The Leader requested this item to be presented first as there were three care leavers who were invited to speak to the committee. The committee agreed to bring the item forward on the agenda.

The Group Manager - Case Management & Transition presented a report which provided the committee with an overview in respect of the care leavers currently attending university or who planned to attend university, their experiences and support provided from the local authority. He also advised Members that three care leavers were in attendance to present their experiences of attending university and their ambitions for the future.

The Group Manager - Case Management & Transition explained that the Corporate Parenting Committee received a report on the 6^th March 2019 regarding the policy on University Support Packages for Care Leavers which subsequently received Cabinet approval on the 19^th March 2019. He explained that a key priority for BCBC was to ensure that young people who aspire to attend higher education are able to achieve this and that support is provided. Further background was provided at section 3 of the report.

The Group Manager - Case Management & Transition provided details on the 16+ team within the Children’s Social Care and the support they provide to care leavers during the transitional period of their lives. Further details were at section 4 of the report.

He provided details on Cardiff University and the First Campus Confident Futures Project which was accessed by care leavers aged 14-19 and aimed to raise their aspirations and confidence. Sessions ran monthly from October through to April on an annual basis. Further details were provided at section 4 of the report.

The Group Manager - Case Management & Transition informed the committee that there were currently 9 young people who were attending University including MSc, MA, BA, HND and PGCE. The statistics from previous year’s attendance in comparison to 2019/20 were listed at 4.6 of the report.

The Group Manager - Case Management & Transition explained that young people in University chose to live in their own independent accommodation, however if they wished to return to their placement outside of term time, the 16+ team will provide the support and guidance for the young person to make an informed decision.

He explained that the young person would have a PA (personal advisor) who regularly checks in with them to work with them and support them if required. He said that while university is often a place where young people choose to disengage with the 16+ team, this can often place the young person at risk if they begin to struggle, and therefore the team try to keep engagement with young person regularly.

The Group Manager - Case Management & Transition provided the committee with an example of a young person who withdrew from their studies but were supported back into studies by the team.

The Leader asked Becky, a young care leaver who recently began her studies at university, to give her experiences.

Becky explained that she started university last year. Her initial worries were the temporary accommodation and she believed that she would struggle with further education. She explained that the care service gave her the support she needed to have the confidence to pursue further education helped her with her nerves and overall confidence.

Becky described the emotional and financial support from the care team as invaluable, stating that she would have not managed without it.

The Leader asked Holly, another care leaver who studies at university, to give her experiences.

Holly explained that she was in her 3^rd year at Swansea University. She studied for a Tax Technician qualification for the Association of Taxation Technicians (ATT). She described the support as being really helpful and appreciated all the small things as they made a big difference, particularly help with confidence building. She planned to undertake her tax advisory qualification after this academic year and had been fortunate to receive an offer of funding for this from Somerset Council.

The Leader asked Aime, another care leaver attending University to give her experiences.

Aime explained that she was a bit of a trouble maker in school and did not always take her studies seriously. She explained that she left school at 16 and shortly after, had a child. Aime explained that after this, she did not think about work or have any aspirations for a career, which in turn caused her to lack self confidence in her abilities. Aime explained that the support she had received was really beneficial and had really helped drive her to do more. As a result of the support received, Aime said that she was now studying a Master’s Degree.

The three care leavers commented on the support and expressed their gratitude for what they had received and all agreed that they could not have achieved what they did without them.

The Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing gave her thanks to the care leavers and asked them if there were any comments or advice they could give to the staff.

Becky explained that consistency regarding the packages offered to care leavers varied. She explained that the ‘When I am Ready’ placement was not initially offered to her out of her university course term time. Holly also confirmed that there were changes to packages so there was some inconsistency with what was offered and when. Becky explained that there was some communication issues at times which meant during some of the changes with packages, many care leavers were unaware of what was happening.

The Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing thanked the care leavers for their comments and said that she would take the comments back to the team and ensure there is more clear information being fed back to social workers.

A Member added that she had a background in working with young people and understood the experiences that many people have had to go through. She commented on the care leavers’ experiences stating that she was inspired by their stories and was pleased to see such a level of success being achieved.

The Leader commented on the appearance of a gender bias in that there were far fewer boys going to university. He asked if there was a known reason for this.

The Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing explained that it was more common for boys to choose the apprenticeship route when they left school. Boys showed more interest in apprenticeships overall than they did university.

The Leader thanked the care leavers for giving their experiences to the committee and was delighted to hear of the success they had achieved. 

The Leader also thanked his colleagues in Social Services.

The Leader asked the Corporate Director – Social Services and Wellbeing and the care leavers if they would be able to present their experiences to schools in the Bridgend area to provide students with positive experiences, be a role model for them and show them what is possible for anyone in any situation.

RESOLVED: That the committee;

• Noted the contents of the report

Supported the work that had been done to date in this area and continuation of future support.