The council works with young people in care to help them make the move into independent living, and to take advantage of the education, employment and training opportunities that are available to them.
And young people who have either recently moved out of care, or will shortly be doing so, joined in with a range of events during National Care Leavers Month designed to build confidence, celebrate their success and create lasting memories.
Highlights included a trip to London to see the Phantom of the Opera, sessions with Beatsabar, Wolverhampton Art Gallery, WV Active and Challenge Academy, a private cinema screening, and a workshop with Wolverhampton Tool Library in which care leavers could upcycle used furniture from the Too Good to Chuck scheme.
Meanwhile, the national charity Quilts for Care Leavers kindly donated a number of handmade patchwork blankets, known as ‘hugs’, to care leavers in the city.
There were also a range of social activities, including a Taskmaster session that encouraged friendships and provided many laughs, and a Come Dine with Me style event where young people enjoyed a 3 course meal cooked by care leavers in the company of the council’s Deputy Chief Executive Mark Taylor, Executive Director of Families Alison Hinds, and Deputy Director of Social Care Lisa Preston.
Meanwhile, the council and partners including Adult Education Wolverhampton, the University of Wolverhampton at The Halls and the Grand Theatre, showcased their support by illuminating their buildings blue for the final week of November as part of a national Light It Blue initiative.
Councillor Jacqui Coogan, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Children, Young People and Education, said: “Our Reach Leaving Care Team put together a wonderful programme of activities which offered something for everyone. These activities were not just about fun, they were about equipping care leavers with practical skills, boosting self esteem, and strengthening peer networks.
“But National Care Leaver Month is more than a series of events – it was also a chance for the council and our partners to ensure our care leavers feel valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.”
National Care Leavers Month seeks to highlight the needs of care leavers and encourages the agencies responsible for looking after them to work in a coordinated and effective way. This year’s theme, ‘Rising as Me – overcoming challenges, transforming and finding your identity’, ran through all the month’s activities.
Wolverhampton’s Local Offer for care leavers aged between 16 and 25 provides information about a wide range of services which could help young care leavers prepare for adult life. It includes details of support which they are entitled to by law, as well as additional services that the council has been able to secure with the help of partner organisations. For more information, please visit Wolverhampton Children in Care.
