The Care Leaver’s Programme

Created by care leavers for care leavers:

39% of care leavers aged 19-21 aren’t in education or employment, this is compared to 13% of non-care leavers. To help tackle this issue and empower young care experienced women to get the job and transform their lives we have launched a brand new pilot programme – The Smart Works Care Leavers Programme.

The idea for the programme came from Kim Emenike, a Civil Service secondee, who we met last year. Being a care-leaver herself, Kim immediately saw the value that Smart Works offers to women from vulnerable situations and wanted every care-experienced woman to have access to the Smart Works service. Each element of the programme has been designed with thought and care and with the challenges of a care leaver at the forefront, to ensure our clients have the greatest opportunity to get the job and transform their lives.

To celebrate the launch we invited care leavers and support associations from across London to visit our centre in North London and hear more about the programme. It was wonderful to hear from Kim about why this is important and what it will mean for the lives of women transitioning out of the care system.