Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College is committed to supporting Care Leavers. This is the collaborative, whole-institution response evidenced through the Care Leaver Covenant.

Student

We would define out student support as well structured, documented and tailored for Individual needs. The college has a substantial budget for staffing and therefore is able to provide students with progress tutors, academic learning coaches and teaching staff who are highly qualified and repeatedly get fantastic grades. we define any student that has ever been In care, or Is currently In care as ‘care experienced’ as we would provide much of the same support to these students anyway. being ‘care experienced’ Is all we would need for them to qualify for support.

Outreach; Upon joining our college, students are asked to fill out “knowing me knowing you” form where they are asked If they are care experienced, this helps us to then reach out to them and provide support accordingly, until the day they leave college.

Upon joining our college, students are asked to fill out “knowing me knowing you” form where they are asked If they are care experienced, among other things. This helps us to then reach out to them and provide support accordingly, until the day they leave college. Joseph Chamberlain Sixth Form College is classed as outstanding by Ofsted, and this is represented in out safeguarding and wellbeing measures including the support we provide to our care experienced students.

Once care experienced students are identified, be it on their own accord, contact from social workers or other, students are to meet with the Vulnerable Student Advisor and are given a booklet detailing clearly and concisely all support that is available to them in college. This booklet includes things like members of staff who can help with academic progress, in-college mental health support, SEN support services we offer, explaining how their time at college will look and much more. They are then signed up to the bursary scheme (if not already on it) where they receive a host of support with the costs of attending college such as free lunch, a bus pass, a laptop and access to a free college gym.

Beyond this, we ensure all students are supported in their learning as best as possible with not only highly qualified teachers, but an enthusiastic team of academic learning coaches who are able to provide one-to-one support to students in specific topics, or general exam structed advice and more. These staff are all given training at the beginning of the year on supporting our more vulnerable students, care experienced students included, and this helps ensure our care experienced students have the best support possible. Students are closely monitored throughout their time at college and have regular meetings with both progress tutors and teachers to ensure they are on track and are able to reach their full potential. If any PEP targets are in relation academic progress or grades, this is clearly liaised with teachers to ensure the are aware of the progress that should be made.

To supplement this, students are able to get tailored careers advice to help them to create structured plans enabling them to get into their ideal career in the future. Our futures team is also trained in tailoring the support to care experienced students and this different barriers which they could have experienced in their life. This combines with our fantastic work experience team, who help to bolster CVs and place students in great work experience placements, come together to create students who are employable, prepared and driven.

This support is provided for the full time they attend college, and they are also supported after the fact with references, advice and more whenever it is needed. We aim to continually improve our already strong care experienced support, and we believe the covenant would be fantastic for this. We are also happy to collate feedback through a QR code for example or anonymous letter box etc..

We have also held talks with the virtual school around what kind of outreach they could have here, for example coming in for a drop in session or something similar, this is likely to be more fleshed out in the next academic year.

A robust employment offer

Joseph Chamberlain College has equal opportunities for both care experienced and non-care experienced individuals and hires staff from a variety of backgrounds. Our HR department has now been given the link to the employer charter and will be working on that over the next few weeks to see how it can be implemented effectively.

All staff, support and teaching, are given full trauma informed training at the beginning of the year which allows them to broaden their understanding of our care experienced students, their needs and how we can best support them both in and out of the classroom. This, combined with an experienced and dedicated safeguarding team means that all of our care experienced students are cared for by all staff and this is woven into the culture of the college.

While no internships are offered at the college currently, this is something that can be explored in a meeting with our HR department as it could provide useful experience for care experienced students and provide them with opportunities they may otherwise miss out on through a smaller network or other such limiting factors.

JCSC are keen to explore how, within our organisation, we could respond to this aspect of the Covenant. We plan to set up a working group which will include members of the careers team and other key staff, we will also link with the local authority to understand the local need.

Community

Being located in one of the most deprived areas in the country, JC college provides many students with the resources needed to get to university or an apprenticeship, with many of our students being the first in their family to do so. Because of this prestigious position in the community, JC college works a lot with the local area to support individuals and businesses alike.

We hire out our sports facilities at a discounted rate to local schools and our sports provision puts on hundreds of games across a range of sports each year, many of which involves education institutions from the local area. we would be happy to explore the possibility of expanding this to local care providers, if feasible.

The college has also incorporated many of the local health institutions, such as umbrella clinic for example, raising awareness around sexual health. This has been done with several other health services and is all in aid of bolstering the knowledge of our students in relation to their health and wellbeing.

As far as care leaver networks, the college is currently only in partnership with the covenant, or working towards it, and is open to any opportunities that this can provide for either party. We would be glad to expand on this in the future.

We already complete regular external training around safeguarding, and care experience students in particular through the Birmingham virtual school and plan to maintain this relationship moving forward

Updates to the college website are planned for next year, with more info for students and guardians alike.