Empowering care leavers: how ASDAN’s Moving On programme equips young people for independence

As of March 2023, there were nearly 84,000 young people in care in England These young people are expected to live independently much earlier than their peers, often without the formal or structured support needed to manage essential aspects of life, such as building a home, taking care of themselves, managing their finances or starting a career.

Thirty eight per cent of 19 to 21 year old care leavers in England were not in education, employment or training as of March 2023, compared with 11.8% of UK 18- to 20-year-olds.

Recognising this critical need, ASDAN has collaborated with care practitioners to develop Moving On – a new course equipping young people with the skills essential for a successful transition from being looked after to living independently.

Skills development course to compliment care leaver pathway plans

When designing Moving On, we ensured its structure aligned with the care sector’s current systems and language. The course needed to be as flexible, resilient and adaptable as the young people it serves.

Moving On is built around five key modules, aligned with the five core areas of care leaver pathway plans:

• Building a home
• Being healthy
• Starting your career
• Managing money
• Relating to people

Image provided by ASDAN

Each module is designed as a portable A5 journal, packed with practical activities and engaging illustrations to support learning in a hands-on, relatable way.

‘Pick n mix’ modules meet individual needs and interests 

The Moving On programme can be completed at the care leaver’s own pace, alongside the guidance of a trusted adult. Learners can choose the order of the modules or even leave out modules altogether – the course encourages young people to choose activities that are relevant to them in their own current situation.

As an education charity and awarding body, ASDAN is passionate about increasing tangible life outcomes through tailored learning opportunities. We develop flexible, learner-led courses, in collaboration with education professionals, which are designed to engage, elevate and empower learners with diverse needs.

Moving On is the result of years of research into education gaps and how to best serve those hard-to-reach young people in the care system who would benefit hugely from access to real-life skills development.

Empowering young people with choice and control over learning

A 2021 Ofsted survey found that over a third of care leavers in England felt that they left care too early. Of those who felt they left at the right time, some believed they lacked the necessary skills to live independently.

One of our pilot centres, A Wilderness Way, offers therapeutic care, education and health programmes for young people who have experienced significant trauma or exploitation. They were the first to claim a Moving On certificate. Education manager, Jamie Diwell shares how the programme has empowered their young people:

“Children are referred to us by the local authority. When they arrive, they usually haven’t accessed a stable education provision for a long time. Understandably, they can be quite turned off from the idea of learning at first, so that’s where ASDAN comes in. It allows us to build a bespoke education package around their personalised goals.

“Moving On has given our care leavers confidence and the tools to build the stairs to get to where they want to be. Moving On really broadens young people’s horizons. It gives them control over their future.”

Equipping care professionals with tools to ready young people for adulthood

ASDAN’s recent customer survey highlighted that one of the biggest challenges facing education professionals is their workload, as well as the complexity of their learners’ needs. In response, ASDAN has exciting plans to digitalise its offer, to enhance personalisation and flexibility for practitioners and learners alike. Moving On’s digital training videos are a step towards this, being designed to enable practitioners to dip in to them at their convenience.

Hundreds of young people have already benefitted from Moving On since its launch in April 2023. Many more are set to benefit through this dynamic course that equips care leavers with meaningful skills for an independent life.

Find out more about ASDAN’s Moving On course or get in touch with their team of experts to discover how the course can benefit young people in your community.