Education is important to all children and young people. Education can be one area of your life that is stable and consistent.
School is a big part of your daily life and routine. It is somewhere you can build relationships with adults as well as people your own age, and find out what you are good at, all while learning.
When we asked young people in Wirral, you told us that a good education is the foundation of making your lives better. A good education gives you the best options for the future, whatever you decide to do.
Every young person in care will have a personal education plan, also known as a PEP. This is a plan to make sure you get the most out of school while you are in care. It is part of your care plan.
Every school has a designated teacher to look after the children in care in the school.
The Learning, Skills and Employment Service, previously known as the 14-19 Team, was set up to provide greater opportunities to engage children and young people in or from care into Employment, Education or Training. The service is available for children looked after and care leavers aged 16-21 years old.
Education
An allocated Personal Coach from the Learning, Skills and Employment Service works directly with young people and their schools; arranging education mentoring and delivering Careers Information and Guidance for Children Looked After in Year 11.
The Personal Coach offers ongoing help and support to young people, assisting them to identify and work towards their future education goals. They will help arrange visits and applications to Further Education and Higher Education provisions (Colleges and Universities) and provide a link between young people and Employers, including Apprenticeship and Training providers. By working closely with LACES (Looked After Children Education Service) and the Leaving Care team, the Personal Coach ensures that all services involved in the young person’s growth and development are working together to prepare and support each young person into future opportunities that they are interested in.
A key responsibility for this role is also to take the lead on the 'Get Real' programme.
The Get Real programme is designed to tackle inequalities that care leavers face, with a focus on improving employment outcomes.
The 16 week ‘Get Real’ programme involves:
- Completion of various Employability sessions (CV writing, interview techniques, employer expectations etc)
- A 4 Week Internship (a period of work experience offered by a local employer)
On completion of the programme is it hoped all young people who have engaged fully will move into employment, further education or training.