Lewisham DfE Care Leavers

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Thesis

Every year, about 10,000 16-18 year olds leave foster or residential care in England. Leaving care is a crucial transition, and one where outcomes can deteriorate rapidly due to poor-quality support. There is a strong need to enable care leavers to receive high quality services that meet their needs and support them make the transition into adulthood.

Investment

We are supporting a project called Lewisham DfE Care Leavers, a project that helps care leavers in London live independently, and secure education and employment. The project is a partnership between The Department for Education and Lewisham Council (who commissioned the project) and Depaul UK (delivery partners), a national homelessness charity that has also pioneered outcomes-based services and models to help combat youth homelessness.

Target Outcomes

Lewisham DfE Care Leavers works to ensure care leavers sustain themselves in stable accommodation, enter into education and training and obtain qualifications, and start and sustain voluntary or paid employment; this
should lead to long-term improvements in life outcomes, including housing and employment. 264 young people joined the programme during the
referral period, in line with the target and 106 young people have
already begun education, training or employment.