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Support for county’s care leavers nominated for national award

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Two of Gloucestershire County Council’s Leaving Care Teams have been nominated for an award in recognition of the outstanding support they give to young people leaving care.
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Leaving Care teams from Stroud and Cheltenham have been nominated for the ‘Personal Adviser Team of the Year’ award at the Personal Adviser of the year awards.

The awards are part of the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum’s Annual National ‘Personal Adviser Event’ which will be held in Birmingham on Thursday 7 November. All finalists were chosen by a panel which included young people, managers and last year’s successful winners.

The National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum (NLCBF) is made up of over 125 local authority leaving care teams, working together to share good practice and improve services and support for care experienced young people.

The ‘Personal Adviser’ event aims to recognise and celebrate the valuable contribution made by Personal Advisers in supporting young people who are due to leave or have left local authority care.

Personal Advisers play a pivotal role in supporting care leavers as they learn to live independently. They offer advice, support information and practical help to make sure young people are ready to leave care and live independently.

The Stroud and Cheltenham teams were nominated for their tireless work to support care leavers with all aspects of their lives:

  • Going above and beyond to support those who are at risk of homelessness or who are homeless
  • Providing intensive support and encouragement to help young people achieve their goals and ambitions, which has led to an increase in those who are in education or employment
  • Supporting young parents through a dedicated forum which ensures their voices are heard and they develop a better understanding of their parenting roles by learning from one another.

Cllr Paul McLain, cabinet member for children’s safeguarding at Gloucestershire County Council said: “It is wonderful that the teams’ dedication and outstanding contribution to supporting children and young people who have left or are due to leave care in Gloucestershire is being recognised at a national level.

“It is such an important time in every young person’s life. These nominations demonstrate our dedication, commitment, and passion for helping Gloucestershire’s care leavers achieve their potential in adulthood. I wish both teams the very best of luck.”