2. Developing successful multi-agency working to create educational opportunities and raise academic aspiration for care experienced young people

3. Aims of today To know more about the Reaching Wider ‘Diamond Project’
To understand why multi-agency working is important
To know how successful multi-agency work can be developed in order to raise academic aspiration for care experienced young people

4. Reaching Wider Widening Access project
Organise events and activities to raise aspiration & raise attainment
South West Wales (Neath Port Talbot, Swansea, Carmarthen, Pembrokeshire)
HEFCW funded project

5. Reaching Wider Priorities
Communities First areas – South West Wales
Under-represented groups:
People from some black and ethnic minority communities
People studying through the medium of Welsh
People with disabilities
People with protected characteristics
Groups defined as ‘hard to reach’
Care experienced young people and Care Leavers

6. Partnership members Careers Wales Carmarthenshire County Council
City and County of Swansea
Coleg Sir Gâr
Gower College Swansea
Neath Port Talbot College Group
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
The Open University in Wales
Pembrokeshire College
Pembrokeshire County Council
Swansea University
University of Wales Trinity Saint David

7. Who am I?

8. Why is it important to raise educational aspiration?
Young people and the adults around them 7%
‘GCSE’s are a , not a . ‘ - Sonia Jackson (NNECL conference 2015)
Wider benefits of HE
Listen

9. Diamond Project
Working with care experienced young people from across South West Wales in years 5 – 13
Raising academic aspiration, confidence and awareness of Higher Education
Statistics: Sept 2016 – Nov 2017
84 individual care experienced participants
756 contact hours
Training delivered to 178 adults (Foster Carers & Social Workers)
1002 contact hours

10. Diamond Project
University taster days e.g. Creative Writing, Criminology, Engineering, Media, BioScience
Residential experiences
Individual bespoke academic programmes
Foster carer & Social Worker training
The Fostering Network collaboration
Cross-institution collaboration
Young Persons guide to FE & HE guide

11. Bespoke programmes
Meeting with Elwen Evans QC at the College of Law and Criminology, Swansea University
1:1 engagement within the College of Law and Criminology, Swansea University

12. Activities

13. Partnerships in multi-agency working
Why are strong partnerships so important?
Underpins the successfulness of multi-agency working
No one person or organisation can provide everything a young person needs
Flexibility
Resilience
50+ Partnerships developed through the Diamond Project so far

14. From challenge to Success
LACES – From No to Yes
Schools – A reward for poor behaviour to university undergraduate
Foster Carers – What’s the point?
Money, Money, Money!

15. Key factors to successful multi-agency working
Relationships - a key factor to success
Communication
Embracing different agendas

16. Feedback
“Going to the university has really improved things for me and made me feel that I can have a better future. It has made me feel good about myself. I feel comfortable at the Uni”. KW

17. Feedback
"Feedback from our young people is always positive and the benefits of the experience  are apparent, they always want to go back“
Emma Jones, LACES Swansea

18. Feedback
The child in our care is at present doing his A-levels and has become more and more reluctant to achieve his academic best.
We felt our guidance to steer him in the right direction was certainly not enough.
He attended a bespoke Applied Medical Science day with Reaching Wider at Swansea University and without any doubt, I can honestly state that this has not only done him the world of good, he returned to us focussed, enthusiastic and more importantly determined to pursue the direction of going to university next year.
Foster carer

19. Every child deserves a champion
Rita F Pierson – TED Talk
‘The value and importance of human connection – relationships’
‘Everyone in this room has been affected by a teacher or an adult’
‘Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like’
Raise aspiration – not just pupils but teachers/social workers/parents/foster carers
Raise attainment – goes hand in hand with raising aspirations

20. South West Wales Reaching Wider Partnership
Contact
South West Wales Reaching Wider Partnership
@reachingwider