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EMPLOYABILITY: BUILDING FUTURES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WITH LEARNING DIFFICULTIES LEAVING CARE

Who Cares? Trust & Rural Media

ISBN 1903239176, £15

Star Rating: 4/5

It is easier to talk about reversing the impact of social exclusion and care than to achieve it. Training for workers in the area, such as Connexions personal advisers, has too often been poor. The Who Cares? Trust, through its supported employment project, has given voice to young people speaking about their positive experiences in preparing for employment, writes Tony O'Sullivan.

This 13-minute video is accompanied by an interactive CD-Rom. Both will help field workers and young people with learning difficulties leaving care to explore together key questions of building self-esteem, recognising strengths, relevant skills and gaps, and goal setting; the prerequisites to being empowered to seek employment. Can it work?

A range of real scenarios gives hope. But the overall level of success of the scheme is not discussed. The interactive tool for worker and young person appears easy-to-use, but there is little feedback to judge the usefulness of the video. Overall, this is a realistic resource worth acquiring.

Tony O'Sullivan is consultant community paediatrician, Lewisham PCT.