Care leavers to get free bus travel in and around Bristol for longer
Helen Godwin used to be a cabinet member for children's services at Bristol City Council, before she was elected as Weca mayor on 1 May.She explained care leavers "often don't have the same outcomes" as young people who have not been in care.
"We have many more care leavers who are not in education, employment or training," she said.The scheme is being subsidised as part of a £16m bus grant secured by North Somerset Council and Weca, which takes in the local authority areas of Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol and South Gloucestershire."We've always tried to support our care leavers up to the age of 25, just because sometimes when life is more complicated it can take a bit longer for young people to get themselves into a situation where maybe there are in regular work or able to study," Ms Godwin added.
The charity Barnardo's called for free bus travel for care leavers in 2023, following a pilot scheme in Cornwall. At the time, the charity's director of children's services, Hugh Sherriffe, said: "Leaving care is a very challenging time and having access to free travel can have a positive and powerful impact on so many areas of young people's lives, helping them to take up opportunities that might otherwise have been denied them."Leaders in the west of England have welcomed the extension, including South Gloucestershire Council's leader Maggie Tyrrell."The investment will make a real difference to some of our most vulnerable young people and help them access education, jobs and vital support networks," she said.
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