Supporting Care Leavers

The Supporting Care Leavers fund aims to support initiatives that use sports and physical activities to improve the health and wellbeing of care leavers, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, aged 16 to 25. The fund seeks to help these young people improve their physical health through regular exercise and sports, enhance their emotional wellbeing by addressing issues like trauma, emotional resilience, and social relationships, develop social skills and build positive relationships with peers and positive adult role models, and promote integration and community involvement, especially for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. This funding is specifically for targeted services and not for general community sports activities. Grants can be used over 12-24 months for project costs like staff time or travel, small capital costs like pieces of equipment, and core costs like rent, utilities, and insurance. The program is supported by CCLA and Somerset Council, alongside local trusts, businesses (Mulberry) and individual donors, and represents one of the first commitments from The Somerset Youth Fund.