Care Experienced (18-25)
"If you can dream it, you can do it"
Walt Disney
Dreams are just goals with a deadline. Let us help you to turn your dreams into a reality by taking charge of the biggest area of your life. Your work.
When things happen to you, you can feel like you have no control over anything. Between the ages of 18-21, (sometimes 25, or older if in education) you are being prepared for the biggest transition of your life.
Leaving care is a huge step that you need to be fully engaged and supported in. While you still have the corporate parent's safety net, you can explore your career choices with Lancashire Careers Company CIC.
Life After Care Experience
Creating Opportunities through employability and life skills
While each individual's journey is unique, the following attributes can help care leavers make the most of the support and resources available. To take advantage of the opportunities available after leaving care in the UK, care leavers can benefit from cultivating certain attributes and skills.
In the work place, you will be expected to have acquiried skills that others may have learned from family life. We can help you to adopt these as part of your employability development.
In no particular order, some of these skills might be;
- Resilience: The ability to bounce back from challenges and setbacks
- Self-Motivation: Care leavers need to be self-motivated and driven to pursue their goals.
- Proactivity: Being proactive in seeking out available opportunities and resources is essential.
- Organisation and Time Management: Managing one's time and responsibilities effectively is crucial when transitioning to independent living.
- Openness to Learning: Being open to learning and personal growth will enable care leavers to make the most of educational and training opportunities.
- Financial Literacy: Understanding financial management is essential for care leavers as they begin to handle their finances independently
- Communication Skills: Effective communication is vital in various aspects of life, from building supportive relationships to excelling in education and employment.
- Self-Advocacy: Care leavers should be willing to advocate for themselves and their needs.
- Emotional Intelligence: Understanding and managing emotions can be especially valuable for care leavers who may have experienced trauma or difficult experiences.
- Goal-Setting: Setting clear and achievable goals can provide direction and motivation for care leavers.
Changing the narrative...
Statistically, the outcomes for care leavers are poor.
We don't like that. We don't think that it should be the case and most of all, we want that to change. There are endless figures produced to explain the poor outcomes and how they occur but making change is a slow process.
As a care leaver you now have a choice. Are you going to be one of those stats, or can you change the narrative?
There are always people that we can look to who have overcome the difficulties of a challenging childhood. Sometimes it is helpful to remind ourselves, and each other, that overcoming adversity is a skill that other care experienced people have discovered and so can you.
Here's some of the care experienced people that we think changed the narrative!
Steve Jobs
Think of Apple Inc and you think of Steve Jobs.
Steve Jobs wanted to change the world and in many ways he did.
He was less of a technical creator and more a 'look and feel' individual which is likely to be why Apple products aesthetics are so loved.
Steve Jobs was mixed race and was handed over for his adoption by his birth mother just days old.
Steve Jobs changed the narrative.
Mo Farah
Mo Farah is a multiple Olympic, World and European Champion athlete.
His successful sporting career, money, marriage to a beautiful woman and four children suggests that he 'has it all'.
Yet, Mo Farah was trafficked into the UK and forced to work as a domestic servant. The interventions of his sports teacher led to Mo being taken into the care of the local authority.
Mo Farah changed the narrative.
Lemn Sissay
Lemn Sissay is an award winning writer, poet, playwrite, broadcaster, and University Chancellor.
Lemn was born to an unmarried woman in Billinge Hospital, Wigan and was placed into foster care by the local authority. His social worker renamed him Norman - after himself.
At 12 years of age his foster parents decided to return him to the care system. Lemn stayed in a number of children's homes in the north west before leaving care at 17.
Lemn Sissay changed the narrative
Jeanette Winterson
Jeanette Winterson is an acclaimed author who published her first semi-autobiographical novel at 23 years old. She scripted this into a BBC TV series in 1990. It won a BAFTA for Best Drama.
Her books have been printed in 22 countries and she has been honoured with an OBE and a CBE. She continues to work as a Professor of Creative Writing at Manchester University.
Jeanette was born in Manchester. Adopted by Pentecostal parents she was raised to be a missionary. She left home at sixteen to live in a Mini and get on with her education.
Jeanette Winterson changed the narrative
Why Career Development and Coaching?
People learn how to take control of their destiny
A growth mindset develops
Self-awareness is raised and motivation is increased
People learn to recognise their strengths, work with them and develop them
You have to start somewhere!
You deserve the best!
Change the narrative!
Book a free career conversation
