Care leavers from Kent have been using their voice and experience to showcase the findings of the Beyond Lockdown research, which was funded by NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Kent, Surrey and Sussex (ARC KSS).
The Beyond Lockdown Research Team, which included a partnership between University of Sussex and Creative Research Collective, undertook the national research to focus on what support care leavers need as the COVID-19 lockdown eased.
Together with Becca Randell, Implementation Manager at KSS AHSN, two care leavers presented key findings from the research at the national Care Leavers Event 2021: Improving Outcomes and Fulfilling Potential, on 1st December 2021.
A toolkit of resources for those working with care leavers was created as part of the research, and Becca and the carers presented key elements of the resources, including a video of key messages from care leavers in Kent, for those working with care leavers.
They also gave an update on the 33 pledges that were made in November 2019 by key stakeholders in response to the research findings and key messages from care leavers.
The conference was chaired by Mark Riddell, National Implementation Adviser for Care Leavers at the Department for Education, who applauded the work that had been undertaken and agreed to feed the research into national conversations with key national stakeholders and ministers.
To find out more about the Beyond Lockdown Research and toolkit visit KSSAHSN.net
