Care Leaver Mentoring
For Care Leavers
by Goal 17
Your Journey, Our Support
We understand that navigating life's journey after leaving the care system can be both exciting and challenging.
That's why we're here – to be your companions offering guidance, support, and a helping hand along the way.
What is Mentoring and how can it help me?
Mentoring is a supportive relationship where a more experienced person, called a mentor, provides guidance, advice, and encouragement to help you navigate life's challenges and achieve your goals. It's about having someone in your corner who believes in you and is dedicated to helping you grow and succeed.
We offer at least 12 months of mentoring support to our Care Leaver Mentees.
How is this different from other support that I get?
Our mentors are volunteers who are here because they genuinely care about your success.
They’re not here to report on you or tell you what to do, but to offer guidance, encouragement, and a listening ear. What you discuss with your mentor goes no further than the two of you.
Their goal is to support you in achieving your personal goals and to be a trusted ally in your journey.
Who can access this service?
We welcome applications from care-experienced young adults aged between 18 and 25 years old who are under the guardianship of our partner local authorities (Bournemouth Poole and Christchurch, Bracknell Forest, Cambridgeshire, Leicester City, Northamptonshire Southampton and Surrey). Please still reach out to us if you are outside these areas and we will still try to help.
We encourage applicants from a diverse range of lived experiences including UASC, justice experienced, young parents, etc.
Callum, Bristol
"My mentor has helped build my confidence and shown me new career opportunities. I am now going to get my HGV Driving Licence and become a professional driver"
Rachel, Northamptonshire
"I didn't know what to expect but it has been so lovely getting to know my Mentor. She has become a trusted friend and has helped me get a lot of things organised!"
Yeish, Cambridgeshire
"Having someone to talk to mean so much. I didn't feel like I was on my own anymore. My mentor also helped me set goals and make changes in my life."
Mentors:
Who are we?
- We are all volunteers from your local area.
- We come from all different backgrounds and ages.
- We are not part of a local authority or other governing organisations and are not paid.
- We volunteer because we care and would love to help you.
- Most of us were lucky enough to have a mentor when we were growing up and now want to give back.
- We receive training to make sure we become excellent mentors and can fully support you.
- We only work with one mentee at a time.
How we can help:
As mentors, we can help in lots of different ways. Perhaps you want help with practical things such as budgeting, meal planning, sorting accommodation, working out which job or college course to go after. Maybe you would like someone to talk things over with every so often. You may have no idea how your mentor could help you but you just like the idea of having someone who cares in your corner, looking out for you.
Our mentors use their life experiences to help you work out what you want and support you in finding a way to get it. We have seen our mentors help Care Leavers achieve everything from securing their dream job to learning to body pop as a party trick!
How does it work?
Apply
No lengthly forms to fill in! Simply register at the bottom of this page with your name, email, phone and guardian local authority.
Accept
As soon as we have a place for you we will email you and invite you to join our next programme. You will be sent onboarding instructions and lots more information.
Match
We will ask you to create an account and a short profile on our simple mentoring tool, Wowment. We will use this to learn about you and then match you to a brilliant mentor
Meet
You will be able to message and call each other through Wowment and arrange to meet digitally or face-to-face. We encourage meeting at least once a month for 12 months.
The commitment
In order to be part of our programme we ask you to commit the to the following:
- Meet with your mentor (face-to-face or digitally at least once a month for 30 to 60 minutes minimum)
- To use our mentoring tool, Wowment, to communicate and keep a log of the dates of your meeting.
- To respect our safeguarding procedures (such as only meeting your mentor in a public place for example).
More than just mentoring
As well as having the support of your mentor, being part of the Goal 17 programme brings you lots of other benefits as well:
Through our network of contacts we unlock a whole range of opportunities available to the care leavers in our programmes. This could be work experience, access to leisure activities, tickets to sports or entertainment events or job offers.
All Care Leavers who are part of our programmes are invited to a private online community where they can connect with other Care Leavers and supporters. It is here where a steady stream of exciting opportunities are also offered and live digital events are held.
Meet Yeish talk about his experience with Mentor
Yeish is a Care Leaver from Cambridgeshire County Council and has had a mentor for over a year. He talk about how this has helped improve his confidence and progress his studies.
This programme is being operated by Goal 17 Ltd in partnership with several English Local Authorities and Wowment Ltd. By registering as a mentor you are agreeing to be contacted by Goal 17. We take your privacy very seriously and will not share your details with anyone else other than our direct partners in delivering this programme. Our full privacy policy can be viewed here.