The Supporting Care Leavers Conference 2025
Past and Present Supporters Include:
Overview
The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care recommended that the Government makes care experience a protected characteristic under the Equality Act (2010), in order to improve outcomes for those with care experience. It is crucial that professionals working in care come together to ensure care leavers have the best possible opportunities and outcomes.
Get in Touch
Agenda
Registration
Chairs Opening Remarks
Keynote: Latest Government Support for Care Leavers
- Outlining the latest Government support for care leavers
- Providing care leavers with financial security through higher rates of Universal Credit and Jobseekers Allowance
- Ensuring care leavers have safe and suitable housing by extending the time young people can stay with carers and exempting them from shared accommodation rate
- Expanding local authority offers (e.g. free travel, driving lessons, business discounts, rental guarantors) to improve independence and access to opportunities
Minister, Department of Education (invited)
Keynote: Best Practice for Supporting Transitions Out of Care
- Ensuring children in care are central in drawing up their Pathway Plans for transitioning out of the care system
- Developing additional streams of support such as mentoring and financial guidance to help care leavers experience stability and security in their lives
- Mapping out strategies to encourage care leavers to engage in activities which align with their personal interests and widen their employment prospects
- Considering care leaver’s needs related to race, religion and culture are fully recognised through culturally appropriate placement and access to faith-based support
Questions and Answers
Comfort Break
Keynote: Mental Health and Wellbeing Support for Care Leavers
- Ensuring care leavers can maintain relationships with people who are important to them through strong social networks that keep them from experiencing loneliness and isolation
- Training Personal Advisors and support staff in mental health awareness and trauma informed practice
- Clearly signposting local and national mental health support services
- Promoting awareness of entitlements like free prescriptions, leisure passes and personalised wellbeing budgets
Senior Representative, Barnardo’s (invited)
Case Study: Creating a Community of Support for Over-25 Care Leavers
- Creating opportunities for peer connection through both online and in-person networks, helping reduce isolation and improve wellbeing
- Facilitating group workshops that help individuals process and understand their care history
- Providing accessible, ongoing advice and emotional support through digital and telephone services
- Ensuring care-experienced adults can find, access and contribute to communities that value their lived experience
Senior Representative, Care Leavers Association (invited)
Questions and Answers
Lunch Break
Keynote: Outlining Accommodation Provisions for Care Leavers
- Mapping current interventions into reducing homelessness amongst care leavers
- Highlighting how local authorities can identify care leavers with a high-risk of homelessness
- Discussing the gap in housing provision for care leavers including sufficient appropriate emergency accommodation and services for young people with complex needs
- Analysing the factors behind homelessness in care leavers including age, lack of preparation and experience in managing alone
Senior Representative, St Basils Accommodation (invited)
Case Study: Improving Higher Education Opportunities and Support for Care Leavers
- Ensuring early intervention by targeted outreach and application guidance in application stage of university
- Highlighting the financial support available to care leavers, such as HE bursaries, maintenance loans and local authority funding
- Embedding care-experienced inclusion into Access & Participation Plans to ensure equality of opportunity and outcome for care leavers
- Amplifying student voices by producing university policies with care-experienced students
Senior Representative, University of Birmingham (invited)
Questions and Answers
Breakout Networking:
Use this opportunity to connect and share insights on providing ongoing support, opportunities and resources for care leavers to support their personal and professional growth.
Comfort Break
Keynote: Multi-Agency Support for Care Leavers
- Identifying barriers to multi-agency support for care leavers
- Prioritising consistent relationship through stable relationships and professional support
- Understanding trauma-informed support and care-experience is essential for building effective relationships and delivering appropriate support
- Strategies for reaching out to care leavers without a PA or who are not in education or employment are least likely to access support
Senior Representative, Become (invited)
Case Study: Supporting Care Leavers Careers Through Partnerships with Local Business
- Highlighting the benefits of partnerships between local authorities and businesses in care leaver support
- Insights from the Apprenticeship Strategy: key tips on fast-tracking care leavers into apprenticeship programmes
- Prioritising care leavers by guaranteeing an interview for a vacancy where they meet the required specification
- Promoting care leaver buy-in through a two-to-four-week placement programme with pay to all care experienced young people
Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, Bury Council (invited)
Questions and Answers
Chair’s Closing Remarks
Conference Close
Previous Speakers
Dr Jim Gooddard
Chair
Care Leavers Association
Karen Sharp
Director Health and Care Partnership
East Kent, Health and Care Partnership
Gareth Evans
Director of Operations
Care Leaver Covenant
Cathy Jeremy
Nurse for Care Leavers
Devon NHS FT
Chloe Grant
Director of Services
Become
Maria Mcevoy
Grandmasters Programme Manager
Volunteering Matters
Melanie Harris
Aspire 2 University Programme Lead
Wolves University
Testimonials
It was really good and speakers were amazing
Interesting, Informative . lots of food for thought. Brilliant Day.
I would definitely recommend this event for anyone either working with or interested in supporting Looked after children and Care leavers. It was informative and some of the speakers were Awe inspiring
The conference had engaging speakers who shared their experiences of being care experienced and how their aspirations for people with Care experience , to achieve their full potential.
Why You Should Attend?
Why Attend:
- Gain insights into the latest national policy updates for care leavers:
- Learn practical strategies for supporting young people from care to independence
- Hear from high-level keynotes and best practice case studies
- Gain 8 hours of CPD points towards your yearly quota
Who Should Attend?
| Job Title Example | Organisation Example |
| Personal Advisor | Local Councils |
| Safeguarding Officer | Housing Associations |
| Outreach Workers | Schools |
| Nurses | Universities |
| Teachers | Care-leaving Charites |
| Housing Officers | NHS |
Pricing Options
PRIVATE SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
Public Sector
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
VOLUNTARY SECTOR
Your delegate place at this leading conference gives you: Full access to the conference; E-guide; Networking opportunities during the day; Access to presentations post conference; 8 CPD Points.
Sponsorship
Raise your Profile, Showcase Your Solutions, Generate New Business
If your products, services, and solutions can support our audiences in their roles, and you want to make connections and generate new business with key stakeholders, decision makers, and influencers, then please contact us HERE
IMPORTANT: There are only a small number of sponsorship opportunities available to ensure maximum exposure and ROI – contact us today to secure your place.
Virtual vs F2F
Whilst F2F provide better options for networking, there are many distinct advantages of sponsoring our online conferences including:
- Wider geographical reach of delegates and a different audience who prefer online to f2f
- Lower sponsorship package costs
- No travel/accommodation
- Less time out of the office
- No stand materials required (lower costs)
- 1 of only 2 sponsors involved – less competition on the day
- Prime speaking slot in the morning of the conference including Q&A – less distractions and easier for delegates to hear/absorb information
- Receive all delegate data after the conference to follow-up directly with those who attend and don’t attend (small % but still key stakeholders)
- Ongoing exposure via OnDemand access (coming soon)
To find out more and discuss your specific objectives, please contact us below:
