Activate Learning is committed to supporting Care Leavers. This is the collaborative, whole-institution response evidenced through the Care Leaver Covenant.
Student
Definition:
At Activate Learning, we define a care-experienced student as:
- a young person aged 16 and 17 who was previously looked after for a period of 13 weeks consecutively (or periods amounting to 13 weeks), which began after the age of 14 and ended after the age of 16; or
- a young person aged 18 or above who was looked after prior to becoming 18 for a period of 13 weeks consecutively (or periods amounting to 13 weeks), which began after the age of 14 and ended after the age of 16
We recognise that not all students with care experience identify with the term “care leaver” and therefore encourage any student with care involvement to access the support available, regardless of legal status.
Care leavers are recognised as a priority group in our Safeguarding Policy and are embedded within our organisation-wide Self-Assessment Report and Improvement Plan, reflecting our strategic commitment to improving outcomes for vulnerable learners.
Outreach: Each college campus has a designated staff member acting as the primary point of contact for care-experienced students. This role includes:
- Pre-application support and signposting
- Building partnerships with local authorities, Virtual Schools, and other agencies
- Managing ongoing student support
We work collaboratively with partner organisations to identify care-experienced learners early. Our Schools Partnership Teams prioritise vulnerable students by offering:
- Bespoke tours and taster sessions
- Transition planning meetings
- Attendance at Year 11 multi-agency transition meetings
We promote our offer through external websites, handbooks, posters, and guides for carers and professionals. We also coordinate the transfer of safeguarding and support information from feeder schools.
Application: Our outreach offer includes attendance at open days, taster events, and application support sessions. Information is shared with local authorities, carers, and fostering networks. Applicants are invited to disclose if they are care-experienced, triggering an automatic referral to the Student Support team for a personalised discussion about needs and entitlements.
We also liaise with Social Workers, PAs, and Virtual School Heads during this stage. Information about our offer is shared on the Propel website, promoting access to further and higher education for care-experienced students.
Induction: We offer a tailored induction for care-experienced students, including:
- 1:1 welcome meetings with key members of staff
- Early identification of any needs or risks
- Clear explanation of the support available
- Flexible formats for those who find group inductions challenging
- Signposting to safeguarding, wellbeing, and academic services
On-Course Support: Students receive regular, personalised support from a named Transition and Retention Adviser. This includes:
- Ongoing 1:1 pastoral support
- Support with academic or personal challenges
- Coordination with Social Workers, PAs, and external professionals
- Fast-track access to internal support services (e.g. counselling, careers, safeguarding)
- Access to safe spaces and trusted adults on campus
Retention panels review students at risk of disengagement, ensuring a holistic and proactive approach to retention.
Finance: Care-experienced students may be eligible for enhanced financial support, including free college meals, travel support, help purchasing equipment, clothing, and learning materials, and/or emergency financial assistance. Care leavers are an identified group who are given priority access to hardship bursary funds.
Careers and Employability: Students are supported to find part-time work via college job boards and employer partnerships. The Careers and Student Support teams assist with:
- Job applications
- Balancing employment with study
- Understanding rights and entitlements at work
Student Employment: Care-experienced learners are supported to access part-time employment through the college’s internal job boards and partnerships with local employers. Careers teams can offer guidance on:
- Applying for part-time jobs.
- Managing work alongside studies.
- Rights and entitlements in the workplace.
We also work with local authority leaving care teams to ensure students are supported in balancing employment, accommodation responsibilities, and education.
Graduation: While we do not host formal graduation ceremonies for further education learners, we celebrate success in other ways and signpost students to relevant transition and progression opportunities.
Alumni: Care-experienced students are encouraged to remain part of the Activate Learning community through continued access to careers support for one-year post-study
Next Steps: Activate Learning is currently reviewing its care leaver support in line with the NNECL Quality Mark. This review will inform an enhanced, evidence-based support package that remains tailored, empowering, and consistent throughout each student’s journey.
We are committed to co-producing improvements with our students, ensuring their voices shape the development of future services and staff training.
A Robust Employment Offer
By signing the Care Leaver Covenant and the Care Leaver Friendly Employer Charter, Activate Learning is committed to working in partnership with the Covenant team to actively promote diverse and meaningful employment opportunities to the care leaver community. We will also leverage our existing relationships with Local Authority and charitable partners to share and promote relevant vacancies.
We regularly advertise roles through a range of accessible channels, including online job boards, local newspapers, social media platforms, and our website, ensuring opportunities are visible to care-experienced individuals. We will aim to fully utilize initiatives such as National Care Leavers Month to further advertise our vacancies.
Our dedicated Recruitment Team serves as a single point of contact for all applicants, offering guidance and support throughout the recruitment process. This includes tailored advice on application writing, interview preparation, and job-readiness skills, which is available to care experienced applicants.
In collaboration with our applicant tracking system (ATS), we commit to introducing a tick-box feature on our application form that enables individuals to identify as care-experienced. This will allow us to monitor and track the progress of their applications in the same way we currently do for candidates who declare a disability or veteran status. This data will be used to help us evaluate the impact and ensure inclusive recruitment practices.
To further support care-experienced applicants, we commit to offering a guaranteed interview to any individual who identifies as care-experienced and meets the essential criteria for the role. This commitment will be communicated clearly to all hiring managers and publicised through our internal communication channels.
All new employees, including those with care-experience, are assigned a workplace buddy as part of their onboarding process. The buddy provides informal support and guidance throughout the probation period and beyond. All staff also benefit from a comprehensive wellbeing offer, which includes access to an Employee Assistance Programme, physical and mental health resources, trained Mental Health First Aiders, and a hub of wellbeing initiatives and benefits.
To ensure clarity of expectations and roles, all staff complete a robust induction programme, participate in a six-month probation period, engage in regular performance reviews with their line manager, and undertake annual professional boundaries training. As a trauma-informed organisation, all staff are also required to complete trauma-informed training, which raises awareness of the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), including those experienced by care-experienced young people.
All opportunities are available on our website: https://www.activatelearning.ac.uk/work-with-us/
Community
Activate Learning builds strong, purposeful relationships with the local community through a diverse range of services, events, and outreach activities that support inclusion and personal development for all learners, including those who are care leavers or have care experience.
For example, care leavers can access a wide variety of student-led services that serve the dual purpose of providing training for learners and accessible opportunities for the wider public. This includes hair and beauty treatments through our student training salons, affordable dining experiences in our on-campus restaurants run by catering students, and participation in community-facing creative arts exhibitions, performances, and enterprise initiatives.
Through our steering group, we will explore how these services and events could be promoted more intentionally to care leavers – potentially through discounted or priority access, targeted invites to themed evenings, or advertising in local care-experienced networks. These measures will aim to remove financial barriers, reduce social isolation, and promote inclusion and belonging.
By signing up and joining the Covenant, we will actively engage with the opportunities promoted through the Covenant platform, including events, services, and offers. We are also exploring opportunities to work with local and regional providers to expand our provision, develop co-branded initiatives, and identify new avenues for care leavers to connect with their communities through enrichment, volunteering, and employment opportunities. For example, at Reading College, we worked with the Local Authority and charity “Sport in Mind” to provide six free sport sessions to care experienced young people. We will continue to explore opportunities across other sites.
Activate Learning is also committed to participating in local care leaver networks and events that enhance visibility and extend opportunity. In October 2025, we will be attending the Care Experienced Careers Fair organised by Surrey County Council, an event aimed at empowering and inspiring care-experienced young people. We see this as a key opportunity to engage, listen, and build future partnerships, both as an education provider and care leaver friendly employer.
Through targeted focus groups and student voice mechanisms, we will also seek input on how our community engagement offer can evolve to be more inclusive and relevant to care leaver’s aspirations and needs. Their ideas and feedback will directly inform a campaign of bespoke activities and opportunities during National Care Leavers’ Month in November 2025, which we are positioning as a key moment in our organisation’s calendar to raise awareness, celebrate care-experienced students, and promote belonging across the college group.
Activities during National Care Leavers’ Month may include: an awareness raising campaign across campuses and online platforms; bespoke taster days for care experienced young people in our local communities; and wellbeing and enrichment offers such as access to services or events.
We will also explore existing communications channels and community partnerships to promote these opportunities and connect care leavers to wider regional or national initiatives.
Lastly, Activate Learning is currently self-assessing their provision using the NNECL Quality Mark. As part of this process, we are reviewing our outreach, transition, and community engagement strategies to ensure they are inclusive and co-designed with the voices of care-experienced students.
Activate Learning Colleges are :
