GHWY is a partnership of 13 HE providers, working collaboratively to reduce long-standing inequalities in access to, success in and progression from HE.
Welcome to May's issue of GHWY's Care to Go Higher newsletter, which comes to you during Foster Care Fortnight (15-28 May). The annual campaign raises the profile of fostering and shows how foster care transforms lives. Read how you can get involved here.
In this issue we include details of the exciting Grad Skills programme, which offers employment support to upcoming or recent graduates in West Yorkshire who are looking for work. If you know any young people who could benefit from the free support, please share the information among your networks.
If you missed the news in our last issue, registration is currently open for our innovative Care to Go Higher training programme. Aimed at the key influencers of care-experienced young people, it empowers you to support students to make informed decisions about Higher Education (HE). The CPD will run between June and July, and consists of six two-hour sessions. Find out more.
As always, we're looking for news stories, resources or upcoming events to promote. If you have anything to share from your organisation then please get in touch with Susan Darlington.
Contents
Click on the title to be taken to the relevant section.
Theory (of change) to practice: collaborative events for care-experienced students
We are organising two collaborative taster events for care-experienced students in Year 10. Held on 4 July (University of Huddersfield) and 6 July (Leeds Arts University), they will include a HE tour and time devoted to outlining the specific support for care-experienced students.
Tahera Mayat (GHWY's Collaborative Outreach Officer) explains how the event itinerary has been informed by a Theory of Change. This looks to explain why and how an intervention can expect to yield change by working through a process that considers aims and outcomes, among other things.
Do you know any upcoming or recent graduates in West Yorkshire who might be looking for work? Then they'll want to know about Grad Skills!
The online development programme aims to upskill and support individuals into graduate-level employment. It's designed to enhance knowledge of recruitment and careers and to encourage them to develop and grow their skills, all with the end goal of increasing their employability.
The free programme will enable them to make decisions about their future career and improve their chances of success.
We recently ran our first ever condensed Care to Go Higher programme for teachers. The usual 12-hour programme was adapted to help the new audience know how to support care-experienced students transition to HE via a two-hour session.
With a new audience comes a new challenge of making sure the content is relevant for those in attendance. The original programme focuses on children’s home workers, foster carers and personal advisors who don’t have experience of HE so for teaching staff much of the course content would no longer be relevant. To make the session valuable the focus was split into different subject matters, including support systems and myths.
University Centre Leeds publishes guide for care-experienced and estranged students
University Centre Leeds has produced a free guide that details the support its dedicated team offers to care-experienced and estranged students.
The e-resource contains invaluable information that covers the moment the students start at the institution, which is a member of GHWY, through to their graduation.
It includes clear institutional definitions of estrangement and care-experience, the financial support it offers, the ways in which it can support with securing accommodation, and its named contacts.
We know that many students who are care-experienced also belong to other under-represented groups, such as disability and minority ethnicities. These free sessions provide a broader understanding of these lived experiences and ways in which to engage with young people.
Supporting disabled learners
When: Thursday, 25 May between 3-4.30pm Where: Online Who: GHWY
The session will feature guest speaker Elizabeth Wright, who will talk about her own experiences in education and her journey into the Paralympics.
It has been designed to break down the barriers for SEND/Disabled learners as they progress in education to achieve their goals, raising awareness about the support available.
HE events can help young people to plan the next steps on their educational journey. They offer an opportunity to visit campuses, talk to staff and current students, and learn more about what courses are available. They are free, with in-person as well as online options usually available.
Open day
When: Saturday, 17 June between 10am-12pm Where: Wakefield College Who: Wakefield College
Find out more about the College's courses, talk to the tutors and take a tour of its facilities. The event will cover options for school leavers, including T Levels and Apprenticeships, HE and options for adults.
When: Saturday, 24 June between 9.30am-3pm Where: University of Huddersfield Who: University of Huddersfield
Talk to staff and current students from the course your young person is interested in. There will also be the chance to look at the facilities and get a feel for where they could be studying.
John Lewis Partnership receives Fostering Friendly Employer accreditation
The John Lewis Partnership has announced that it will offer additional paid leave to all new foster carers within its businesses, furthering its commitment to support care experienced people.
The retailer has also become the largest organisation to receive Fostering Friendly accreditation via the Fostering Network.
Care leavers face ‘acute challenges’ in transition to adulthood
A new study has shown that care leavers in England are over ten times more likely than their peers to not be working or studying in their 21st year.
The report calls for more to be done to remove barriers and disincentives to work for care-experienced young people, including addressing the impact of low minimum wage rates for under 23s.
Support offered to care-experienced young people by our members
Our spotlight features highlight what support our 13 member institutions offer to care-experienced young people. They detail care leaver contacts, financial support, and bespoke campus tours among other things.
Each 'what support we offer' feature is regularly updated to ensure that content is up to date, which makes them a valuable resource when guiding your young people through their HE journey.
Take a look at some of our free resources, which can be used to support care leavers and estanged young people to make informed decisions about their future.
GHWY's collaborative Care Leaver Covenant includes information about what our 13 members offer to care leavers, along with useful tips and links. It is reviewed every year to ensure that its information is kept relevant, with addtional details being available online.
Our free resources pack is designed to help you support care-experienced young people to make informed choices about their educational future. It will encourage you reflect on your own role as someone with influence and provide tips and activities to get the conversation going with young people.
Our collaborative Stand Alone Pledge includes information about what our 13 members offer to estranged young people, along with useful tips and links. Additional information will be added to our website soon to include further support details.
Our resource bank holds a wide range of free and informative materials for various audiences to access. There includes sections on wellbeing in education, employability essentials, online taster days, and useful links.
