We are delighted to have partnered with ASDAN as their pilot centre for a brand new course – ‘Moving On’ – which is designed for young people aged 16 and above to help them prepare to live independently.
ASDAN is an education charity and awarding organisation which provides courses for children with diverse needs who may not have been able to participate fully in education, helping them to develop skills for learning, work and life.
Their new Moving On course is designed specifically for young people who may be preparing to leave care, move away from their family home or away to university.
The course is structured around five different aspects of what it means to live independently as a young adult, for example ‘Being Healthy’, ‘Relating to People’ and ‘Managing Money’.
Our Education Manager, Jamie, shares why AWW decided to take part in the pilot scheme and how a child we support became the first child in the UK to achieve a Moving On certificate.
“When our children arrive at AWW, they haven’t usually accessed a stable education provision for a long time”, says Jamie. “Understandably, they can be quite turned off to the idea of learning at first, so that’s where ASDAN’s programmes come in.”
“Many of our older children want to move to semi-independence after AWW, but they often don’t really know what this entails, so when Moving On was released and I saw the pilot scheme and I thought it was exactly what our children needed. The flexibility of the Moving On modules, and the practical and accessible pedagogy, fits really well into how we teach and how our children learn best. The content is perfect for our children as it supports them to develop their skills and independence and take control of their futures. Our children are unlikely to have a linear progression through education, so having ASDAN certification to show their achievements is a great confidence boost and a fantastic way to evidence and celebrate their progression. We were delighted that we were able to pilot this scheme, and that an amazing young lady who we look after would be the first in the UK to complete this course and gain a Moving On certification! She came to AWW at age 16 after having previously had a difficult experience in a semi-independent living situation. She began with the ‘Starting your Career’ module as she had just completed her GCSEs. She knew she’d been let down in life and wanted to help other children like her to make sure they weren’t let down too. She learned about different pathways into being a psychologist and children’s therapist and learned how to apply for college. She now has a clear pathway and a mind map on the wall with steps to get her where she wants to be. She carried out extensive research and decided to apply for a social care course near her new home! She found this course so useful that she has since also completed the ‘Building a Home’ and ‘Managing Money’ modules, which have empowered her as she moves on to a more independent living situation. We are so proud of all that she has achieved and we know she will go on to have a bright future.” Find out more about ASDAN and their Moving On course here. If you would like to join our fabulous team we would love to hear from you. Please find our current vacancies here.