Career Connect played a leading role in a new multi-agency partnership supporting care-experienced young people into education, employment, or training (EET).
Transforming outcomes for care experienced young people
Career Connect played a leading role in a new multi-agency partnership supporting care-experienced young people into education, employment, or training (EET).
Launched in 2022 by Sefton Council, The Caring Business Charter —the first initiative of its kind in the Northwest — brings together local businesses and care-experienced young people. Career Connect was among the first signatories, alongside Sefton@Work, Merseycare NHS Foundation Trust, The King’s Trust, and other local employers.
The Charter encourages businesses to provide quality opportunities such as guaranteed interviews, work experience, paid roles, and apprenticeships. To date, 65 organisations across construction, hospitality, healthcare, and project management have joined, helping create inclusive and sustainable pathways into work and training for care-experienced young people.
Alongside the Charter, Career Connect delivers targeted support through:
- NEET Reduction and Early Intervention Service (NREIS): Delivered on behalf of Sefton Council, providing outreach, tracking, information, advice, guidance, and mentoring.
- Multiply: Count on You: A bespoke numeracy programme focused on budgeting and life skills, delivered by trained Career Connect advisers.
- Pre-Employment Programme: Three weeks of classroom-based employability training (in partnership with Merseycare and The King’s Trust) followed by six weeks of paid work placement. Participants also received guaranteed NHS apprenticeship interviews.
Additional support such as travel passes, clothing allowances, and refreshments funded by Sefton@Work helped reduce financial barriers for care leavers.
Impact (April 2024 – March 2025):
- 169 young people were supported across programmes.
- 97 pre-16 looked-after children received 271 targeted interventions through NREIS.
- 42 young people registered with Sefton@ Work; 10 gained paid placements and 5 secured permanent roles.
- 22 young people (plus family members) took part in Multiply.
- 8 joined the Pre-Employment Programme; 4 completed, 3 progressed into full-time NHS apprenticeships.
- 1 young person joined Career Connect as an Apprentice, progressing to a Level 3 Business Admin role.
The Charter has helped address barriers such as limited networks, financial hardship, and mental health challenges. Co-location of staff, trauma-informed practice, and neurodiversity training ensured a young person-centred approach, while strong employer engagement and real work placements was key.
These efforts contributed to Sefton achieving the lowest combined NEET and Not Known figures among statistical neighbours and within the Liverpool City Region. Nationally, Sefton ranked joint 4th out of 153 local authorities for NEET outcomes in October 2024.
