About Creating Chances
Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself
- John Dewey
Creating Chances Trust supports children in care from the four Black Country authorities of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton.
The Charity provides additional and complimentary teaching and skills training for children in care in order to support better long term life prospects. In the past three years only twenty children in care from the Black Country have made it to university and many of our care leavers are without work and independent income as a result of underachievement in education and skills training.
There are many dedicated people working as carers, social workers and teachers; all striving to improve the poor life chances of children in care but more help is desperately needed. As a society we all share a moral responsibility for children in care. Creating Chances Trust assists in the drive to promote a new public, business, private and voluntary partnership dedicated to ensuring care children achieve a good standard of education and skills in order to create a platform for self belief, patterns of success, further education and employment.
An alarming proportion of children in care often lead lives of exclusion, pain and misery; where poor literacy skills, poor physical and mental health and a life of crime can be the norm.
Early intervention to support the learning and skills development of children in care is vital. This is where the Trust desperately needs the help of the wider business and private community. It costs approximately £1000 per annum per child to supply additional one to one teaching and support that many children automatically receive at important stages in their education.
Feedback from extra tuition
Tutors say:Quality time - one hour session, easy to listen, explain and discuss without interruptions from other students. He has set himself up for a guaranteed grade C in this subject.” “I think this is an excellent scheme and I am pleased to be part of it. I am really enjoying working with the pupils and 
helping them to progress and develop
Primary school children have said: I’m excited to have been able to write a long story for the first time and I would love to do more tuition.” “My reading is improving. I’m recognizing words better and more confident on the computer
Secondary school students say: I’ve improved in my science because now I understand the homework.” “I am more confident to take risks in lessons and trying to answer the questions
Schools say: The school is delighted with these excellent results, many of 
them achieved at or above the set target grades
Carers say about the extra tuition scheme:I feel that any extra help that he gets will be of great help as he missed out on his schooling so much up to nine years old”
“Enjoys one to one better and gets more 
out of this extra tuition than she does during normal lessons
Winning Hearts and Minds
Children in care - The Facts
- Approximately 65% of 16 year olds in the UK achieve 5 A* to C grade qualifications at GCSE but if you are a child in care the figure is closer to 15%
- Approximately 30% of children in care have special educational needs compared to 3% of all children
- Of people sleeping rough around 30% spent time in care
- Of the prison population approximately 30% are ex care children
- A care leaver has a greater chance at 18 of being in prison than attending a university
- Literacy levels for ex children in care are very low but suicide rates are high.
- Looked after children are 5 times more likely to move schools at KS4 and 8 times more likely to be excluded than other children.
- Young women aged 15-17 who have been in care are 3 times more likely to become teenage mothers than others of their age.
- Children in care are over represented amongst those not in education, employment or training post-16, teenage parents, young offenders, drug users and prisoners.
- 11.4% have three or more placements in a year.
- 45% are assessed as having a mental health disorder compared with around 10% of the general population.
- They are seven times more likely to be permanently excluded from school.
- 9.6% (aged 10 or over) were cautioned or convicted for an offence during the year – almost 3 times the rate for all children of this age.
- Approximately 30% of care leavers aged 19 are not in education, employment or training (NEET).
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