YOUNG PEOPLE CELEBRATED FOR THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS AGAINST THE ODDS DURING CARE LEAVERS WEEK 2022

Young people leaving care in Salford have been praised at a special awards event during national Care Leavers Week 2022 (24 to 30 October).  

Salford City Council works with other organisations to ensure young people are supported to meet their individual needs and be able to live independently when they leave supported placements so they have the opportunity to reach their full potential. This includes housing and financial support, employment and training opportunities.

Councillor Teresa Pepper, Executive Support Member for Education and Learning, said:

Quote

“I have met some of our care leavers and been inspired by their determination and resilience. They are full of enthusiasm and hope for their futures. We want to celebrate how young people in care are building positive futures for themselves although they face many personal challenges and often without positive family support. Young people leaving the care system will experience many challenges as they begin to live independently, including finding housing and finding employment. The Covid-19 pandemic has made these existing problems worse. We want to support all our young people to live happy independent lives and to be able to thrive.”

The awards held on October 24 had a number of different categories:

Achieving goals and/or targets                                                                                               

Making positive choices                                                                                              

Outstanding effort                                                                                                         

Positive contribution to education/home life                                                    

Overcoming barriers/challenges                                                                             

Making a difference in the community (such as volunteering and charity work)      

The young people being celebrated in these awards have had to contend with many difficult personal problems, living away from their families and friends because of significant issues at home. They have managed to come to terms with these by working with professionals to make positive choices and see a good independent and stable future for themselves.

One teenager over a few years had been vulnerable to child sexual exploitation, often missing from home, was involved in negative friendships and relationships and didn’t think she would be able to sit her GCSEs. She has turned her life around, accepting support from social workers and professionals. She is now taking part in activities and she has achieved GCSEs in Maths and English. She is going to start a beauty traineeship in Manchester and wants to go into this as a career.

Another young woman has recently moved to London to attend London Metropolitan University to study Art and Design with a foundation year. She has overcome many barriers to secure her university place, living with mental health difficulties in the process. She has left all she has known in Manchester and moved independently to London. She is very creative and has many talents. She has recently performed at festivals and occasionally performs in bars.

A young person arrived in the UK two years ago with no knowledge of English, no family support and very few local people speaking his language. He has completed his English as a foreign language (ESOL) course and can now speak good English and is working with Amazon. He has completed three years of a four year Biomedical Engineering degree and hopes to progress to medical school.

Another young person for whom English is his second language, has passed his GCSEs, and is studying A Levels, all since he came to live in the UK in January 2020. He is getting excellent grades and has also completed volunteer work, tutoring maths and has part completed a Beyond your Limits employability programme, over the summer.

Photo: Stock