Project Description

Reboot West aims to support care leavers to develop the resilience and self-efficacy needed to be able to access and sustain education, employment and training (EET).

Reboot West involves a new team of EET workers, recruited by 1625 Independent People (1625ip). The new workers are highly skilled at building relationships with care leavers, employers and training providers, and co-located in local authority Leaving Care teams.

The approach is underpinned by: Trusting relationships: staff and volunteers trained to meet care leavers psychological and practical needs, develop skills and support them to achieve. Positive experiences: working holistically to build trust/motivation in young people, using peer support and community mentoring. Maximising stability: psychologically informed, flexible and co-ordinated in-work support to overcome challenges and enable the move from ‘services’ to a sustainable community model that supports independence. Partnerships: engaging businesses, public and voluntary sectors in providing opportunities that meet care leavers’ needs and aspirations. Using a social impact bond model of funding Reboot West enables four local authorities to adopt a shared approach to corporate parenting across sectors.

The project is operating well and is has been expanded to the high rate target.

Evaluation

DfE funded independent evaluation will be published in 2020.