Care journeys

The problem
Young people with care experience aged 19-21 years old are significantly less likely to be in education, employment or training (or other positive destinations) compared to their peers who have not been in care.

The ambition
To create the change needed to ensure that young people aged 19-21 with care experience, will be as or more likely to be in ‘positive destinations’ compared to their peers who have not been in care.

Care Journeys
Care Journeys is what we are using to describe this area of work because we believe this makes it more human.  Life is a journey and not a destination. 
We are calling it Care Journeys (plural) as opposed to Care Journey (singular) as each child and young person goes on their own ‘journey’. 
We also refer to children and young people who are “looked after” and “care leavers” as care experienced children and young people. 

Positive destinations 

Positive Destinations means you feel like you are in a good place in your life and that you are using your time to do something you think is ‘productive’. 
This could mean you are in a job, at college or university (or any other kind of education), getting any kind of training such as work readiness certificates or looking after loved ones. 
Being in a positive destination is helped by being able to live in a place that you like, feeling empowered to live independently and most importantly that you are happy and well.

Download our Positive destinations leaflet

We are focussed on providing positive pathways into employment, education, training or other positive destinations for care experienced young people aged 19-21. 
 
We believe we can achieve this through:

• Understanding what care experienced young people regard as positive destinations
• Building a better understanding of the care system, to understand the gaps and risks in support
• Working with partners to design new and better systems for care experienced young people
• Working across the spectrum including a focus on
  1. Systems change to impact on today’s 14yr olds
  2. The transition into independence - known to disrupt the positive pathways of many young people and 
  3. The 19-21yr olds currently not in positive destinations

Our programme includes whole systems change at local authority level, and tactical stand-alone programmes and initiatives.

• Place based strategic collaboration with Plymouth City Council and Brent Council 
• Triangles – A national scheme for transformational change building on the ideas and insight of care experienced young people and the staff, carers or volunteers that they have relationships with
• Positive pathways - increasing the internal opportunities and benefits that we can offer care experienced young people because of the size and range of activities of our charity

We also hold annual Care Journey Network Days- an event for all care experienced young people around the UK and professionals working with them. You can read more about them and check for the next one here (link to page for care journey network days)