Your help and support offer
Section 9 - Your education, employment and training
Being engaged in education, employment or training will help you with your chosen career path and move towards independence. Further education is essential for you to gain qualifications that you will need when searching for employment later. However, college and university are not the only options. There are training and apprenticeship schemes that are very popular and can be a good way to learn whilst you earn an income.
- There is a lot of information on this page so please take your time to read all the information below.
In the Trust we have a specialist manager who co-ordinates employment, education and training options for young people who have been in our care. They work closely with a wide range of employers and organisations to make sure you have the best advice possible. Birmingham Children’s Trust is proud to be offering paid apprenticeships for young people who have been in our care and these cover many Trust service areas.
When you are in education pre-18yrs you will be supported by your social worker and a staff member from the virtual school. Your aspirations and educational needs will be assessed and captured in both your pathway plan and your personal education plan (PeP). As soon as you are introduced to your PA they will also support you, both practically and to make decisions about what is best for you.
Next Steps programme
In Birmingham Children's Trust we also have Next Steps Independence Programme. As part of this programme, we will find out what areas you may need support in and what things you do well. We will build a tailored programme for you to help you gain new skills and learn ways to manage the challenges of living independently. If you want to email Next steps for more information, their email address is NextSteps@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk You can self-refer using the link below.
GO TO NEXT STEPS REFERRAL FORM
You can also request a paper copy of the referral form by emailing: Annalise.Morgan@birmnghamchildrenstrust.co.uk
Develop Me
Develop Me is a mentoring programme with Birmingham Children’s Trust that supports young people in care and young adults with care experience aged 16-25. A mentor for Birmingham Children’s Trust can be life changing for someone with care experience. By having a consistent and supportive person in your life this can help to build trust and help you to reach your potential. Mentors are from all walks of life, businesses and organisations and there will be someone who will be a good match with you. The programme is designed to last a minimum of 6 months and at the end you will have a graduation event to celebrate your achievements.
Staying in education
If you want to stay in education and you are in education (college and university), we will liaise with your education provider’s ‘Designated Member of Staff’ (a key contact specifically for young people who have been in care) to access additional support where necessary including financial support.
If you want to attend further education (college or similar) your PA will help with your application and to choose the right course for you. You will also be entitled to apply for various funds to support you. However, these can change each new academic year.
The sorts of things available are:
- 16-19yrs bursary
You will need to apply for this bursary from your student services advisor at school or college before you start your course. The money is to support with education-related costs and is administered by the education provider. You will need to be clear about the education provider’s requirements for you to be eligible, such as, for example, 95% attendance, good behaviour etc
- Discretionary learner support fund
This comes from the education provider. Tell your PA if you are having difficulty accessing this and they will help you
- Care to learn
This is a grant for young parents aged 20yrs and under to help with nursery and childminder costs. Again, if you are struggling to access this tell your PA and they will help you.
Applying for university
If you are thinking about applying for university, please speak to your social worker or your PA as they will be able to assist with the course application and your application for your Student Finance Loan to cover tuition fees. We will cover travel costs to open days and pay your UCAS fee. We will also provide you with a supporting letter that confirms you have been in our care as this will open additional support for you from the university.
If you decide to go to university, we will support you to do your first degree. assist you with your student accommodation including, where agreed, during holiday periods and provide you with additional financial support. You can use some of your independent living grant to cover some costs such as duvets, pots, pans etc. We will support you with a weekly allowance. See the ‘your money’ section for our financial support offer and other support you can get with money.
- Our support offer extends to young people over 21yrs and up to 25yrs. We will also support you to undertake a postgraduate course for one further year if that starts before you reach 25yrs.
- We will ask you to sign our higher education consent form that gives us permission to talk to your university to make sure you are getting on okay.
You should also be able to access additional support from the university who often have additional funds and grants for care leavers.
You can find more information from the following links:
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UCAS
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Propel UK
This is a website for young people that have been in care and sets out all the support available to you from universities and colleges.
GO TO PROPEL WEBSITE
The Eve Brook Scholarship Fund
This is a local charity that works in partnership with the 18+ Care Leavers Service to provide financial bursaries and support to care leavers at university and recently has, for example, been supporting care leavers taking postgraduate degrees.
Universities and higher education colleges must make provision for students with disabilities, including some long-term conditions and specific learning difficulties. They will have a disability advisor or learning coordinator who should help you. If you are struggling to find out who this is or you do not feel you are getting the support you need, tell us and we can intervene.
If you are not eligible for a loan from Student Finance England due to a restriction on immigration or nationality grounds, we will support you with the same offer and towards tuition fees so that you are not disadvantaged.
You will be entitled to:
- A weekly allowance in line with benefits rates
- Payment towards your accommodation costs of up to £130 per week
- The care leavers HE Bursary, a total of £2000 which is paid in yearly instalments at the end of Autumn Term each year.
- Regular visits and contacts with your 18+ Personal Advisor
- Regular contact with your academic tutor/head of department, and with the care leavers champion at the university so as to ensure you are supported
If you have an education, health and care plan (EHCP) this may continue until you are 25yrs old if you are in school or further education. Your PA will support you up to 25yrs if you need them to. When your EHCP is due to come to an end we will work with relevant services such as SENAR and adult social care so that you know where to go if you need advice and support. If you go to university or other education, there will be support available to you such as disabled student allowances (DSAs).
All the information you will need about disabled student allowances is here. If you prefer to work there is a lot of support available for you. A good source of advice and information is this Step by Step Guide, written by Department for Work and Pensions. When you begin work, you can get support from Access To Work, which is a grant that provides support to make work accessible for those with disabilities. You can get more information about Access to Work here. There is addition information also available via Midland Mencap.
Trust Apprenticeship programme
If you prefer on-the-job training we have our own Apprentice Programme in the Trust for young people who have been in our care who are aged 18-25yrs. There are a range of opportunities that range from business support, youth work, rights and participation, advocacy, social media and marketing and more. Courses run from 12-24 months.
You will get a full range of support including:
- All courses are accredited Level 3 and 4 awards
- Salaries are over 20k
- We work in partnership with a range of college providers to ensure the right programmes and support
- Dedicated Manager to support all apprentices
- Full 2-week induction programme before moving into your team. This allows you to be employer-ready and confident before moving into your role
- All care experienced young adults who apply are guaranteed an interview
- There is a range of professional and service-specific training
- Support and sign up for all apprentices with the REES foundations ‘Ask Jan’ scheme (which has a number of free benefits including financial and legal advice, a MAX discount card and access to counselling and therapeutic support)
- Emotional wellbeing support is provided on a group and 1:1 basis
You may want to explore an apprenticeship with other employers. An apprenticeship can be a great way to learn a new skill, achieve a qualification and get paid at the same time. Apprenticeships can also be another way of achieving higher education without accruing the university debt as they are available at several levels, from level 2 (GCSE) to level 7 (Master’s degree). You could receive a government bursary of £1000 to help you to transition into work. It is your employer’s responsibility to apply for this and so you will need to tell them you have been in our care for them to make the application.
For more information email: appreniceships@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk
Support with jobs - including interview clothes
- If you prefer to work, we will provide you with a one-off payment of £50 to purchase interview clothes (for those 18-25yrs). We will also help you with interview practice, assist you to apply for jobs and to create your CV. Discuss your needs with your PA.
- Job Centre Plus will also support you. Your PA can attend with you if you want them to.
Becoming an independent visitor
- If you need additional experience, we can support you to volunteer. Ask your PA. You may also qualify to become an independent visitor (a befriending service) for our children in care. Ask your PA to put you in touch with our Rights and Participation (RAP) service or email: IndependentVisitors@birminghamchildrenstrust.co.uk