Webwatch: Propel – Inspiring education for care-experienced young people
The Who Cares? Trust has created Propel, an online resource providing full information about UK educational institutions’ pastoral and financial provision for care leavers, as well as inspirational stories from care-experienced students who have successfully made the transition from care to higher education.
The charity hopes the new website will encourage young people in care to aim high – and make the choice that is right for them.
Educational outcomes for looked-after children remain lower than those of the general population, due to a complex range of factors, including pre-care experiences such as maltreatment and neglect. Educational achievement can be negatively affected by disruption to schooling and trauma caused by multiple placement moves while in care, although research has shown that the longer a young person remains in the care system, the more likely they are to achieve. This means that being in care can have a positive impact on educational achievement; stability and quality of placements, and the aspirations of social care professionals, carers and teachers for the young people they support, are key to raising both young people’s ambition and achievement.
Using Propel, young people – and the carers and professionals who are there to help them – will be able to make an informed choice about the right course at the right institution for them and ensure that they access all the support to which they are entitled, reducing the numbers of care leavers forced to drop out.
The website allows care leavers to compare the support offered by different universities and further education colleges, including the availability of 365 day accommodation, additional financial support on offer and whether the institution has a member of staff responsible for supporting care leavers.
