Go Higher West Yorkshire (GHWY) has published a new report presenting impact and insights from a CPD approach to engaging with key influencers of care-experienced young people. 

Care to go higher: Equipping key influencers of care-experienced young people is written for a cross-sector audience across higher education and children’s social care (CSC), making several recommendations for policy and practice across both sectors. 

The evidence of impact presented in GHWY’s report is also heavily featured in a new TASO evidence review – Supporting access and student success for learners with experience of children’s social care – as ‘promising’ new evidence.  TASO’s report can be accessed here.  

In our report, we advocates for a collaborative approach to widening participation that engages meaningfully with whole communities and their specific lived experiences. Likewise, local authorities are encouraged to work with partnerships of higher education providers to ensure their corporate parenting workforce has high expectations for young people’s futures, exposure to a broad range of HE provision, and is well-equipped to support their informed choices. 

Natalie Aldridge, GHWY Collaborative Outreach Officer and author of the report, is currently embarking on a programme of dissemination activity to share the learning and impact from the evaluation.  This includes engaging with stakeholders at a national level, via: 

• Two GHWY webinars, one tailored to an HE audience and the other to a CSC audience 
• Consultation with DfE and OfS 
• NEON Symposium 
• Consultation with other partnerships/stakeholders on request 
• Further upcoming dissemination (internal and external) TBC 

Following the positive outcomes of the pilot, GHWY has worked to adapt the CPD programme for online delivery. Registration is now open for foster carers, children’s home workers and personal advisors across West Yorkshire.  There is opportunity for HE staff and students to contribute to the delivery – please contact Zac Sheppard for details. 

Read the Care to Go Higher report.