A UK council has launched a new training programme for carers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC), in partnership with Me Learning. The bespoke programme equips carers across the region with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to provide essential support to vulnerable young people.
Building On a Successful Pilot
Around five years ago, the council delivered an initial pilot project to support the recruitment of carers for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. While the pilot successfully increased recruitment, it highlighted a lack of dedicated training to help carers respond to the specific needs of these young people.
To fill this gap, the council created its own training, which could be used by all local authority partners to support their carers. Over time, however, the content became outdated, underlining the need for a refreshed approach that reflected current best practice.
Update Existing Training
In early 2023, UASC Programme Manager, joined the council with a clear goal: to update and relaunch the training programme so it could be rolled out more effectively.
“One of my first priorities was to modernise the content and make it more user-friendly,” they explained. “We wanted carers to have training that was relevant, accessible, and engaging. To do this, we needed a partner who could bring the material to life.”
Following a competitive tender process, Me Learning was appointed as the delivery partner. Drawing on our specialist knowledge, expertise, and extensive experience working with councils across the UK, we were entrusted with transforming the council’s updated content into a high-quality, interactive training package.
Delivering Bespoke Training Across the Region
Working closely with the council’s UASC Programme Manager, Me Learning developed an engaging digital programme that addresses the unique challenges faced by carers of UASC. The training is hosted on our Learning Management System, Form LMS.
The training enables carers to:
- Understand the UK asylum process and law
- Recognise the cultural, emotional, and practical needs of unaccompanied children
- Respond confidently to complex situations
- Build strategies to support young people with empathy and skill
Initial feedback from carers have already been very positive, with many praising the clarity, design, and ease of use. Early uptake has been encouraging, with 20-25 carers already enrolled, and numbers expected to grow as awareness spreads.
“The content is divided in a way that makes it easy to follow and embeds the learning objectives from the start of each module. I believe it will be a valuable experience for carers in the council”.
Supporting Carers, Transforming Lives
Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children often arrive in the UK after long and traumatic journeys, facing language barriers, uncertainty, and separation from their families. Carers provide stability, reassurance, and practical support at a critical time.
By investing in this training, the councils is ensuring carers feel supported, valued, and prepared.
Anne Clayton, Me Learning’s Digital Training Specialist commented:
“We are delighted to be working alongside the councils on this vital project. Our role has been to take their expertise and content and bring it to life through digital learning. The result is an engaging training package that empowers carers and has a direct positive impact on the lives of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children.”
Looking Ahead
The bespoke training is now live and available to carers across participating authorities. With promotional activity underway, the programme is expected to expand further.
“We’d like every new carer going through recruitment, as well as existing carers who want to work with unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, to take up this training. The more carers complete it, the stronger the impact will be both for them and for the children they support.”
For further information or to request a demo, please contact anne.clayton@melearning.co.uk.
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