School Outreach Initiative
Kingsway Care Founder, Olly Carter, arrives at Roedean School for our first outreach initiative to talk to students about the importance of social care.
Tackling The Recruitment Challenge
To help tackle the long-term recruitment challenge facing the UK care sector, we have introduced a new school outreach initiative aimed at young people.
Inspiring The Next Generation
Kingsway Care’s Founder, Olly Carter, recently visited Roedean School in Sussex as part of their weekly Friday Futures programme. The session aimed to challenge common myths about social care and give students a clearer understanding of why the care sector is so important to society.
Roedean School shared the 'Futures Friday' photo and summary of the inspiring talk on their social media channels saying: "At our working lunch for Futures Friday, we were joined by Olly Carter from Kingsway Care, a local independent home-care provider that supports older and disabled adults to live independently. Olly spoke to our students about Kingsway Care's work and the diverse career opportunities within the social care sector, giving them a chance to explore different professions and see how their own skills and interests could shape their future careers.
Opening Up the Conversation on Care
Olly began by explaining that social care is far more diverse than many people realise. It’s not just about supporting older adults; people of all ages can need care due to disability, illness, injury, or life-changing circumstances. He also highlighted the wide range of roles and career paths available, from frontline CareGivers to leadership, training, technology, marketing and community engagement.
The Reality Behind the Headlines
To give the pupils a real sense of the growing demand for care, Olly shared several key statistics:
- 1 in 7 adults is already providing unpaid care for a family member or friend
- By 2035, 1 in 4 people will be aged over 65
- The cost of caring for older people is projected to exceed £80 billion a year
This sparked surprising reactions, with many students reflecting on how these trends affect their own families and futures.
Who Cares?
Olly also showed our #WhoCares? short film and the students were amazed to find out that more than 1.5 million people work in social care.
A Creative Challenge
Olly then invited the class to break into small groups to tackle a simple question with big implications:
“If you were Mayor of Brighton for one day and had £1 million to make older people’s lives happier, what would you do?”
The pupils came up with thoughtful ideas. One particularly heartwarming suggestion was to invite Kingsway Care clients to attend Roedean’s school theatre shows so they can enjoy live performances and feel more connected to the community.
A Positive Message
Olly closed the session with an encouraging message about the impact of care on society:
“When you look after someone, you don’t just change their day, you change their world. Whether you work in care or simply care about others, you’re already making society stronger. So when you hear the words ‘Who Cares?’, I hope you’ll proudly say, I do!”
Thanks to Roedean School for providing the brilliant opportunity to spark curiosity, challenge assumptions, and help the next generation understand the crucial role care plays in all our lives.
Interested in our School Outreach Initiative?
Olly would love to speak to more schools in Sussex, so please get in touch if you would like an engaging guest speaker and "Mr Positivity" to inspire your students.
Meet Our Team
