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Introducing Staying Close at the National Care Leavers’ Week conference

St Christopher’s attended the National Care Leavers’ Week conference on Monday, October 30 to share our experiences of setting up our new Staying Close pilot with a social pedagogic model.

Our staff attended the National Care Leavers’ Week conference to share our plans and explain how social pedagogy perfectly complements the service’s aims. Positive relationships are a key part of a successful social pedagogic approach, and having a strong support network is one of the things that can help a care leaver live successfully in adulthood.

Staying Close is a pilot project supported by the Department for Education Innovation Programme. St Christopher’s is partnering with two local authorities, a private sector provider and a mental health charity to establish the new service, which will support care leavers to stay in touch with the people who matter to them the most.

Attendees were interested in how the project is being lead by the young people who will be using the service. We take participation very seriously and acknowledge that young people are experts on their own lives, so they are well-equipped to tell the adults in their lives exactly what type of support they need.

The service will be opening in early 2018 and we will be sharing learning at other events as the pilot progresses.