27 October 2022

It’s National Care Leavers Week. A Care Leaver is a young person who has been under the care of the Local Authority in foster or residential care, or in other arrangements outside their immediate or extended family under the age of 18.

It’s an opportunity to reflect on the ongoing challenges faced by care-experienced young people as they begin their independent lives and celebrate the success stories.

Two years ago, to support care leavers, CNWL teamed up with the Drive Forward Foundation (a registered charity) to develop a range of internship opportunities within the Trust for young people leaving care. This year the Trust has expanded its scheme to offer internships in its Business and Transformation Team, Community Engagement and Partnerships Team and Estates.

CNWL’s Director of Strategy and Integration at CNWL, Meera Mistry, a care leaver herself and member of NHS Care Leavers Forum, led this programme and today takes part in an expert by experience panel at the NHS and Care Leaver Covenant partnership launch event where the NHS will make a commitment to embracing care leavers by signing the Covenant: a national inclusion programme that supports care leavers aged 16-25 to live independently. 

Research shows that care leavers have more barriers in accessing education and training

  • 12% of care leavers participate in higher education as compared to over 40% of their peers (NNECL, 2019).
  • Care leavers are also five times more likely to be cautioned or convicted and about 37% of people in young offender institutions have experience in local authority care (Prison Reform Trust ,2017).
  • Almost 50% of children in care suffer from a mental health disorder, often related to the trauma and neglect they experienced (Barnardos, 2017)

Meera Mistry, said

“This scheme is very close to my heart. As someone who has experienced care, I know how important it is to have opportunities like these to help care leavers get into work, find a supportive workplace, have the same options open to them as everyone else and break down barriers to help them on the journey to become whoever they want to be.

“CNWL has played a significant part in my journey and I want others to have the same opportunities. I know that care leavers have so much to offer the NHS; a diverse range of skills and talent; and we can offer them the best possible start in their working life and lots of experience.”