Recently, we joined partners at Storyhouse in Chester for Working Together for Better Futures: Education and Care in Partnership. It was a morning of honest, important conversation exploring the barriers that can prevent young people in care from accessing and engaging with education.
The scale of the challenge The statistics surrounding care-experienced young people are striking and highlight the need for collaborative action:
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The Employment Gap: Government data shows that 41% of 19-to-21-year-old care leavers are not in education, employment, or training (NEET), compared to 12% of all other young people in the same age group.
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The Justice Gap: Research indicates that around half of the children currently in custody in England and Wales have experience of the care system, despite fewer than 1% of all children in England being looked after at any one time.
Education as a protective factor Research consistently shows that education, when it is accessible and supported, acts as a protective factor for young people in care, providing structure, purpose, connection, and hope. However, for a young person in care, engagement often depends on placement stability, relationships with key adults, and active advocacy.
Continuing the work The partnership between The Greenhouse and Bluestones Complex Care reflects a shared belief that education and care are not separate conversations; they are part of the same one.
If you would like to talk about how education and care can be better integrated within your service, or to explore what training and development support The Greenhouse can offer to your teams, we would be glad to hear from you.