From Care to Independence: Supporting Young Futures in the Black Country
As an anchor institution in the locality, Black Country Housing Group (BCHG) has a role in shaping the places in which people live and to improve residents’ quality of life.
BCHG’s Foundations for Life team, funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, headed over to The Source in Wordsley, West Midlands, to meet with care experienced young people from the Dudley Care Leavers Forum and deliver training.
Attendees received comprehensive training, practical information and valuable resources on essential life skills to support independent living, including budgeting, job readiness, and more.
Katy McAllister, Social Investment Programme Manager at BCHG, said
“Foundations for Life is about working in partnership with young people and stakeholders to build support and opportunities through co-design in an equitable way to help improve outcomes for care experienced young people living in supported accommodation across the Black Country. We’ve really valued the opportunity to share our resources with young people from the Dudley Care Leavers Forum and receive their insightful feedback, helping us ensure our materials truly meet the needs of care-experienced young people across the Black Country”.
The three-year Foundations for Life project is expected to benefit hundreds of young people across the Black Country, providing them with the tools and confidence needed to thrive independently. The initiative underscores the National Lottery’s commitment to creating positive, lasting change in communities.
The day also included a cooking session delivered by Black Country Foodbank who brought along their recipe bags giving everyone the opportunity to make a healthy and nutritious meal.
Cherise Edwards-Homer (Dudley Care Leavers Forum) said:
“The Black Country Housing Group independent living training was very interactive and fun. We all took turns creating icebreakers and sharing our feedback. We can use this training to help other care experienced young people on their journey to independence”.
Sean Latham (Dudley Care Leavers Forum Chair) said:
“I think the training session was good and useful to know. It will be good for us to use with other people to develop their skills as they move into independence”.
For more information on the Foundations for Life project please email katy.mcallister@bchg.co.uk