New opportunities for care leavers through employment and training set out at business breakfast event

A pilot event for Staffordshire businesses will set out how providing support for care leavers can add value to their operations through Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Staffordshire County Council is hosting a business breakfast next month which will showcase CSR opportunities and provide access to expert support.

The move could help create education, training and employment opportunities for some of the 590 care leavers for whom the county council currently acts as corporate parent.

Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for children and young people Mark Sutton said: “The aim of our breakfast event is to showcase both the CSR opportunities and business support services offered by Staffordshire County Council.

“The value of CSR is two-fold – it caters to rising demand in procurement and tendering processes for evidence of sustainable and ethically responsible working practices. It also demonstrates that organisations positively embrace values beyond their commercial interests, support their local communities and commit to wider ethical standards.”

Speakers at the breakfast event will include Mark Sutton, Claire Cartwright from the county council’s team for children in care and care leavers and Teresa Addinell, engagement consultant at Spectra, the delivery partner for Care Leavers Covenant.

Representatives from the county council’s teams for the Green Solutions business support programme and procurement will also be on hand to offer a broader scope of CSR opportunities.

Staffordshire Jobs & Careers Service will showcase the free recruitment and support service available to employers, while expert business support will be available from Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Growth Hub.

The county council’s business start-up programme will also be represented at the event, signposting Staffordshire’s entrepreneurs to new and early-stage business support.

Mark Sutton added: “Supporting care leavers is a key pillar of CSR and many businesses in Staffordshire have much to offer in terms of early career pathways and apprenticeship opportunities.

“Care leavers are allocated a personal advisor, who works with them to ensure they receive any help they need to access education, employment and training opportunities.”

The business breakfast event is at Beaconside Conference Centre, Stafford, ST18 0DD on October 22 from 8am. To register, people should visit the event webpage.