The high street firm has set up a programme called Building Happier Futures to recruit more care leavers to roles within the partnership.
Young people with experience of care are “too often overlooked by employers to find meaningful jobs,” said the Partnership, which cites figures showing there are more than 108,000 children in care.
It also warns that young people in care are a third more likely to be made homeless than go to university. They are three times less likely to be in work, education, or training than their peers by the time they reach 19, added John Lewis, as it announced its plans.
“We hugely admire what Timpson has done in their employment of ex-offenders and ultimately, we want to have the same impact in time with care-experienced young people,” said the Partnership.
Around one in 10 Timpson employees are former offenders, with the key cutting and shoe repair business saying that “recruiting ex-offenders has been great for our business”.
John Lewis Partnership chair Sharon White added that “we want over time to become the employer of choice for young people leaving the care system” and “provide the opportunity for meaningful work and the chance to progress” for young people with experience of care.
The programme has been set up following pilots in the Partnerships stores in London, Manchester, Birmingham, and Essex.
Today we’re launching a national effort to help people who’ve grown up in care into work. More than 108,000 children are currently in the care system in the UK
— John Lewis Partnership News (@jlpartnership) October 18, 2022
John Lewis has also set up an advisory group of care experts, that includes children’s commissioner for England Rachel de Souza and the charities Action for Children and Who Cares? Scotland. The retail firm will also support the two charities’ fundraising and awareness raising around issues facing young people with experience.
“We believe this partnership will enable us to support and empower more children and young people as they make the transition from care to into the adult world,” said Action for Children chief executive Melanie Armstrong
Who Cares? Scotland chief executive Louise Hunter hoped that the Partnership will be able to “use its tremendous presence and platform, to make a real difference to care experienced people”.
