Advice for Care Leavers

If you have been in care...

If you have been in care for 13 weeks, without a break, and are in care on or after your 16th birthday, you have the right to various services.

In this section you can find out what support we offer you if you have experienced being in care. If you are no longer in care for whatever reason eg. you may have returned home or are now old enough to live independently, you may be referred to as a ‘care leaver’.

Care Leavers

We want to make sure that your needs are supported in the right way. If you are care experienced you will fit into a particular category of ‘care leaver’.

These key words and definitions are described below. If you need further help understanding them, you can discuss them with your social worker or leaving care

Eligible - young people are 16 or 17 year olds who are still looked after (in care) and were looked after for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14.

Relevant - young people are 16 or 17 years old who are no longer looked after but were looked after for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14 (including on their 16th birthday).

Former Relevant -  young people are those aged 18-25 years who were previously an ‘eligible’ or ‘relevant’ child.

Qualifying - young people are young people aged 16-25 years who were looked after on or after their 16th birthday, who are no longer looked after and were looked after for less than 13 weeks after their 14th birthday.

Your Care Leaver Advisor

Your Leaving Care Advisor will help you to access the relevant services that affect your life such as:

Studying
Family/relationships
Immigration
Health
Financial support
Employment

Gloucestershire’s Local Offer for Care Leavers

If you....

Have left care 
Are aged 16 or 17 
Spent more than 13 weeks in care since the age of 14
(including time on or after your 16th birthday)

…then your care status is a ‘Relevant Child’.

Have left care 
Are aged 18-25 
Spent more than 13 weeks in care since the age of 14, including time on or after your 16th birthday 
Have not returned to live in your family home for more than 6 months before you turned 18

…then your care status is a ‘Former Relevant Child’

Relevant Child

If you are under 18, have left care and are living in independent or semi-independent accommodation, then your care status is a Relevant Child. This is important to know because it defines what support you are entitled to.

Your views	You have the right to be heard, and for your wishes and feelings to be taken into account when decisions are made about you. You have the right to an advocate, who is there to ensure your views are being listened to. They can attend meetings with you, raise issues, and support you if you wish to make a complaint.  You are entitled to make a complaint- all Local Authorities have complaints procedures they must follow, to ensure all complaints are looked into in a fair. You must have a Personal Advisor allocated to you. They should visit you at least every two months, and within seven days of any move.
Planning	Your social worker should undertake a needs assessment with you before you leave care to make sure you are ready to live on your own. This includes making sure you are ready to do things like budget, cook, clean, pay bills, and address other aspects of living on your own Around the age of 16, your social worker should begin your Pathway Plan with you.
Housing	The Local Authority should find you safe and suitable housing, and pay for the cost of this accommodation.
Finance	The Local Authority should ensure you are given an allowance. This can be no less than the amount you would be getting if you were accessing benefits. Depending on your situation, you may be entitled to more money. Your Personal Advisor should do a financial assessment to know how much money you need. A financial assessment should look at how much money you have, how much you spend, and what costs need to be covered.
Education	You are likely to be eligible for the 16-19 Bursary. This is up to £1200 and might include money for books, equipment or travel costs to school or college. To apply for this, speak to your Personal Advisor, a teacher, or student services at your school or college.
Local Offer	All Local Authorities are required to publish a  Local Offer. This is a document that details the support you are entitled to from your Local Authority as a care leaver. See below for the link.

Former Relevant Child

If you are aged 18-25, and you were in care for more than 13 weeks after your 14th birthday, including time on or after your 16th birthday, you have the care status of a ‘Former Relevant Child’. This is important to know because it defines what support you are entitled to.

Your views	You are entitled to a Personal Advisor. Their job is to provide you with practical and emotional support as you become an independent adult.  Your Personal Advisor should keep in touch with you, and visit you regularly. You should know the name and contact details of your Personal Advisor, and how to reach them. You have a right to an advocate, who is there to ensure your views are being listened to. They can attend meetings with you, raise issues, and support you if you wish to make a complaint. You are entitled to make a complaint- all Local Authorities have complaints procedures they must follow, to ensure all complaints are looked into in a fair
Planning	Your social worker should undertake a needs assessment with you before you leave care to make sure you are ready to live on your own. This includes ensuring you are ready to do things like budget, cook, clean and look into other aspects of living independently. Around the age of 16, your social worker should begin planning your Pathway Plan with you. This should be reviewed at least every 6 months, or when you request a review of the plan.
Housing and Finance	Once you are over 18, you are usually financially responsible for your accommodation and day to day living costs.  Your Personal Advisor should provide you with information and advice around your accommodation and finances, such as budgeting, setting up bills, applying for benefits and how to arrange a tenancy. You are entitled to a ‘setting up home allowance’, which is usually around £2000. This is for you to spend on things like furniture and essentials for your home. If you are aged 18,19 or 20 and become homeless, you will automatically have a ‘priority need’ when applying as homeless to housing. If you are 21 or over, you may still have a ‘priority need’ if you are applying as homeless depending on your circumstances. You are exempt from the shared accommodation rate up until the age of 25
Education, Work and Training	Between the ages of 16-18, you are entitled to a 16-19 bursary for Further Education. This is up to £1200 and might include money for books, equipment or travel costs to school or college. To apply for this, speak to your Personal Advisor, a teacher, or student services at your school or college. You can also get a 16-19 bursary if you are 19 and over and:– are continuing on a course you started aged 16 to 18 (known as being a ’19+ continuer’) or – have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) Children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND): Extra help – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) If you attend University, you are entitled to a Higher Education bursary which is a minimum of £2000. The Local Authority should provide or pay for accommodation during college or university holidays if you are studying away from home. The Local Authority may contribute towards living expenses incurred near to your work, education or training.
Local Offer	All Local Authorities are required to make public a Local Offer. This is a document that details the support you are entitled to from your Local Authority as a care leaver. You can find your Local Offer here .

For further information, please contact:

Sara Poole, Assistant Head   sara.poole@gloucestershire.gov.uk  

Courtney Hopson, Post 16 Student Support  courtney.hopson@gloucestershire.gov.uk

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