Leading financial education charity Money Ready has created The Care Pledge, a free practical guide for employers and education providers, setting out concrete steps to remove barriers and improve support for care-experienced applicants, employees and students.
The Care Pledge draws on insights from a thought-leadership roundtable hosted by Money Ready, Saffron Building Society and Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) in April 2026, bringing together industry experts and individuals with lived experience.
The roundtable was prompted by Money Ready and Saffron Building Society’s data analysis paper ‘The Hidden Inequality – Understanding Financial Education Gaps for Care Leavers in Essex’, which revealed that outcomes for care-experienced people in Essex are among the poorest in the UK. The paper found that 40% of care-experienced young people in Essex are not in work, education or training, only 20% live independently, and 10% are in unsuitable accommodation. These figures are worsening year on year.
“At Money Ready, we believe every young person deserves the chance to build a secure and confident financial future, no matter their background,” says Leon Ward, Chief Executive Officer at Money Ready. “For care-experienced young people, that journey is often harder. Many face financial exclusion, precarious housing and a cliff-edge of support when leaving care. This roundtable has delivered an urgent call to action.”
Among those who shared their experience at the roundtable was Olympian and care leaver Fatima Whitbread.
“Financial awareness is a crucial part of helping young people who don’t have the bank of mum and dad. We need to be proactive in providing financial education before a crisis occurs. This kind of support instils a sense of hope and possibility, which is really important. Collaboration is vital if all young care leavers are to develop high levels of financial awareness.” – Fatima Whitbread, https://www.fatimascampaign.com
That spirit of collaboration is reflected in Money Ready’s ongoing partnership with Saffron Building Society.
“For the last two years Saffron Building Society and Money Ready have worked together to understand and support the financial education needs of care-experienced people. We hope the Care Pledge will equip employers and education providers to support care-experienced young people with skills to manage money, reduce debt risks, and build resilient futures.” – Colin Field, CEO, Saffron Building Society.
“Our partnership is already delivering real impact,” Leon agrees. “More than 90% of Money Ready session participants say their understanding of money has improved, and 89% feel more confident managing their finances. Our work together shows how practical, evidence-based financial education can transform lives. But more needs to happen.”
Experts at the roundtable strongly supported the role of financial education but emphasised it must go beyond budgeting, covering everything from understanding rent, bills and council tax to ‘better-off’ calculations when entering work. Employment emerged as a particular barrier at the roundtable, with participants highlighting rigid recruitment criteria, limited awareness among employers of care experience, and a lack of flexible support once in work. These insights directly shaped The Care Pledge’s focus on employer and education provider practice.
Alongside The Care Pledge, the roundtable also produced a set of wider recommendations for public sector and third sector consideration, including proposals to embed financial education into leaving care pathways and to explore Care Experience as a protected characteristic. These recommendations focus on longer-term systemic change, with an emphasis on enabling a move from merely surviving to thriving.
“There’s strong agreement that support must be delivered before key life transitions, not after problems emerge,” says Leon. “By better embedding financial education into support systems, Essex can lead the way in empowering care-experienced young people to achieve financial independence and long-term security while building meaningful, ambitious lives.”
By embedding this support within local systems and working collaboratively across sectors, Money Ready believes every care-experienced young person can be equipped to succeed, not only in Essex but across the UK.
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