Member News from St Christopher's: Money skills training launched to support those looking after young people in care

​The free programme, created by Quaker Social Action, St Christopher’s Fellowship and the Money and Pensions Service, will start to bridge the gap and give young people in care the same opportunities as everyone else.

Participants will be equipped with the knowledge and skills to provide the informal money learning that typically happens successfully in a family setting.  These include tips, conversation starters and key things to know by milestone ages for young people.

Offering such bite-sized guidance for relevant everyday life and responsibilities, the co-produced programme resources signpost information to enable young people to ultimately grow in confidence and have positive conversations with the adults that care for them, thereby reducing anxiety around knowledge of financial matters.

All resources have been developed with young people’s input in conjunction with those responsible for their welfare. The training that leverages them will be rolled out to key authorities across London and sector professionals supporting children and young people.

But beyond this initial activation, the collaborators are keen to share the resources further afield with any parties who feel it could add value for the work and support they offer to young people in their care.

Carrie Comfort – Manager of the ‘Made of Money Project’ at Quaker Social Action states…

“Young people told us it was important to be optimistic about their futures, as well as preparing them for challenges. These resources encompass a range of topics to equip them.”

Similarly…

Jonathan Whalley CEO at St Christopher’s Fellowship believes

“By collaborating with our partners, we have helped produce savvy guidance on important financial life skills that will empower our staff and foster parents and therefore ultimately the young people entrusted to their care.”


Lisa Davis, Senior Policy Manager for Children and Young People at Money and Pensions Service, said:

“Our experiences in childhood prepare us for adulthood and learning about money is a very important example.

“Managing your finances will become a daily part life and the decisions we make can be complex, so being taught early on can make all the difference.

“This vital partnership is another step towards giving young people in care the same opportunity.”

For access to free downloadable guidance linked to the programme and to express interest in future training opportunities please see

www.quakersocialaction.org.uk/training/money-springboard

Source:
www.stchris.org.uk/news/

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