Hundreds of people brought up in care are being supported into careers in the NHS, as part of a new scheme.
Care leavers are offered work experience, shadowing, and training opportunities to develop their skills, as well as CV writing tips and interview practice to help them step on the NHS career ladder.
The NHS has already helped dozens of young care leavers to find careers in the health service over the past two years, such as apprenticeships in therapy, dentistry, healthcare support worker roles and roles within plumbing, housekeeping and administration.
One care leaver, Lily, said she felt “so lucky” to be given the role as a result of the scheme which made her “feel seen and heard.”
Lily, 21, is one care leavers who has benefited from the launch of the NHS Universal Family Programme with an apprenticeship as a trainee therapy assistant at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust.
She entered foster care as a toddler after being born into an unsafe environment and was fostered in several homes before being adopted alongside her sister Charlotte.
It was growing up with her adoptive mum, Debbie, who suffers from several health conditions that Lily’s passion for caring flourished.
She said: “I grew up always having a passion for care, as my mum has been very poorly my whole life.
“I feel this inspired me as I loved to see how much better she felt after being looked after by me and my sister.
“Alongside this, my Nan was nurse in the NHS for her whole life, working across so many different wards, including mental health and she used to tell me all sorts of stories about her time on the wards when I was younger.
“One story I particularly enjoyed is a story about how my nan would work with patients with rather difficult and complex mental health needs.
“She would go in to do her work, and sometimes the patients would be very erratic and distressed, she taught me a number of techniques she used to do to help calm these patients, breathing exercises and sensory exercises.
“I think the amount of effort she would put in to work in harmony with these patients who struggled, really captures what an amazing, caring person she is, and this story is a big part of why I see her as a role model.”
Lily’s application was spotted by Inpatient Therapies Clinical Services Manager, Charis Davey, who was looking for a care leaver to join the Therapy Department.
Charis said: “As a department we wanted to tap into the experience of care leavers who perhaps don’t have the opportunities that the rest of us have but have the lived experiences that mean they can relate to patients from many different backgrounds.
“We decided to create an apprenticeship role because we recognise that because care leavers don’t necessarily have access to the levels of education that they need to get the experience or qualifications to apply for these sorts of roles through traditional routes.”
The new role within the Therapy department was modelled up with support from the Trust’s Apprenticeship and Employability Team.
The intention is to create a career pathway where care leavers like Lily can develop practical skills and receive a qualification to build a career in the NHS.
Charis said: “Lily is just the most enthusiastic person. When I first met her, she couldn’t believe that people had thought of targeting something she had been through to give her that opportunity, but she has given just as much back if not more into her role.
“She’s got drive and anything that you give her she will run with, and she has the potential to go as far as she wants to go.”
Lily said: “I want to create a solid foundation to build my future career on and I feel that this apprenticeship is a really good way to do so as I will be getting work experience and a qualification at the same time.
“Alongside all of the support that Charis and the team provide, I also have a one-to-one pastoral worker from the Coventry and Warwickshire Health and Care Employability Academy, who specialise working with foster care leavers.
“I feel so lucky to have been presented with this opportunity, and it has really made me feel seen and heard as a care leaver, which is a privilege.
“I have found working in the NHS so enjoyable and fulfilling. The support network is absolutely incredible, and everybody is so understanding and encouraging.
“The work can be difficult, but I love the challenge that it provides. I feel as though I am not only bettering my professional skills, but my life skills too.
“I don’t think people are aware of how many opportunities actually lie within the NHS, whether it be for clinical roles, admin roles or domestics roles and I feel I have really found my place.”
Duncan Burton, Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “Many care leavers experience disruption in their lives which can affect their further education and impact on job opportunities in the future.
“Care leavers have a unique set of life experiences that can bring a different perspective to the NHS. They have a huge amount to offer a career in healthcare.
“I’m delighted to see that Lily is thriving in her new role and it’s wonderful that her inspiration for joining the NHS was hearing her grandmother talking about her time as a nurse. Her story is a great example of how this programme can empower young people to reach their potential and lead a successful career.
“And it’s why we want to ramp this up, with 350 different careers available in the health service, there is huge potential to help more young people in care to step on the NHS career ladder.”
The NHS Universal Family programme initiative partners NHS bodies with voluntary sector organisations, local councils and the Department of Work and Pensions.
The latest figures show that there are more than 48,000 care leavers in England in 2022/23 according to Government figures.
Overall, the NHS Universal Family programme has engaged with over 2,700 individuals who have been in contact with the programme directly or through referrals from the Department for Work and Pensions, local authorities and charities.
Since it started, the programme has supported almost 200 (169) young people into jobs both inside and outside the NHS.
