Foundation signs up to new scheme supporting young people leaving care

The Tottenham Hotspur Foundation has pledged its support to a landmark government scheme launched today to raise career aspirations and improve life skills among care leavers.

More than 50 businesses, charities and every government department in England have signed up to the Care Leaver Covenant, which commits to providing work-based opportunities to young people leaving the care system.

Children’s and Families Minister, Nadhim Zahawi, has set out an ambition for the scheme to create 10,000 work opportunities over the next 10 years helping these young people gain vital skills and experiences as they enter the jobs market.

The Club, through its Foundation, has a strong track record of providing employment and education opportunities to care leavers within its community.

For over a decade, the To Care Is To Do programme, delivered in partnership with Haringey Council Virtual School, has provided a range of support services to help improve educational attainment, increase employability, develop life skills and promote healthy and active lifestyles.

The programme sees care leavers take part in independent living activities, including money management, cooking and DIY workshops, and being sign-posted onto work experience, qualifications and job opportunities.

Participants are also given the chance to take part in the prestigious Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and, next week, the Club will host an annual celebration of the educational achievements of young people within the care of Haringey.

Sarah Ebanja, Chief Executive, Tottenham Hotspur Foundation, said: “We pride ourselves on the work we deliver for young people within the local care system in Haringey.

“It is inspiring to see so many of the young people that have engaged with To Care Is To Do progress into Further Education and employment – some within the Foundation itself.

“Signing the Care Leaver Covenant will allow us to strategically develop this work for the future and create more opportunities for looked-after young people via scalable models of best practice.”

Research shows that many care leavers do not achieve the same outcomes as their peers, with 40 per cent of care leavers aged 19 to 21 not in education, employment or training (NEET), compared to 13 per cent for this age group overall.

The Covenant will help care leavers navigate the work opportunities available and support them in fulfilling their ambitions. From today, they will have access to work placements and internships with big businesses, government departments, museums, theatres and Premier League football clubs, as well as training workshops or life-skills coaching.