One in five secondary school children may be caring for a loved one with a serious illness, disability, or mental health issues. Very often, this at the expense of their own mental health and future prospects.
Since launching in 2018, we have directly supported over 7,000 young carers in the UK and Isle of Man in collaboration with leading charity partners – Carers Trust and Crossroads.
Carers Trust is the UK’s largest charity for carers. Carers Trust work to improve support, services and recognition for anyone living with the challenges of caring, unpaid, for a family member or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or addiction problems.
Throughout the partnership, Quilter employees have dedicated their time, passion, and effort to supporting young carers through volunteering and fundraising and have made a remarkable impact.
The Quilter Foundation has committed a further £125,000 to protecting young carers’ futures over the next year through our charity partner, Carers Trust.
Poor financial wellbeing is one of the biggest causes of stress and anxiety that impacts overall mental health, wellbeing, and life satisfaction with reports that 46% of people in problem debt also have a mental health problem.¹ We know our money habits form around the age of seven which is why we are committed to empowering young people to manage their money well for life.
Through The Quilter Foundation’s partnership with leading financial education charity, MyBnk, we have been committed to the delivery of financial education to young people to help them develop the skills, knowledge and confidence to fully engage with their financial lives. Our funding supports the delivery of high-energy money workshops for young people aged 11-25 in London, Southampton and the Isle of Man.
We are also proud to be a founding supporter of The Centre for Financial Capability, a new charity launched this year with the mission for every primary aged child to receive an effective and high-quality financial education by 2030. The Centre for Financial Capability has been formed by supporters of KickStart Money, an award-winning coalition of savings and investment firms – including Quilter - who have donated over £1 million to fund the KickStart Money financial education programme, delivered by MyBnk, to over 20,000 primary pupils across the UK.
¹ Money Advice Service – 2018 Adult Financial Capability Survey
Our partnership with MyBnk has created financial education hubs in Southampton and the Isle of Man, arming over 6,000 young people with vital money skills.
The driving force behind The Centre for Financial Capability is the belief that every child in the UK should be supported to develop the skills and behaviours necessary to navigate critical financial decisions in later life, starting at primary school.
Government data shows the persistency of UK youth unemployment over recent years, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. From July to September 2020, the youth unemployment rate increased by 14% from pre-pandemic levels². The Quilter Foundation wants to empower young people to build skills, experience, and confidence to help them work and earn.
In 2019 the Foundation forged three strategic partnerships (these are detailed below), all focused on supporting young people into sustainable employment, education or training. Since forming these partnerships, we have reached hundreds of young people in Southampton, London and Birmingham all of which have been supported by a £450,000 Secure Futures Fund.
The programmes so far have supported over 150 young people aged between 16 and 25.
² House of Commons Library – 2021 Youth Unemployment Statistics
The Brokerage is an award-winning social mobility charity which works to break down barriers and create a more diverse workforce across the UK. It has helped over 84,000 young people from working class and ethnic minority backgrounds achieve their career potential.
Our partnership will fund the expansion of a five-stage ‘Pathway to the City’ strategy which aims to provide 4,020 young people aged 16-25 with the skills, knowledge and confidence needed to complete valuable work experience and ultimately secure a role within their chosen industry.
Safe New Futures is a Southampton based charity that provides support and self-development training to young people. Through this partnership we’re supporting 16-25-year-olds in Southampton and the wider Solent area through a new five-week personal development programme, which is a mix of cognitive behavioural therapy, employability support and vocational training helping them move into mainstream education or employment.
Street League is an award-winning sport for employment charity. Our partnership with Street League is focused in Birmingham. Through the sport and employability programmes in both daytime and evening sessions, Street League’s academies supports 16–24-year-olds living in the most disadvantaged areas of the UK to achieve and sustain employment, education, or training opportunities.
School of Hard Knocks (SOHK) supports unemployed young adults to find employment and realise their potential. Through this partnership with Quilter, SOHK is running sports-based employability sessions at The Black Prince Community Hub in the London borough of Lambeth; an area which experiences high levels of unemployment, poverty, homelessness, and crime.
In 2020, The Quilter Foundation donated £243,000 to trusted partners – National Emergencies Trust and Disasters Emergency Committee – to provide urgent COVID-19 relief and support to vulnerable communities across the UK and internationally.
