ESG Unlocked: Creating Social Value by supporting Care Leavers

As part of our ESG unlocked series we are delighted to feature Chloe Kelly, Programme Officer for Economic Development at Staffordshire County Council, who is leading on supporting Staffordshire care leavers into employment. In this blog we explore how businesses can create Social Value by supporting care leavers.

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How the initiative started?

In the UK 10,000 young people leave the care system each year and will face a wide range of challenges that no young person should have to tackle alone- a lack of housing, barriers to accessing employment and training, gaps in education and a lack of support infrastructure. In 2018 the Care Leaver Covenant was established to help support young people leaving care, asking private, public and the voluntary sector to come together to create a network that supports these young people.

The Council recognised it could and should be doing more to support care leavers in Staffordshire as they made the transition out of care. The business support team saw an opportunity to partner with local businesses to open up employment and training pathways for care leavers through the relationships we have with businesses in our community.

What are Staffordshire County Council doing to support care leavers?

We are hosting a series of events to help inform local businesses on how they can support in creating opportunities for employment and training for care leavers in Staffordshire. For those interested in supporting we are asking them to sign up to our Quality Mark charter. The charter acknowledges businesses who have pledged to support care leavers into employment pathways whether that be through providing work experience and training opportunities to employing a care leaver.

There are three levels to the Quality Mark. Bronze shows a business that has made a commitment to support, a silver accredited business will commit to interviewing a care leaver for an opportunity within their business and donate £250 P.A. to the Care Leavers bursary, this can be used to fund and facilitate a care leavers pathway to employment and training, funding essential items such as travel costs, work clothing and training. A Gold accredited business will commit to providing a work experience or apprenticeship opportunity to a care leaver as well as a donation of £250 P.A. to the bursary pot.

All of the funds raised through the bursary pot are being matched by the Staffordshire Community Fund doubling the contributions made, so the power of a donation to the bursary is significant. We also hope to extend the reach of the bursary pot to providing funding and training to a young person looking to start their own business.

What can businesses do?

From a personal perspective I believe we all have a role to play as corporate parent in supporting these young people in removing the barriers to them accessing opportunities that will help them to thrive in life after care. 

But for any businesses wishing to bid on a procurement opportunity with Staffordshire County Council, or in fact any public procurement opportunity, the procurement rules are evolving to include the requirement for businesses to deliver more than just economical value, but also social and environmental value.

The newly updated Social Value Model as part of the PPN 002, explicitly refers to supporting care leavers through the creation of employment and training opportunities for those who face barriers into employment, so by signing up to the Quality Mark we can support businesses in delivering measurable social value that can ultimately help them with their scoring in relevant public sector procurement opportunities.

What would your advice be to other Local Authorities considering the same?

 We’ve been truly overwhelmed by the level of support and enthusiasm from businesses of all sizes wanting to be part of the Staffordshire commitment. As a local authority, we’re responsible for delivering vital services to our communities—including more than 1,100 care leavers each year. These young people are our responsibility, and we’re committed to breaking down the barriers they face.

By building strong partnerships with local businesses, we can open up real opportunities that not only change lives but also help reduce the long-term demand on public services. At the heart of it, these are our children—and we all have a role to play in helping them thrive, whatever path they choose.

An unexpected but welcome outcome has been the increased collaboration across council departments, all working together to drive better outcomes for care leavers.

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 Whether you're a Staffordshire-based business ready to support care leavers—or a public sector supplier looking to strengthen your social value offer—we can help.

At BayNel, we work with organisations like Staffordshire County Council to turn policy into meaningful impact.

👉 Get in touch to find out how we can help your business make a difference—and stand out in public sector procurement.

Interested in joining the Quality Mark?

Find out more about the initiative contact supportingcareleaversemployment@staffordshire.gov.uk and you can donate directly to the Care Leaver Bursary here.