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Changing Futures for Young People in Public Care

Access Academy Access and Community Engagement. Changing Futures for Young People in Public Care. Dr Jon Barber – Access Academy Manager Victoria Edwards - Access Academy Officer (Volunteering). Access and Community Engagement. Overview: The University of Leeds

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Changing Futures for Young People in Public Care

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  1. Access Academy Access and Community Engagement Changing Futures for Young People in Public Care Dr Jon Barber – Access Academy Manager Victoria Edwards - Access Academy Officer (Volunteering)

  2. Access and Community Engagement Overview: The University of Leeds The Widening Participation Agenda Changing Futures Project

  3. What is the Widening Participation Agenda? • Where does this fit at a University such as Leeds? Access and Community Engagement

  4. InstitutionalPhilosophy • Strategy Map • T9 – To increase access to all who can benefit • T8 – provide an exceptional student experience • T11 – contribute to the enrichment of society on a local to global • scale • Values: academic excellence, professionalism, integrity, community, • inclusiveness. • Possible conflict with: • Increasing A Level grades • Other testing procedures such as LNAT • Drive to be top 50 in world by 2015 Access and Community Engagement

  5. Access and Community Engagement Outreach Agenda Raising aspirations and attainment of young people and adults from under-represented groups Widening Participation Agenda Employability – ensuring students secure graduate jobs in the labour market Monitoring and Estimating impact Fair Access Agenda – Supportingapplications, reviewing admissions processes and providing financial support for low income students – 10 scholarships Student Support Agenda – ensuring students are supported so that they have the best chance of completing their studies

  6. Access and Community Engagement • Outward facing office for the University • Works in 4 key areas: • - Community • - Schools Outreach • - Scholarships • - Culture & Heritage

  7. Access and Community Engagement • Centrally coordinates and delivers WP outreach • Works annually with 30 000 students in 200 schools • 12 Staff manage 20 different projects, engaging 700 undergraduates in voluntary, accredited and paid positions • Develops bespoke programmes with schools and other educational establishments

  8. Access and Community Engagement • Just some of our partners… • Aimhigher, DCSF, DFID, DIUS, Natural England, Local Education Authorities, Partner schools and colleges, Camelot Foundation, College of Law, Derek Fatchett City Learning Centre, Frank Buttle Trust, GE Foundation, HBOS Foundation, Heritage Lottery Fund, Institute of Physics, Museums, Libraries and Archives, NM Rothschild and Sons, Partner Universities, Royal Society of Chemistry, Skipton Building Society, Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, Stepping Stones, Sutton Trust, Training and Development Agency.

  9. Access and Community Engagement Examples of Partnerships in Practice…

  10. Access and Community Engagement “Children in public care fall behind at school, seldom achieve good qualifications, and are much less likely than their peers to go on to further or higher education”‘Educational success for children in public care: advice from a group of high achievers’ Pearl Y. Martin and Sonia Jackson (2002)

  11. Access and Community Engagement • Background • Idea for this Project arose from: • Academic Research (Jackson and Martin 1998, Jackson 2002, and Jackson et al 2005) • Volunteering project: University of Leeds with a City Learning Centre (Derek Fatchett): 8 young people in care paired with 8 university volunteers (2005) • Frank Buttle Trust’s Quality Mark for Care Leavers in Higher Education (2006) • http://www.buttletrust.org/quality_mark/

  12. Access and Community Engagement The Project… Pilot ran in 2005-06 with funding from Widening Participation project fund University of Leeds was awarded Frank Buttle Trust Quality mark Frank Buttle Trust/Camelot Foundation funded project from 2006-07 Partnership with Stepping Stones formed in 2007-08

  13. Access and Community Engagement • Changing Futures Project Aims • Raise educational aspirations and awareness of HE among looked-after children (LAC) in Leeds Year 9 – 11 (ages 13 - 16) • Engage carers and foster carers in the educational process

  14. Access and Community Engagement One to one support for a small group of looked after children (identified in year 9) to raise their academic achievement. The student mentors and the young people meet for two hours once a week.

  15. Access and Community Engagement ‘…they now realise what they are capable of achieving’ ‘I had help preparing for an interview … and I knew exactly what to say!’ ‘I got an interview with Tomas Danby through my mentor’s help’ The students have looked forward to the sessions and all have said that they have enjoyed themselves as well as learning new skills…

  16. Access and Community Engagement Introducing Stepping Stones… An Aimhigher programme designed to promote the educational achievements of looked after young people. To raise aspirations and to widen participation to higher education

  17. Access and Community Engagement The Partnership… Provides a vital partnership link with Social Services Provides space and staffing at the Derek Fatchett Centre Collation of data and mapping across all projects

  18. Access and Community Engagement What Works… Information gathered from Social Services Space and staffing at the Derek Fatchett Centre Specialised training through Social Services Additional funding support

  19. Access and Community Engagement Challenges… Partnership with Stepping Stones formed after project was created. Roles and responsibilities within partnership unclear. Expectations of partnership/ownership and personal investment Funding Multiagency relationships

  20. Access and Community Engagement Where we are now… Formation of Stepping Stones Fellowship Duke of Edinburgh Award Frank Buttle Trust Quality Mark

  21. Access and Community Engagement The Future… Develop partnership with Duke of Edinburgh Award Effective across office working – Access to Leeds and Reach for Excellence Continue to improve partnership with Stepping Stones

  22. Access and Community Engagement Key questions How can Local Authorities support programmes of this kind? - How can the role of the Social Services be incorporated? - How do we engage carers more? - How can we sustain the overall programme?

  23. Access and Community Engagement And this is why we do it……

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