth Justice Lead in the Centre for Child & Family Justice Research, at Lancaster University.This is a massive and complex topic that will take more than today's show to unpack, and in future episodes we hope to speak to a range of people involved, from young people with experiences of the criminal justice system, to the people that work within it.Most children in care do not commit crime, however there is an over-representation of care leavers in the criminal justice system.Less than 1% of the population have been in the care system, yet a recent review chaired by Lord Laming reports that about 50% of children in custody have been in care.So why is this? Is it because we are damaged or have complex needs that have not been met? Is it because we've been let down by family and then by the state?Or is it more subtle than that? Hidden in the wider systemic problems that exist and affect care experienced young people?Main talking pointsCare experienced young people are under more surveillance compared to their peers.Unnecessary criminalisation of some children in care for minor offences.Changing the narrative from blaming the individual to blaming the systems.Do I offend to get better access to mental health support? The justice setting compared to the community setting.The risk level score. A classification given to care experienced young people. Is it better to elevate the score, so a young person can access higher level of support quicker, but, have live with that risk score hanging over their head?A failings care system and criminal justice system which creates a revolving door. Is this down to the lack of support in society?Diversion is the key.A post code lottery with the support you may get from your local authority.Podcast InformationFind out more about Dr Claire Fitzpatrick and her researchDisrupting the Routes between Care and Custody: Learning from Girls and Women in the Care and Criminal Justice SystemsSocial media: Twitter@CJJFitzpatrick@CareCustody@_caseyarmstrong@DianaOmokore@LeicsCaresResearch for this podcast:The Conversation. Why have so many people in prison spent time in care as children?Howard League for Penal Reform. The impact of care-experience across the life-courseHoward League for Penal Reform. Criminal Care?Gov.UK. Care leavers in prison and probationPrison Reform Trust: Keeping children in care out of trouble: an independent reviewSampson, Robert J. and John H. Laub. 2016. "Turning Points and the Future of Life-Course Criminology: Reflections on the 1986 Criminal Careers Report." Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 53: 321-335. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022427815616992 Get involved in the podcastIf you have a questions for Casey and Diana to discuss on their podcast, tweet them at @LeicsCares #CEYPPODCAST or email jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFor more information about our Voices project contact jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFind out how we work with care experienced young people

This week Casey and Diana talk about independent and semi-independent accommodation, which includes hostels, foyer, flats, shared housing and supported living. At the moment these provisions are unregulated so there is no national standard for them and they are not open to inspections from Ofsted.Main talking points:When are you really mature enough to only receive support and not care?The pros and cons of living independently or semi-independently.The quality of accommodation. “If a staff member walks into a room and thinks, I wouldn't sleep in here, then why am I expected to?”The risks of moving out of your areaWe just want to feel safeResearch Views of care experienced people sought by the government: Article39.orghttps://article39.org.uk/category/unregulated-accommodation/'Lonely' and 'unsafe': Young people's experiences of unregulated supported accommodation: Children and Young People Nowhttps://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/article/lonely-and-unsafe-young-people-s-experiences-of-unregulated-supported-accommodationUnregulated provision – public consultation will be “fundamentally flawed” without meaningful consultation with children and young people: Article39.orghttps://article39.org.uk/2020/04/20/unregulated-provision-consultation-will-be-fundamentally-flawed-without-meaningful-consultation-with-children-and-young-people/ Life  Get involved in the podcastIf you have a questions for Casey and Diana to discuss on their podcast, tweet them at @LeicsCares#CEYPPODCAST or email jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFor more information about our Voices project contact jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFind out how we work with care experienced young people  

Main talking points:The relationships built between young mothers in a Baby and Mother unit.Lack of support from the state and the need for charities to support with food, mental wellbeing and isolation.Lockdown rules in a hostel and how they make life harder for mothers and babiesThe feelings of freedom when you walk into your new home.The bare-bones of council accommodation. No carpet, no curtains, no white goods.Setting up your own business as a young mother.Tanisa's new businessMama Zuri Candles https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MamaZuriCandles Get involved in the podcastIf you have a questions for Casey and Diana to discuss on their podcast, tweet them at @LeicsCares #CEYPPODCAST or email jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFor more information about our Voices project contact jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFind out how we work with care experienced young people

Main talking points:Casey and Diana talk about the exit strategy which in their eyes, requires the online support that has developed over this time, to stay and for it to now work alongside the face to face interaction with support services.Casey and Diana also call for a bigger push for the Promise to Care, as there will be a need for businesses to step up and strengthen and lead the new community that has blossomed during lockdown. Local governments will probably struggle with more cuts resulting in more care experienced young people missing out on vital support, and charities may need even more help in picking up the pieces and catching the vulnerable ones that fall through the net.Online security will need to be strengthened, and vulnerable people will need help and support in learning how to stay safe online.Video conferencing has worked, and now local authorities can and must utilise it to hear more CEYP voices.Casey and Diana's research for this episodeRights group threatens DfE with legal action over relaxation of statutory dutiesCharity blasts legislation relaxing duties to children in care under Covid-19 as ‘destroying safeguards'Distribution of the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and the public health measures on young people's mental health in the United Kingdom (UK) as of March 2020Get involved in the podcastIf you have a questions for Casey and Diana to discuss on their podcast, tweet them at @LeicsCares #CEYPPODCAST or email jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFor more information about our Voices project contact jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFind out how we work with care experienced young people

Two care experienced young people, Casey and Diana, talking about stuff. It might be about care experienced issues, past experiences, policies that affect care leavers and looked after children, it might be about what they saw on TV last night.This second episode Casey and Diana talk about what makes a good support worker.To ask a question for next weeks show Tweet: @LeicsCares #CEYPPODCASTwww.leicestershirecares.co.uk/

Leicestershire Cares has set up a podcast to help keep two of their participants connected. The care experienced duo now have a date in their diary each week, where they can record their podcast, helping them reduce the boredom and isolation brought on by the coronavirus lockdown.Casey and Diana will be exploring issues facing care leavers and over the following weeks will invite guests onto their podcast to investigate what can be done to better support care experienced young people.If you have a questions for them to discuss on their podcast tweet them at @LeicsCares #CEYPPODCAST or email jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFor more information about our Voices project contact jacob@leicestershirecares.co.ukFind out how we work with care experienced young people