On Thursday 4th July 2024, the Care Leavers Progression Partnership (CLPP) held its annual conference at the Universities of Greenwich and Kent at Medway, hosted in the Pilkington Building on the Medway campus. The conference theme — Inter-Agency Working: How Education Providers Can Work with Other Services to Maximise the Outcomes of Care Leavers — brought together professionals from education, local authorities, health services, and the voluntary sector to explore how joined-up working can improve life chances for care-experienced young people.

A Strong Opening and Inspiring Keynotes

The day began with a warm welcome from Lucy McLeod, Chair of the Care Leavers Progression Partnership and Deputy Chief Executive of EKC Group, who set the scene for a day focused on collaboration, shared responsibility, and ambition for care leavers.

This was followed by a county address from Sue Chandler, Cabinet Member for Integrated Children’s Services, who reflected on the importance of partnership working across services and the role of local leadership in supporting care-experienced young people.

The morning’s keynote was delivered by Kriss Akabusi MBE, Olympian, author and motivational speaker. Drawing on his own life story and career, Kriss spoke powerfully about resilience, self-belief, and the importance of having people who champion young people’s potential. His electrifying energy and message resonated strongly with delegates, reinforcing the impact that encouragement, aspiration and role models can have in shaping outcomes.

Later in the morning, Dr Anna James, criminologist and consultant at March Training and Development, delivered a thought-provoking session titled How to Help Care Leavers Flourish in Education. Her presentation explored the structural and personal barriers care leavers face in education and highlighted practical, trauma-informed approaches professionals can take to help young people not only access education, but succeed within it.

Workshops: Exploring Complexity and Practice

The afternoon workshops gave delegates the opportunity to engage more deeply with key themes affecting care leavers, offering both strategic insight and practical tools.

Sessions included:

  • The World of the Virtual School and the Local Offer (Virtual School Kent and the 18+ Care Leavers Service), which demystified terminology and clarified how education providers can work effectively with statutory services to support young people.
  • Proactive Approaches to Supporting Wellbeing Through Pathway Plans (Become), focusing on the importance of young-person-led planning that evolves with changing needs, aspirations and wellbeing.
  • County Lines and Gangs (Kent Gangs and County Lines Service), equipping professionals to recognise signs of exploitation while maintaining a balanced, compassionate understanding of young people’s experiences.
  • Autism Awareness (Broadstairs College), highlighting the additional challenges faced by care-experienced young people with autism and offering guidance on inclusive and supportive practice.
  • Working with Young People with SEMH and SLCN (EKC Group), examining the strong link between communication needs and social, emotional and mental health, alongside strategies to support engagement and learning.
  • Opportunities for Care Leavers in the World of Work (NHS Kent and Medway and Social Enterprise Kent), showcasing employment pathways and widening participation opportunities across health, social care and the social enterprise sector.

Delegates valued the breadth and relevance of the workshops, particularly the emphasis on understanding complexity and responding with empathy and collaboration.

Inter-Agency Working in Practice

A key feature of the day was the All-Delegates Inter-Agency Working Workshop, which brought everyone together to reflect on how professionals across sectors can work more holistically, rather than in isolation. Discussions focused on breaking down silos, improving communication, and ensuring care leavers experience continuity rather than fragmentation in support.

This session reinforced the central message of the conference: that no single service can meet the needs of care leavers alone, and that meaningful progress depends on connection, shared understanding, and collective responsibility.

Closing Reflections

The conference closed with a creative and reflective contribution from Ty Locke, whose video showcased the transformative power of art and its usage by care leavers as a tool for self-therapy and expression.

The 2024 CLPP Conference served as a powerful reminder that when professionals come together — sharing expertise, listening carefully, and working across boundaries — we can create stronger, more supportive pathways for care leavers and help them move towards brighter futures.

, , , , , , , ,