The John Lewis Partnership has pledged to ramp up its support for care-experienced young people after revealing it has raised nearly £3m for charities and offered more than 400 roles through its Building Happier Futures programme.

The retailer published its third annual impact report to mark National Care Leavers Month, confirming the employability scheme is now available in every John Lewis and Waitrose shop, as well as across its distribution network.

Since launching in 2022, the initiative has supported 26 charities, funded 22 scholarships with the Open University and helped more than 1,400 care-experienced people access welcome tours across the business.

The report shows the BHF Fund has so far generated £2.8m through customer fundraising and product sales, including £271k from Made by Care products designed by aspiring care-experienced creators.

Sarah Scahill, who leads Building Happier Futures, said the shortage of foster carers meant a “major national challenge”, adding that large employers had a responsibility to “break down barriers to opportunity”.

She urged government, businesses and wider society to strengthen support systems around carers and care-experienced young people, while the Fostering Network’s chief executive, Sarah Thomas, called for strengthened government support during the review of parental leave and encouraged other employers to follow John Lewis Partnership’s lead.

Scahill said: “The insights and experiences of our care-experienced Partners significantly enrich our business, driving innovation and enhancing our collective understanding.”

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