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Care Leavers

At Handcrafted, we are committed to supporting young people as they transition from care to independent living.

Our work with care leavers across the North East focuses on providing long-term housing, support, and opportunities for growth, empowerment, and stability.

We house our care leavers in their own, independent Handcrafted properties, providing the foundation for them to flourish in a safe and supportive environment. Our approach includes regular welfare checks, gathered activities, and consistent guidance to empower young people to take their next steps, whatever they may be. With isolation and homelessness being a rising concern for moving on Children in Care, we believe that this is a crucial place to invest time, and put compassion at the heart of working with some of the most vulnerable young people to ensure that they are drawn into community and have a place to call home.

In addition to housing and support, Handcrafted offers care leavers valuable opportunities to build confidence and gain hands-on experience. Our enterprise pathway allows young people to work with us in various roles, including work experience opportunities in catering and t-shirt printing. This initiative acts as a stepping stone toward future employment, encouraging young people to develop new skills and discover their potential.

At Handcrafted, we are passionate about creating new opportunities for care leavers to thrive. By combining stable housing, emotional support, and practical experiences, we help to guide young people in building brighter futures and moving forward with confidence.

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Testimonials

I work as a prolific offender coordinator within police and my role is to reduce re-offending, I work with offenders who have been within court and prison system for numerous years.

Handcrafted has been instrumental in providing training, skills and support to help these most chaotic offenders in the local community. To a lot of people going to work each day would be a normal part of life. The majority of the prolific offenders within the offender management unit have very little or in some cases no work experience.

Handcrafted have provided the opportunity to build their confidence, self-belief, working with others and learning a trade. They get a huge sense of achievement working on various projects within Handcrafted. The staff are always very supportive and Handcrafted has become a valuable partner agency.

Simon H, Durham Constabulary