Making collaboration count for care experienced young people

Held at Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in Chelmsford in collaboration with Saffron Building Society, the event provided an opportunity to learn from people with lived-experience, and gain insights into the initiatives that can make a real difference.

Speakers present included Colin Field, CEO of Saffron Building Society, Marie Goldman, MP for Chelmsford and Shope Fashade, Outreach Officer for Care-leaver and Care-experienced Students at ARU.

Olympian Fatima Whitbread, who is care-experienced herself, shared her viewpoints on the challenges faced by care-leavers transitioning to independence without the safety nets many of us take for granted.

Kea, a care-leaver student representative from ARU, talked through the obstacles that almost prevented her from applying to higher education, as well as the excellent assistance provided by the university that made it possible for her to attend.

Insights from attendees that stood out:

• Financial awareness is a crucial part of helping young people who don’t have the ‘bank of mum and dad’.
• Hope is really important to care experienced young people and that’s something we must work in collaboration to provide as part of a holistic support network.
• We need to be proactive in providing financial education before a crisis occurs.
• We need to make change for future generations. It’s how we shape who and what they become that changes society’s viewpoint.

We also asked attendees to help shape The Care Pledge, an initiative designed to break down barriers to financial inclusion for care-experienced young people. Money Ready plans to trial this in Essex initially prior to rolling it out in other areas nationwide.

These important discussions were followed by networking and refreshments. It was exciting to see and hear so many meaningful conversations taking place and connections being made.

It’s clear that more needs to, and can be, done to improve outcomes for care-experienced young people, but this can only be achieved through holistic, collaborative approach. The energy and buzz is palpable and shows a huge amount of potential for positive change.

We will share The Care Pledge as it evolves and will publish a report on the roundtable discussion in the coming months. If you’re interested in updates, please sign up for the Money Ready newsletter.