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National Care Leavers' Week

OPENING DOORS

National Care Leavers' Week 2012 – Opening Doors – will have as its central theme the many different ways in which we can all, as individuals, practitioners, policy makers or substitute parents, ensure opportunities are made freely available to care leavers in every area of their lives as they progress on their journeys through young adulthood. Too often care leavers find themselves navigating dark corridors where there seem to be no chinks of light, and having doors shut behind them as their time being 'looked after' recedes into the distance as well as closed in their faces as they try to navigate their onward journeys.

Activities and events for the week will be published soon – don't forget to contact us and tell us about yours! Meanwhile, in April, The Care Leavers' Foundation joined with colleague organisations to launch 'Access All Areas'.

ACCESS ALL AREAS – call for cross Governmental policy approach to reduce unnecessary barriers to care leavers' success

The report Access All Areas, launched at a roundtable meeting on 16 April involving officials from four Government Departments, calls for a more joined up approach from Government to the needs of care leavers into their twenties. The initiative, led by The Care Leavers' Foundation with The Prince's Trust, National Care Advisory Service and A National Voice has the support of over thirty organisations. In April officials from four Departments, Business and Innovation, DWP, Communities and Local Government and Health joined Children's Minister Tim Loughton and a representative from Number 10's Policy Team to discuss how this call for a more intelligent and caring approach to Government Policy could be achieved. Following on from the launch meeting Tim Loughton has written to eight Ministerial colleagues requesting that they support this approach and a series of individual meetings with relevant Departments are currently being planned. Access All Areas will also be a main agenda item at the next meeting of t he Youth Action Group in June. To find out more, pledge support, or get involved please contact us.

Download the report and supporting documents:

Access all Areas - read the report

Access all areas - A developmental perspective; why should society care about care leavers?

'Kids leaving care 'need joined up approach'

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