Today the London Assembly Economy, Culture and Skills Committee’s has published 'Careers after care', its report into care experienced Londoners and their access to education, employment and training. NNECL welcomes the Committees recommendation, that the London Mayor should create a pan London wide offer of support for care experienced learners and that all London universities should work with NNECL to achieve our Quality Mark and the impact of this should be measured.
Young people with care backgrounds are significantly underrepresented in higher education because of challenges beyond their control. In England, 15% of care leavers progress to university by the age of 19, three times less than their peers. For those who overcome the odds, once at university 38% of care leavers drop out of their studies compared to just 6% of others. The unacceptably high dropout rate is because of unaddressed childhood trauma, financial strains, mental health challenges, lack of suitable year-round accommodation and not having strong support networks.
Denise Rawls, our Executive Director, said: “This thorough summary of the journey London’s care leavers take toward education and employment, without the support of a traditional family network, clearly highlights the significant challenges they face. The report presents a bold opportunity for London to develop and implement the pathways of support needed to ensure our young people with care experience have equal access to higher education alongside their peers. The NNECL Quality Mark is proven as a valuable tool in improving access and raising standards for learners with care experience across the post-16 landscape. We look forward to working with higher education providers across London to support the creation of learning environments where care experienced students can truly thrive.”
Launched in 2021, the Quality Mark is awarded to colleges and universities who evidence their approach to inclusion and how they are supporting students with care experience or who are estranged. Accreditation involves self-assessment and a review by a NNECL Assessor to consider current practice, identify gaps in provision and establish areas for future development. The framework has been designed to be holistic and proportionate and is regularly updated in response to NNECL member and care experienced learner’s feedback. The Quality Mark covers the student’s lifecycle from outreach to graduation and beyond, institutional culture and leadership and continuous improvement and future plans.
Across the UK 41 colleges and universities hold the Quality Mark, with 11 in progress. Currently 7 institutions in London hold the accreditation.
City St Georges, Kingston University, Queen Mary University London, Royal Central School of Speech and Drama, University of Law, Lewisham College and Southwark College.
Careers after care: helping care experienced young Londoners fulfil their potential - Recommendation 11
The Mayor should convene public universities in London and work with them to create a basic support offer for student care leavers for all of London’s public universities. The Mayor and London’s universities should either create a London-specific offer or work with the National Network for the Education of Care Leavers (NNECL) to adopt the NNECL Quality Mark. The Mayor should further monitor the impact this has on care leaver withdrawal rates.
Careers after care: helping care experienced young Londoners fulfil their potential
