This November, we joined the celebration of National Care Leavers’ Month (NCLM) with a series of events and activities, supported by local partners.
We are also taking the opportunity to recognise and celebrate our care-experienced young people and to reiterate our commitment to working alongside them to shape the support we offer them to best respond to their specific needs.
Councillor Adel Khaireh, Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, said:
This year's National Care Leavers theme ‘Rising as Me: Overcoming challenges, transforming, and finding your identity’ helps us shine a light on the incredible strength, resilience and determination of our care leavers, many of whom have had to overcome extremely challenging situations. We know the transition from care to independence can bring unique difficulties — from securing stable housing and employment to building strong support networks and maintaining wellbeing”.
We want to reassure them that our support doesn’t stop because they reach a certain age. Even after they have left, we ensure young people are supported to live their happiest and healthiest lives by offering opportunities and services that are responsive, innovative and shaped by their voices. We all have a role to play — as councillors, communities, employers, educators, and neighbours — in creating the opportunities and support that young people need to thrive.
In July 2024, our services for children and young people were rated ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, with the report praising our work supporting care leavers. This includes co-designing personalised support plans, providing a personal advisor, help to find employment and support to gain their own tenancy.
Currently 385 care experienced young people between 18 and 25 years old are supported by the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The Council also employs three care leavers as Young Advisors within Children’s Services. They are sessional employees who help raise awareness of issues affecting care-experienced young people and improve services, contributing their voice to strategic decision-making across the Council. The Greenwich Care Leavers Forum and Children in our Care Council are two other groups that give voice to young people who are looked after in the Royal Borough of Greenwich.
One of our care leavers, Austin Howard (pictured) now works for the Council as Young Advisor and co-chair of our Corporate Parenting Partnership Board (CPPB), as well as a member of the Care Leavers Forum. In his role, Austin helps to shape council decisions to ensure our services are meeting the needs of our children and young people. This includes contributing to strategies, such as the Children and Young People’s Plan, attending board meetings and feeding back on review documents that affect children in care and care leavers.
Austin said: “Being a care leaver in Greenwich has helped me build up confidence and have a great foundation for my future. Through experience as a Young Advisor I get to see the world behind the council. I found there are so many teams to support me. Many care leavers feel overlooked by their borough, but in Greenwich they make sure we are all heard and action is taken.”
To mark National Care Leavers’ Month, the Council is holding a range of events for care leavers, creating opportunities for connection, learning, and fun. These include a sports day, a mental health and wellbeing workshop, trips to the zoo, a trampoline park, a football match and a jobs and skills fair.
Read our offer for care leavers