I was homeless at 16 after leaving care. My apprenticeship gave me a future

When you think about people who have experienced homelessness, you might not immediately picture a 16-year-old, but that was the reality for me seven years ago.

I was adopted at two years old and, after a relationship broke down with my foster family, I found myself homeless for nearly six months.

Sometimes I’d stay at friends’ houses but, obviously, they lived with parents and the dynamics were difficult. There were a few occasions when I ended up sleeping on park benches, usually close to my school in Warrington.

Leaving home, I got thrown into the system again. I got placed in a homeless shelter in Widnes, but that really spiked my already escalating drug use. It was a battle trying to get help. I was on waiting lists for months to get support for both my addiction and to find suitable accommodation.

Eventually, after six months, I was placed in a care home in Highton, but it wasn’t in the best area. However, it did help to curb my drug use and I started to get back on track. 

I began studying photography at college which I really enjoyed and I started taking drugs less. However, when I turned 18 and got my own flat, it got worse again.

Eventually I was able to access therapy and worked with an art therapist who helped me progress in a lot of different areas. 

I began finding work, but I was ending up in jobs that weren’t very good for my mental health. After a while, in 2022, I found a job at a go-karting track which did wonders for my confidence as I was always around people. That didn’t work out however due to a change of management. I then worked in a warehouse which I really didn’t enjoy. I realised that because I’m someone who is quite in my head, I needed something that was going to take me out of my head.

I began looking for educational courses, but I was also keen to do something practical. I wanted to become like the people that have helped me.

After exploring the government website with my girlfriend to see what was available for care leavers, I came across the foundation apprenticeship. Delivered by apprenticeship training provider, Lifetime Training, I would be supported through one-to-one coaching and placed at PossAbilities, a social enterprise which provides support for vulnerable adults with learning disabilities, dementia and young people leaving care. It was everything I needed all in one. 

I’m currently working with vulnerable older adults, and I’ve learnt how to meet people’s personal care needs such as using a hoist and preparing meals. 

I really try to take on what a service user wants, rather than what you think they might need, through listening to the individual. Everyone’s different.

It’s interesting because in some ways, I’m still learning to be independent myself. It’s easier when you’re doing it for someone else though. 

My coach, Rachel, at Lifetime Training has been so supportive. Because I have autism, we have extra sessions where I can talk through my work and ask questions. 

More support is needed for care leavers

Looking back on my experience, I felt like I wasn’t listened to by the system and could have gotten more support to find my feet sooner.

I lost a lot of my education due to mental health issues and being an inpatient in mental health hospitals at 14 and 15. The mainstream school I was in previously had a very poor approach to my behaviour, but I was moved out of mainstream school and into an alternative provision when I was 14. 

I was lucky in that the school I was moved to had a good support system, and teachers gave me one-to-one lessons when I needed to catch up.

However, I wasn’t told about the support I was entitled to by anyone and I was left to figure out my future on my own. 

What changed everything was finally having a route that offered both education and structure. It was really important for me to get this back after having lost it before.

Finding the foundation apprenticeship gave me a pathway. But I only found it because I went searching. Care leavers shouldn’t have to rely on luck, resilience or simply looking at a government website at the right time. We need clearer guidance, earlier intervention and people who genuinely listen. Apprenticeships can be transformative, but only if care leavers know they exist, understand how to access them, and are given the support to believe they’re worth applying for.

Read more:

• Can apprenticeships fix the housing crisis? ‘I worked in childcare, now I fix social homes’
• I dreaded turning 18 as a care leaver. There is a cliff-edge which leaves us without support
• Shocking number of children in care live without consistent love and support of an adult

The apprenticeship has taken me out of a chaotic place and given me a future. I’m really enjoying how I can work with different people, with different needs and I want to experience more across the whole sector. I don’t know what I want to specialise in yet, but I’m excited to find out. 

If you’re reading this and thinking about starting an apprenticeship in care, I’d say 100% do it and put yourself out there. Endless opportunities can come out of it.

Nick Marshall, a foundation apprentice at Lifetime Training. Head to Lifetime Training’s website for more information on available apprenticeships

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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