Last
week I travelled to Sheffield for the local launch of the New
Belongings Project. When I arrived
with my colleagues, the energy and excitement about the possibilities of this
project where clear, and overwhelming. Several members of the local
authority's senior management team and other agencies where present, along with
some Sheffield care leavers.
What
has impressed me is the openness and willingness in Sheffield to try new things
to make life better for care leavers and those leaving care. I believe nothing
is being brushed under the carpet.
We
discussed a snapshot overview of the service at present, and what the team
and I can do to support and enable the city to improve and develop their
services for care leavers. We then spent some considerable time talking to the
local care leavers present about how they see things and what they would like
done to improve services and support.
Surprisingly,
none of them made the usual comment 'I need more money' and
they
gave practical examples of how they could be better supported. Over the next 12
months my colleagues and I will be working closely with Sheffield to provide
advice, guidance and best practice examples to make this happen.
My
only concern with the project overall and not just specific to my region,
Sheffield, is how the wider community and society will react when they are
asked to take a more active role in the lives of care leavers. However, with the skills, knowledge and
experience of the whole New Belongings project team I believe we can make the
project a success in Sheffield and the other pilot regions, to create the Gold
Standard for leaving care services across the whole country.
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