London Borough of Waltham Forest

Care leavers can feel isolated and experience problems for which they have no family network to offer support. Councils have a duty of ongoing care for these vulnerable young people, with whom contact and engagement can be difficult.

To enable practitioners to engage with young people in a way that resonates with them, we want to develop an online platform for a Care Leaver’s Offer in partnership with young people (the users).

This is in line with statutory duties but, more importantly, offers a fantastic opportunity to provide training opportunities for young people in the digital arena. We will co-design an app for care leaver’s phones. Early thoughts for the app include the following, although these are subject to change when we start co-design with the young people.

• Provide a way for the Care Leaver to contact their Leaving Care Coach or team to seek help/support.
• Submit ideas/contributions to their Pathway Plans
• Book/cancel/amend appointments
• A direct way of communicating with their support network in a medium they use frequently.

We believe this app will be an asset other Local Authorities will welcome to help overcome communication challenges with care leavers and will seek to engage others in the development phase.