Posted on: 18 January 2023
Young people leaving care in West Yorkshire will soon be supported to take on roles in the health and care sector, thanks to an initiative being developed by the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP).
The “Project Hope” scheme will provide support for young people leaving care to find employment and help them develop the skills and experience they need for careers in the sector. It will be jointly developed with partner organisations across the West Yorkshire health and care sectors, and young people themselves to make sure it meets their needs.
The project is one of only 10 integrated care board pathfinder schemes announced by NHS England, as part of its commitment to the Care Leaver Covenant. This is a national scheme to help care leavers age 16 to 25 to live independently by supporting them with independent living; education, employment and training; safety and security; mental and physical health; and finance.
Sayma Mirza, Associate Director for Children, Young People and Families for the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board said:
“This is a huge opportunity for us in West Yorkshire to continue to address inequalities in health outcomes, experiences and access by enhancing career development opportunities for care experienced young people.
One of our core principles is co-design and we are looking forward to working with all partners including young people to tailor the project to meet local needs”.
Tim Ryley, Place Lead for NHS West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board (Leeds) and joint Senior Responsible Officer for the WY HCP Young People, Children and Families Programme said:
“This is really great news for young people in West Yorkshire. We know that young people who have experience of the care system are particularly at risk of poor health outcomes.
Data shows that young people with experience of the care system are much more likely to face isolation, physical ill health and poor mental health than other people their age. They are also significantly more at risk of becoming homeless, being in the criminal justice system, and of dying young. Project Hope aims to address those inequalities.”
Jenny Lingrell, Service Director for Children in the Wakefield Health and Care Partnership and also joint Senior Responsible Officer for the WY HCP Young People, Children and Families Programme, added:
“NHS, local authority and third sector partners across West Yorkshire are already doing a great deal of work to improve outcomes for these young people and to tackle the inequalities they face. Project Hope will add another dimension to this work.
By supporting young people to find employment in health and care roles, the project will help them develop skills and experience, build networks and connections, gain financial stability and enable them to make a real difference to others. All of these factors are hugely important for people’s physical and mental wellbeing and for their long-term health outcomes.”
The announcement of the successful pathfinder bid means that work can begin with partner organisations and young people to further develop the project. Planning is due to start in a few weeks, and the project is expected to be launched by 2024.
Note to editors
* National data obtained outlines that care leavers are:
- 7x more likely to die before the age of 25 than the general population (Department of Education 2017)
- 25 x more likely to be homeless (National Audit Office 2015, 25% of homeless population had at some point been in care, 1% of population are looked after)
- Up to 27 x more likely to be in the criminal justice system (HMIP 2011)
- 88% of care leavers felt depressed, some, most or all of the time while they were in care, falling to 87% after leaving care (CLA Health Research 2017)
- 55% of care leavers attributed their mental health issues to their care experience (CLA Health Research 2017)
- 42% reported being diagnosed with depression and 19% being diagnosed with more than one mental health condition. (CLA Health Research 2017)
- 78% of care leavers felt isolated some, most or all of the time while they were in care, falling to 75% after leaving care (CLA Health Research 2017)
The Care Leaver Covenant is a national inclusion programme that supports care leavers aged 16-25 to live independently. Working with organisations from the private, public and voluntary sectors, it creates meaningful opportunities for care leavers in five key areas (independent living; education, employment and training; safety and security; mental and physical health; finance) and supports care leavers to access those opportunities.
Over 340 organisations across every sector from Amazon to Metro Bank; ITV to Tesco have signed up to the Covenant. NHS England is one of the latest signatories of the Covenant, which is delivered by Spectra, setting an ambition to provide 1,000 internship or early-stage career opportunities for care experienced young people over the next three years.