York care leavers celebrate award nomination during national Care Leavers’ Week

Young care leavers from York’s Care Leavers Forum ‘I Still Matter’ are celebrating being nominated for a prestigious national award this Care Leavers’ Week (28 October-3 November).

The group, which represents care leavers across the city, and City of York Council’s Pathway Team, which supports care leavers, have been shortlisted for the National Voice Awards 2024 in The Collaboration Award category.

The shortlisting highlights the work the team and ‘I Still Matter’ group have been doing to work together to reshape and design the new local offer for care leavers. The project included consultations with wide groups of care leavers to ensure the new offering was designed around lived experiences, and includes increase support for care leavers who are parents and improvements to financial support, leisure and travel offering and wellbeing support. The awards will be announced on 30 October.

National Care Leavers’ Week gives young care leavers the opportunity to challenge the perceptions given to them and raise awareness of the issues those in care face, whilst also celebrating the incredible things many go on to achieve. The theme this year will be: All of us, we are one.

Events are being organised across the city to celebrate care leavers and the family, carers, friends, and mentors who support them.

The council is also launching its new Care Leavers’ Offer during Care Leavers’ Week. The document sets out what young people leaving care can expect from the council and how they can access help and support.

Danielle Johnson, the council’s, Director of Safeguarding, Children’s Services said: “We want to support our young people as they make the transition from care through to independent living and beyond, just as most parents support their children well into adulthood.

“In York, we’re incredibly fortunate to have the support of some fabulous businesses and partners who help support our care leavers, through opportunities or Christmas gifts, work experience placements or apprenticeships. I’d like to thank all those who have helped support our care leavers over the last year. It really does take a village – or in our case, a city - to raise a child.”

Abbie, a care leaver, said: “We’ve spent a lot of time working with the pathway team to co-produce the new offer. We wanted an offer that was tailored more to the individual rather than a blanket offer – because we all need different things at different times.”