Care Leaver Covenant

Care Leaver Friendly Employer Charter

The Charter is open to all organisations who want to make a positive difference for care experienced young people.

Your Starting Point

Whether you’re ready to offer employment opportunities or just beginning to explore how you can help, there is a place for you within the Charter.

Some organisations move straight into employment or apprenticeship offers, while others begin by supporting care experienced young people through mentoring, skills workshops, work experience, awareness campaigns or wider partnership activity.

Wherever you are starting from, we will work with you to identify the most appropriate and impactful way to get involved.

Sign the ‘Employer Charter’

Ready to get started? Complete the form below to sign the Charter and begin your journey as a Covenant signatory.

Your responses will help us understand your starting point so we can support you on the most relevant path. You will be supporting care experienced young people through opportunities in Education, Work, Wellbeing, Money and their Home.

Any Queries?

If you have any questions about the sign up process or what it means to be a Covenant signatory, check our FAQs. We do have dedicated areas for Local Authorities Engagement and Education Sector Engagement too. Or simply drop us a line.

Get in Touch
Care Leaver Covenant Charter

    Step 1: Your Opportunities (required)

    Do you currently have (or plan to have in the next 12 months) any employment or apprenticeship opportunities that could be promoted to care leavers?

    Step 2: Employment Charter Path (required)

    Great! Please review the below principles and confirm your commitment. Once you start promoting opportunities, you’ll be recognised as a Care Leaver Covenant signatory and Care Leaver Friendly Employer.

    As a Care Leaver Friendly Employer, we commit to work towards the ‘RTD’ principles below:

    Recruitment (R)
    • Actively promote suitable job opportunities to care leavers, including through the Connects website and social media.
    • Provide a named point of contact within your organisation who care leavers can speak to for guidance before, during and after applying for roles.
    • Offer a guaranteed interview, with constructive feedback, to care-experienced applicants who meet the minimum criteria for a role.
    Tracking (T)
    • Create a ‘tick box’, or similar mechanic, within application forms or ATS in order to track progress of care leaver applicants or;
    • Manually record applicants from the care leaver community (when they declare) to track progress of care leaver applicants.
    • Encourage recruitment vendors/partners to also adopt these tracking principles and share care leaver applicant progress with us.
    Development (D)
    • Make work expectations clear and provide support, including a workplace buddy, to help care-experienced employees settle into the organisation.
    • Set clear boundaries and high expectations, ensuring roles are both supportive and development-focused.
    • Approach professional challenges with empathy and understanding, recognising that care leavers may experience additional pressures outside of work.
    • Provide existing employees with guidance to help them support care-experienced colleagues appropriately.
    Opportunity Details

    Please provide any details you would like to share about your Employment Opportunity / Job Vacancies etc:

    Your organisation’s details will not be published until your offer or partnership activity is confirmed.

    Step 2: Support/Development Path (required)

    That’s completely fine. Many organisations start their Covenant journey by exploring ways to prepare, build confidence, and develop meaningful offers of support.

    Please indicate which areas you’d like to discuss further (select all that apply):

    Please share any additional comments/information about you, or your potential offer, that you would like us to know:

    Once submitted, a member of the Covenant team will contact you to arrange a short call / meeting to shape a tailored offer and next steps.

    Step 2: Partnership/Ambassador Path (required)

    That’s completely fine. Many organisations start their Covenant journey by exploring ways to prepare, build confidence, and develop meaningful offers of support.

    Please indicate which areas you’d like to discuss further (select all that apply):

    Please share any additional comments/information about you, or your potential offer, that you would like us to know:

    Once submitted, a member of the Covenant team will contact you to arrange a short call / meeting to shape a tailored offer and next steps.

    Your Contact Details (required)

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