Young people leaving care offered helping hand to prepare for next stage of their lives

Young people in Wiltshire are being offered a helping hand to move on from being in care to the next stage of their lives.

Wiltshire Council has put together a range of help and support under its Care Leaver Promise a booklet of promises which young people leaving care helped put together.

The booklet details how the council offers a package of support to help those leaving care to find work, housing and transport as well as leisure opportunities. At Wiltshire Council personal advisers provide a listening ear and support to these young people often up to the age of 25.

This year National Care Leavers Week, from 28 October to 3 November, is focused on encouraging those leaving care to think about their future aspirations, something Wiltshire Council is committed to.

Wiltshire Council is hosting information stands in the Atrium at County Hall and at Bourne Hill and Monkton Park providing an insight into the support provided for care leavers and the crucial work of personal assistants and volunteers in helping young people have the wrap around support to go forward.

Cllr Pauline Church, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Skills said: "Leaving care and making your own way in the world can be an uphill struggle if you don't have that network of support or advice available.

"We are here for those leaving care so they have that support to manage finances, live independently and access the opportunities of their peers. We hear some wonderful stories of how our young people are making their own way and we want all our children and young people to have the opportunities to reach their potential. We want our young people to come to us with their ideas as we know there is always more we can do and it's important this scheme reflects their needs."

A young man Rion has just graduated from the University of Plymouth with a first-class BSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies with Sociology. He's now set for a Masters and is about to start a work placement with Plymouth City Council. Wiltshire Council continue to support him with his studies and reaching his aspiration.

He said: "For me, the next step now is to work and gain money while I complete my Masters, get a job in the legal sector and get a house.

"For anyone considering fostering I would say you need to consider it carefully. It can be rewarding for the foster carer and the child, you can take someone out of a very nasty situation and give them a life. My foster carers coped with anything I threw at them and they encouraged and supported me."

"We hear some wonderful stories of how our young people are making their own way and we want all our children and young people to have the opportunities to reach their potential."