Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help support care leavers find employment.

With over one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation behind. We are investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn. Under the Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16–24, including care leavers, can access tailored support to enter work, education or training.

The Department recognises the challenges care leavers face as they move out of the care system and is committed to supporting them into employment. We work in close partnership with the Department for Education and other stakeholders to ensure care leavers can access the right skills, opportunities and wider support to move towards sustained employment and career progression.

Care leavers receiving Universal Credit also benefit from personalised support through Jobcentre Plus, including access to Youth Employability Coaches who provide intensive support to address complex barriers, alongside support delivered through Youth Hubs in partnership with local services.

The Department is also improving opportunities for care leavers through targeted recruitment schemes such as the Civil Service Care Leaver Internship, the Social Mobility Apprenticeship Scheme and our partnership with Movement to Work, all of which are designed to support disadvantaged young people into employment.

We also recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. We will use this interim report to continue to build our reforms and look forward to final recommendations in the Autumn.