YPBMF Champions: Applications now open!
Care experienced young people aged 16 - 25 years are invited to apply to be a Young People's Benchmarking Forum (YPBMF) Champion.
This is a fantastic opportunity for those who are passionate about making a difference in the lives of care-experienced individuals. As a YPBMF Champion, care experienced individuals will have the chance to voice their opinions, share experiences, and advocate for improvements in the care system and leaving care support.
The deadline to apply is Monday 29th September.
YPBMF Champion Role
Champions will be invited to join the team in person at least once during the year for two out of nine national events. Remote participation is also available. Additionally, a range of other opportunities will be offered, such as regular catch ups, consultations and further events.
Commitment & Experience: YPBMF Champions are volunteers who collaborate with the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum(NLCBF) Sessional Workers and the broader team to co-produce events for a minimum commitment of 12 months (after which they can decide to progress to being a YPBMF Legend).
Up to 15 Champions will be taken on this year and the aim is to have representation from all 10 regions of England plus Northern Ireland. This year there will also be reserved additional Champion positions from those representing groups that they want to hear more from.
Groups that they want to hear from more include:
- Separated young people (previously known as Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children & Young People – UASC)
- Young people who have had experience of justice services including police, prison, probation
- Care experienced parents
- Young people with a physical disability or long term health condition
- Care experienced young people from ethnic minority backgrounds
- LGBTQ+ Care experienced young people
- Other (any other groups that we have not mentioned they you feel we should have a focus on)
Share Experience & Views: YPBMF Champions are invited to share experiences and views on leaving care services, representing themselves, their local authority and care-experienced young people. Champions will identify and discuss areas which need improvement and communicate key messages to a wide audience of professionals.
Recent topics have included:
Events & Preparation: Champions work alongside the NLCBF Sessionals Team to plan and prepare YPBMF events, supporting guest speakers, setting schedules, preparing icebreakers, and designing interview formats. During events, you are encouraged to welcome and connect both young people and professionals, fostering relationships across various local authorities.
Speeches, Panel Sessions & Events Skills: Champions may contribute to the design and delivery of workshops and sessions at events. While these skills are highly valuable for professional development, participation in public speaking is not mandatory. There are numerous alternative roles, such as preparing presentations, registering delegates, or serving as an event runner (managing delegate feedback via microphones).
You can apply here
YPBMF Champion information sessions will be held in the coming weeks.
For further information, please contact: nlcbf@catch-22.org.uk