Leaving Care Professionals Hub

Welcome to the Leaving Care Professionals’ Hub where you will find our latest news, videos and podcasts.

Latest News, Videos & Podcasts

Care X National Apprenticeship Week next week!

National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2025: 10TH – 16TH FEBRUARY    Theme: Skills for L...

Article

06/02/25

NLCBF & YPBMF Key Asks: Children’s Wellbeing & Schools Bill

NLCBF welcomes the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill and its measures to improve the s...

Article

04/02/25

Child Poverty Strategy: Care Experienced Parents & Young People

NLCBF has submitted two briefings to the government’s Tackling Child Poverty Strategy ...

Article

27/01/25

My First NLCBF Managers Event: A Whirlwind of Learning and Connection

National Care Leavers Benchmarking Forum Managers event 4th-6th December 2024. On the 4th of...

Article

24/01/25

All of Us, We are One: YPBMF Care Leavers Celebration Event!

I’m Dyllan, one of the YPBMF Legends, and I’m going to be recanting my amazing experienc...

Article

20/01/25

Winter Support for Care Experienced Individuals

This winter period is going to be a cold one. Jade, our Participation Officer has created a ...

Article

10/01/25

We’re Recruiting: Part Time NLCBF Practice Lead

With Darren, our current Practice Lead dropping down to 2 days/week, we’re recruiting ...

Article

09/01/25

Celebrating Outstanding Personal Advisors: PA of the Year Awards 2024

The Personal Advisor Celebration Awards, held as part of our annual PA Celebration Event, on...

Article

29/11/24

In Their Own Words 2024 – Support After 21 & 25 Years of Age 

In June 2024, over 200 care experienced individuals from around the UK took part in our “I...

Article

01/11/24

In Their Own Words 2024 – Safe and Affordable Homes

In June 2024, over 200 care experienced individuals from around the UK took part in our “I...

Article

31/10/24

In Their Own Words 2024 – Communities of Support

In June 2024, over 200 care experienced individuals from around the UK took part in our “I...

Article

30/10/24

In Their Own Words 2024 – Mental Health and Health

In June 2024, over 200 care experienced individuals from around the UK took part in our “I...

Article

29/10/24

In Their Own Words 2024 – Cost of Living Report

In June 2024, over 200 care experienced individuals from around the UK took part in our “I...

Article

28/10/24

National Care Leavers Week Blog: The ‘Radiator Key’ Challenge

Are you a professional working with care experienced young people?  Are you someone with th...

Article

28/10/24

YPBMF Host mental health podcast for Research In Practice

Victoria, the YPBMF Steering Group Rep hosted a podcast with Nicole and Jasmine from the Dr...

Podcast

22/10/24

NCLW 2024: Everything You Need To Know!

Leaving care organizations and care experienced individuals across the country come together...

Article

17/10/24

We’re looking for a website developer…

We’re looking for expressions of interest in maintaining and developing our websites. ...

Article

11/10/24

Free Lunchtime Webinar Series on Relational Practice

We’re excited to share that Esmée Fairbairn are introducing an upcoming free lunchtime we...

Article

10/10/24

In Their Own Words 2024 – Reports Published

In June 2024, over 200 care experienced individuals from around the UK took part in our “I...

Article

20/09/24

National Care Leavers Week – #NCLW Theme: “All of Us, We are One”

The Alliance for Looked After Children & Care Leavers and care experienced individuals f...

Article

06/09/24

Blog: In Their Own Words Takeover

Hi I am Dyllan one of the YPBMF champions for 2023/24 and I’m going to be telling you ...

Article

04/09/24

NLCBF’s 2023-24 Annual Report…

We’re really proud to share our Annual Report for 2023-24 which demonstrates the impac...

Article

30/07/24

In Their Own Words Survey: Take Part Now!

YPBMF have been co-designing a survey for care experience individuals across the country.  ...

Article

21/05/24

Our Parliamentary Adventure

Blog by Toni McClelland, NLCBF Digital Marketing and Events Officer In February 2024, our YP...

Article

03/05/24

In Conversation: Mapping the new Ofsted Judgement for Care Leavers

The National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum (NLCBF) recently commissioned Dr Claire Baker t...

Article

29/04/24

In Their Own Words Event: Booking Now Open

YPBMF’s In Their Own Words Event is back for a third year.  Hosted by care experienced yo...

Article

19/04/24

YPBMF meet Ministers

Victoria Odude, YPBMF Steering Group Rep and Rylee, one of our YPBMF Champions met with Davi...

Article

26/02/24

Mental Health: Key to all of our ambitions for care experienced young people – A Call for a Dedicated Strategy

Blog by Hannah McCowen for the Alliance for Children in Care and Care Leavers  – a co...

Article

05/02/24

Personal Advisor Celebration Awards 2023!

Our practitioners event is just around the corner and we wanted to take a moment to look bac...

Article

02/02/24

We’re Recruiting: Participation Officer

We’re really excited to announce NLCBF are recruiting for a Participation Officer – a ne...

Article

19/01/24

Care Experienced – Should it be a Protected Characteristic?

What do you think about protected characteristic for people with care experience? Join Catch...

Podcast

11/01/24

Blog: The Care X Apprentice Network talk about Employability

‘Blog by Victoria Odude, YPBMF Steering Group Rep – who hosted the ‘Improving Employab...

Article

15/11/23

Blog: Aisha’s Visit to No.10

‘Aisha, YPBMF Champion was invited to 10 Downing Street during National Care Leavers Weeks...

Article

15/11/23

Royal Visit: YPBMF ‘Celebrating Us’ Event

On Wednesday 8th November,  YPBMF held its annual Care Leaver Celebration Event in Birmingh...

Article

10/11/23

Top 10 Asks for the Local Offer

What do young people say makes a great local offer?  What do leaving care practitioners and...

Article

01/11/23

Blog: It’s the relationships, stupid!

In October, over 260 people, including 71 local authorities, attended a summit on improving ...

Article

30/10/23

Improving Employability Event Video and Audio Resources

You can now watch and listen to the sessions from the “Improving Employability for Peo...

Article

27/10/23

Blog: Reboot West – Value Based Employability Support

Last week we presented at the ‘Improving Employability for Young People with Care Experien...

Article

26/10/23

National Care Leavers Week – Events, Resources and Logos.

The Alliance for Looked After Children & Care Leavers and care experienced young people ...

Article

23/10/23

UASC Triangles: In Their Own Words

Alnour joined our In Their Own Words event and spoke about how he and other care experienced...

Video

04/08/23

Care Leaver Hubs: In Their Own Words

Rylee, a YPBMF Champion took part in creating one of the country’s first Care Leaver Hubs,...

Video

04/08/23

The Cost of Living: In Their Own Words

Victoria, our YPBMF steering group representative, took the stage to talk about the NLCBF S...

Video

04/08/23

Care Experienced as a Protected Characteristic: In Their Own Words

Hear from Leigh, a YPBMF Champion, who took to the stage and spoke about the importance of c...

Video

04/08/23

Free Transport: In Their Own Words

Alongside the Barnardo’s Transport for Freedom campaign, Lawrence joined our event to tal...

Video

04/08/23

We’re Recruiting: NLCBF Business & Events Administrator

Do you have fantastic administration skills and want to make a difference to care experience...

Article

04/08/23

Blog: In Their Own Words

In their own words: Care Experienced Young People ask senior policy and decision makers for ...

Article

04/08/23

Children’s Commissioner Blog

We are so excited to be mentioned in the latest children’s commissioner blog after the...

Article

03/07/23

NLCBF’s 22-23 Annual Report Published

We’ve just published our 2022-23 Annual Report, a short document that summarises the w...

Article

22/06/23

Book Now: Improving Employability for Young People with Care Experience

Improving Employability for Young People with Care Experience Tuesday 3rd October, 2-4:30pm ...

Article

16/06/23

In Their Own Words Event – Booking Open

YPBMFs ‘In Their Own Words: Experiences & Insights from Care Experienced Young People...

Article

12/06/23

YPBMF attend the Cross Ministerial Board

Victoria Odude and Liss Philips were invited to represent YPBMF & Warwickshire at the cr...

Article

23/03/23

A Starting Guide for Supporting LGBTQ+ Young People in Care

The LGBTQ+ Youth in Care Network released a starting guide for supporting LGBTQ+ young peopl...

Article

01/03/23

Government’s response to the care review: NLCBF Initial Response

We welcome the publishing of the government’s response to the Care Review, ‘Stable Homes...

Article

14/02/23

National Apprenticeship Week: Key messages coming out of Care X Apprentice Network

6-11th February is National Apprenticeship Week. NLCBF’s Care X Apprentice Network have be...

Article

09/02/23

NLCBF Releases new Cost of Living Report ‘Survival Is Not Easy’

NLCBF’s new Cost of Living report Survival Is Not Easy paints a stark picture of the crisi...

Article

16/01/23

Victoria talks criminalisation of children & young people in care

Victoria Odude, our YPBMF Steering Group Rep has taken part in Catch22’s podcast on th...

Podcast

16/12/22

PA of the Year and PA Team of the Year Awards

NLCBF held the PA of the Year awards as part of the PA Celebration Event.  The event takes ...

Article

30/10/22

Berlin Blog

Hannah McCowen, NLCBF Manager, and Ralph Rushworth, Senior Care Experienced Sessional Worker...

Article

13/10/22

NLCBF Priorities for Care Review Implementation Plan

NLCBF have written today to the Education Minister and Children’s Minister to outline ...

Article

03/10/22

Cost of Living Report: August 2022

NLCBF have published a report about the impact that the cost of living is already having on ...

Article

15/08/22

London Regional Forum: Relaunch

NLCBF are relaunching the Regional Forum for Leaving Care Managers in London, following disc...

Article

08/08/22

Blog: Setting the agenda

A Blog from Nat  about our ‘In Their Own Words’ event.Here’s a blog from ...

Article

15/07/22

YPBMF Co-Host event for Ofsted

Ralph, Joe, Luwam and Vicky, YPBMF Sessional workers co-hosted an event for Ofsted with othe...

Article

15/06/22

Improving employability: Learning from NLCBF’s Peer Learning Programme

Janet Grauberg, Organisational Learning Consultant and Catch22 Associate, reflects on a sess...

Article

01/06/22

NLCBF illustration.

“NLCBF has supported our Local authority in our journey of developing our service and has contributed to so many successful ideas that have been implemented. We would not have had such a positive Ofsted without the support, benchmarking ideas and challenge of the forum. The forum has particularly helped us develop our participation offer and our young people have gained so much from being part of the national events.”

James Hollingworth, Service Manager, Derbyshire

What does the Forum do?

NLCBF Events & Networks

Events & Networks

NLCBF run events throughout the year for leaving care practitioners, managers and care experienced young people and a number of specialist networks. Our events focus on sharing good practice, hearing the voice of care experienced young people & sharing the latest policy & research updates.

View events
National Influence NLCBF

National Influence

We work closely with the Department for Education, other government departments, Ofsted & leaving care organisations to raise the voices of young people and to use the collective voice of the forum to influence priorities for policy that will make a difference to care experienced young people.

View more
Training & Consultancy NLCBF

Training & Consultancy

We are currently developing our training and consultancy offer for local authorities and other organisations.

View more