A new initiative being developed by the West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership (WY HCP) is designed to support young people leaving care to take on roles in the health and care sector.
The ‘Project Hope’ scheme aims to provide sustained support for young people leaving care, with the hope of helping them to find employment and develop the key skills and experience they need for their chosen careers.
The initiative is a joint collaboration developed between partner organisations across the West Yorkshire health and care sectors, involving young people in the design process to ensure their needs are met.
As part of NHS England’s commitment to the Care Leaver Covenant, the project is one of 10 integrated care board pathfinder schemes being rolled out to increase support for young care leavers. The national scheme aims to help care leavers aged 16 to 25 to live independently; providing them with the tools they need to be self-sufficient through education, training, employment, safety, finance and ongoing support for their mental and physical health.
Jenny Lingrell, Service Director for Children in the Wakefield Health and Care Partnership, said: “By supporting young people to find employment in health and care roles, the project will help them develop skills and experience, build networks and connections, gain financial stability and enable them to make a real difference to others. All of these factors are hugely important for people’s physical and mental wellbeing and for their long-term health outcomes.”
Following the success of the pathfinder bid, partner organisations and young people can now begin to develop the project further until its estimated launch in 2024. More information about the Care Leaver Covenant can be found here.
