Location: England and Wales (services available face-to-face and online depending on programme and location)

About Crystal Pathways

Crystal Pathways is a trauma-informed, relationship-based psychological and social support organisation delivering safeguarding-focused, clinically-led services across England and Wales.

We support people who may face additional barriers to employment, wellbeing and independence, including care-experienced young people.

We understand that leaving care is a major transition. Finding work, managing money, building confidence, maintaining wellbeing and developing independence can all feel challenging at the same time.

Our approach is to look at the whole person and provide consistent, trusted support. We bring together employment specialists, wellbeing professionals, clinical expertise and lived experience to help care-experienced young people move towards their own goals.

Our Commitment to Care Leavers

At Crystal Pathways, we believe support for care-experienced young people should not depend on a single contract or service. It is part of who we are as an organisation.

We are committed to ensuring care leavers have access to the same quality of opportunity, consistency of relationship and depth of support as anyone else we work with.

We understand that trust takes time. Wherever possible, we provide consistent support through a named worker who can understand your goals, coordinate support around you and help prevent challenges becoming crises.

Connect to Work

Employment Support Built Around You

Through our Connect to Work provision, care-experienced young people can access personalised employment support designed around their ambitions, strengths and circumstances.

You will be supported by a named Employment Specialist who will work alongside you throughout your journey, helping you explore options, build confidence and take practical steps towards employment, education or training.

Support may include:

• Exploring career goals and employment options
• Developing your CV and completing applications
• Interview preparation
• Building confidence and workplace skills
• Identifying training, apprenticeship and employment opportunities
• Meeting employers
• Support once you start work to help you sustain employment

Our Employment Specialists are trained in trauma-informed practice and understand that everyone’s journey into work is different.

Work Well Days

Explore Opportunities and Build Confidence

Our Work Well Days provide structured opportunities to explore employment sectors, meet employers and experience different workplace environments.

They are designed to help you:

• Understand different career options
• Build confidence in professional settings
• Develop workplace skills
• Meet trusted employers
• Take steps towards employment at your own pace

Try 5 Jobs in 5 Days

Discover What You Enjoy

Our Try 5 Jobs in 5 Days programme helps care-experienced young people explore different careers through practical work tasters and employer experiences.

You can use this opportunity to:

• Try different job roles
• Experience different workplaces
• Discover your strengths and interests
• Build confidence
• Understand what employers are looking for

You do not need to already know what career you want. This is an opportunity to explore what is possible.

Employer Champions Network

Creating Inclusive Employment Opportunities

Through our Employer Champions Network, Crystal Pathways works with employers who are committed to creating meaningful opportunities for people who may face barriers to employment.

We actively work to develop:

• Paid work experience opportunities
• Apprenticeship pathways
• Employer introductions
• Guaranteed interview opportunities where available
• Supportive routes into employment

Our aim is to connect care-experienced young people with employers who recognise potential and are committed to helping people succeed.

Employment Opportunities at Crystal Pathways

Crystal Pathways is committed to creating pathways into employment for care-experienced young people.

We will provide opportunities including:

• Paid work placements
• Administrative roles
• Peer Mentor opportunities
• Experts by Experience roles
• Volunteering opportunities
• Progression pathways into employment within Crystal Pathways

Where care-experienced applicants meet the essential criteria for suitable vacancies, they will receive a guaranteed interview.

Recruitment Contact

Name: Care Leavers Covenant Recruitment Manager

Email: info@crystalpathways.co.uk

Experts by Experience

Your Experience Can Shape Services

Crystal Pathways values lived experience and believes care-experienced young people should have a meaningful role in shaping the services that support them.

Through our Experts by Experience opportunities, you can contribute your experiences, ideas and perspectives to help improve services.

Opportunities may include:

• Supporting service design and improvement
• Taking part in participation opportunities
• Developing peer support skills
• Accessing paid involvement opportunities
• Progressing towards volunteering or employment opportunities

Care-experienced perspectives are valued at every level of our organisation.

Clinical and Wellbeing Support

Supporting Your Wellbeing Alongside Your Goals

At Crystal Pathways, we recognise that wellbeing and employment are closely connected.

As a clinically-led organisation, we can provide access, where appropriate, to our multidisciplinary clinical team, including psychological and mental health professionals.

Our team includes:

• Consultant Psychiatrist
• Principal Clinical Psychologist
• Mental Health Nurses
• Counsellors
• Psychotherapists
• Wellbeing professionals

Our approach is trauma-informed and recognises that experiences such as placement disruption, loss, change and contact with services can affect confidence, relationships and how people engage with support.

Support may include:

• Emotional wellbeing support
• Confidence building
• Trauma-informed approaches
• Psychological support where appropriate
• Support to access other services

Practical Support Towards Independence

Removing Barriers to Moving Forward

We recognise that practical challenges can make it harder to access employment and opportunities.

Where available through our programmes, we can provide practical bridging support including:

• Travel support
• Work clothing
• Digital access
• Food support
• Welfare benefit guidance
• Better-off calculations before entering employment
• Budgeting support
• Independent living guidance
• Signposting to housing and community support

Our aim is to help remove practical barriers so that employment decisions can be made with confidence.

Working Together Around You

Most care-experienced young people already have support from services such as Personal Advisers, Leaving Care Teams, GPs and DWP Work Coaches.

Crystal Pathways does not replace these relationships. Instead, with your agreement, we work alongside existing services to create joined-up support around your goals.

We aim to ensure that employment, wellbeing, housing and practical needs are considered together rather than separately.

Who Can Access This Support?

This offer may be available to care-experienced young people accessing:

• Connect to Work
• DWP employment programmes
• Local authority commissioned services
• Partner referrals
• Other Crystal Pathways programmes

How to Get Started

You can access Crystal Pathways through:

• Your Personal Adviser
• Leaving Care Team
• Jobcentre Plus Work Coach
• Local Authority services
• Partner organisations
• Self-referral (where available)

Contact Us

Programme Contact: Care Leavers Covenant Programme Manager

Email: info@crystalpathways.co.uk

Website: www.crystalpathways.co.uk