Huge expansion announced for national programme supporting thousands of care leavers

UK Community Foundations has announced a significant expansion to its national programme helping young people who have experienced care.

The Care Leavers Programme, which was launched in 2024 by the Local Authorities' Mutual Investment Trust (LAMIT) and UK Community Foundations (UKCF), in collaboration with investment manager CCLA, is providing support for care leavers to survive and thrive as they transition to adulthood.

From university bursaries and driving lessons to home equipment and career coaching, the programme is supporting care leavers to take their next steps.

A year into the programme, 17 participating community foundations from UKCF have supported more than 2,000 care leavers aged between 16 and 25 years old across England by funding 59 organisations and 411 individuals directly.

Programme receives new donation

A new donation of £1.7 million over three years by the Henry Smith Foundation, announced today, will expand the programme out to 14 new areas in the UK, now including Northern Ireland and Wales.  This expansion will bring the total programme value to £7 million, including matched funds, significantly increasing reach, impact and length of delivery.  

Anand Shukla, Chief Executive at the Henry Smith Foundation, commented:

“We’re delighted to fund the expansion of the Care Leavers Programme across the UK.  This work is important and ambitious – bringing together community foundations, local authorities and the Henry Smith Foundation.  Together, we’ll increase critical support for both care leavers and the charitable organisations supporting them as they navigate their way into adulthood.”

New report published today: Connecting Care

In addition to reaching new areas, the expansion of the fund is extending existing projects. A new report, published today by UKCF, shows the reach that the Care Leavers Programme has had already.

Emma de Closset, Chief Executive at UK Community Foundations, commented:

“The Care Leavers Programme has already demonstrated the power of local partnerships to create real, lasting change for care-experienced young people.  We have seen the impact of this programme in its first year, and we are delighted to expand it further with the support of the Henry Smith Foundation.”

“By expanding the programme to 14 more community foundations, the next phase represents a fantastic opportunity for more local and national partner organisations to help build a fairer start for young people leaving care, ensuring they have the support that every young person deserves.”

Match funding continues to play an important role in the programme, matching £1 per £1.  The Lovett Foundation, based in Swindon, is just one of the many local partners to have supported the programme so far, contributing a £100,000 five-year donation over five years.  

Rebecca Maloney, granddaughter to Dick Lovett, sits on the Management Board at the Lovett Foundation, and said:

“We wanted to do something that wasn’t just a sticking plaster, but something that genuinely improved young people’s lives.  Before being introduced to the Care Leavers Programme, there wasn’t a set programme that we could get on board with.  Wiltshire & Swindon Community Foundation presented to us and we were quite excited because it was specifically for care leavers, and it was a five-year programme.”

One of the aims of the Care Leavers Programme is to help strengthen partnerships between local authorities and care leaver support networks around the UK.

Cllr Richard Kemp CBE, former Lord Mayor of Liverpool and Chair of LAMIT commented:

“Public sector organisations and especially councils are struggling to cope with a tsunami in the number of young people in the care system and the complexities of their problems.  That is why I am proud of the leadership role we played at LAMIT in establishing this fund in partnership with local councils and UKCF.

“I am absolutely delighted that the Henry Smith Foundation is helping us to take this work to new areas and for longer periods.  By doing so they are helping shape young lives at a crucial point.  They are helping prove that those in care are not problem youngsters, but youngsters with a problem.  Help deal with those problems and they can be as successful as any other person and a credit to themselves and our society.”

Andrew Robinson MBE, Director Market Development at CCLA commented:

“The privilege of having a history as long as CCLA’s is that we have a huge network of churches, charities and local authorities whose community-oriented missions are aligned.  Being able to bring together those connections into meaningful partnerships for change is deeply rewarding and hearing the stories of communities supporting bright, care-experienced young people to realise their potential makes one realise it’s about much more than money.”