Celebrating Care Leavers' Week

A range of activities have been organised to mark Care Leavers' Week.

Go-karting, archery, climbing and a trip to the cinema are just some of the events organised for the week which runs from Wednesday 25 October until Wednesday 1 November. South Shields Town Hall will also be lit up in blue ont the evening of 28 October in support of the week.

The activities are in addition to a wide range of engagement events held throughout the year such as a job club, cooking sessions and social events.

The Council offers young people leaving the care system in South Tyneside a generous package of support. This includes exemption from paying Council Tax until the age of 25, free access to the Council's leisure facilities and support with accessing jobs and apprenticeships. Care leavers between the ages of 18 and 25-year-old are also now benefiting from free bus and Metro travel in Tyne and Wear in the first scheme of its kind in the country. In addition, those leaving care are now given extended support from social workers and personal advisors to help them successfully make the move to independent living.

Earlier this year the Council took action to help tackle the stigma and discrimination faced by many care-experienced people. Councillors passed a motion to make 'care experience' a protected characteristic so that they can benefit from the same legal protections as those discriminated against on the grounds of age, disability, race, religion and other protected characteristics.

Councillor Adam Ellison, Lead Member for Children's and Families' Social Care, said: "It is a sad fact of life that young people leaving care can face discrimination through no fault of their own. We also recognise that, partly as a result of this, they can struggle both socially and financially.

"Despite these barriers, many of our care leavers achieve great success both personally and professionally and this week is an opportunity to celebrate that."

He added: "We take our corporate parenting responsibilities extremely seriously and are committed to helping all our young people achieve their life goals. However, this cannot be done by the Council alone, It falls to each and every one of us to play our part in caring for and looking out for our young people."

Beth Clark, Care Leaver Ambassador, added: "Care Leavers' Week is a brilliant opportunity to celebrate our cared-for young people. Attending the groups and activities for care leavers really helped build my confidence and helped me to successfully apply for my role as Care Leaver Ambassador. Nowadays I'm helping to organise events and activities for care leavers, and I'm loving my job!"