Date published: January 29, 2025
Care Leavers Programme team meet with Isabelle Trowler
In December, Victoria Odude and Rachel Leslie from our Care Leavers Programme, alongside CEO Ewan King, met Isabelle Trowler OBE, Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, at the Department for Education. They discussed how Shared Lives could support care leavers by complementing existing programmes like Staying Put and Supported Lodgings.
The discussion focused on:
- Addressing gaps for care leavers 16+ and working collaboratively with Ofsted.
- Connecting children’s and adult services through Shared Lives schemes.
- Raising awareness of Shared Lives among care leavers, local authorities, and social workers.
- Supporting vulnerable care leavers, including those with mental health challenges, neurodiversity, or transitioning from residential care.
- Promoting Shared Lives as a high-quality, cost-effective housing option for care leavers.
The team outlined four key requests to the Department of Education:
- Incorporate Shared Lives into Staying Close, providing support up to age 25.
- Link Shared Lives Plus in with local authorities as a ‘DfE current partner’ and create a focus group for disabled care leavers.
- Secure funding to expand Shared Lives for young people aged 16+ with EHCPs or neurodiversity.
- Introduce Shared Lives Plus to Regional Care Cooperatives to embed Shared Lives nationally into their work.
Rachel said: “We all left the meeting feeling very energised and positive after the discussions. Visits are now being arranged for Isabelle and her team to observe innovative schemes, with Oxford and Telford identified as key locations.”
The programme continues to position Shared Lives as a leading option for care leavers, working to grow the initiative and increase awareness. For more information, visit our Care Leavers Programme page.
