Young people will leave foster care at 18 years of age. At this time, they might remain living with their former foster carers under a ‘Staying Put’ arrangement, they might move to a supported living placement with other care leavers, or they might live independently. There are a lot of decisions to make, and a lot of planning to do and they will need a lot of support.
Care leavers have legal entitlements under the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000. These apply from the age of 16 up to 25 years.
Care leavers’ entitlements include:
- An assessment of their needs as a young adult. This will include health, education, money, housing, support and practical life skills.
- A Pathway Plan to target their needs and set out ways in which the local authority will help them achieve independence and their personal goals.
- A Personal advisor to co-ordinate the pathway plan and support them throughout the process.
- Housing support.
- Financial support including help to access state benefits if needed, and help towards the costs of continuing education.
You can read more about care leavers’ entitlements at the Children’s Commissioner’s website.
Also take a look at the ‘leaving care’ section of I-SPACE.
