Guidance

Staying Close: a summary of the model (accessible version)

Published 5 November 2026

Applies to England

Staying Close comprises 2 strands: housing and mental health support

A participating local authority can choose whether to:

• deliver these services in-house
• commission external support from a provider
• do both

Strand 1: relationship-centred housing offers 

A local authority will offer a care leaver at least one of the following:

• a community-building housing project
• supported lodgings
• intensive family-based support        

Community-building housing project

For care leavers who, with the right support, could take on their own home, local authorities will offer the following:

• a long-term tenancy – suitable accommodation, planned and secured well in advance of the care leaver’s readiness to take on the tenancy
• a support network of peers – encouragement for care leavers, surrounded by their peers, to build social skills through facilitated group work and to support one another as they plan the move into their home and settle into a new phase of their life
• co-production – encouragement for care leavers to work together to take ownership of the project and meet regularly to make decisions about their plans, their home and where they will live
• experiential learning-for-life skills – the opportunity to learn skills such as safety, wellbeing, cooking and tenant responsibilities

Supported lodgings

For care leavers who, with ongoing support and advice, are ready to live interdependently in a family home, local authorities will offer the following:

• a long-term tenancy – suitable accommodation, planned and secured well in advance of the support arrangement coming to an end, and allowing for flexibility if plans change
• careful matching and a co-produced, relational approach – a series of matching meetings that allow the young person and host enough time to make the right choice before the young person moves in
• practical and emotional support – access to support and advice in a home-based setting from a trained host
• regular opportunities for shared activity and relationship-building – joint activities guided by the young person, such as cooking or going to the gym with their host each week
• training and support for hosts – an ongoing programme to train hosts to provide high-quality support and advice

Intensive family-based support

For care leavers who have higher needs, but are just below the threshold for support from adult social care (for example, some people with autism, learning disabilities or complex trauma), local authorities will offer the following:

• a long-term tenancy – suitable accommodation, planned and secured well in advance of the support arrangement coming to an end, and allowing for flexibility if plans change
• careful matching and a co-produced, relational approach – a series of up to 6 matching meetings that allow the young person and carer enough time to make the right choice before the young person moves in
• the opportunity to share in family life – support from a carer to share in family and community activities, build connections and make friends
• practical and emotional support – intensive support from and supervision by a carer to gain life skills and find opportunities, including education, employment or training
• training and on-call support for carers – an ongoing training programme by Shared Lives, which has a rigorous application process

Strand 2: mental health support    

To help care leavers stay well and secure the help they need with their mental health needs, local authorities will offer the following:

• support from a Band 6 mental health worker

Balancing intensity of support against availability, they will help the young person navigate the transition from child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) to adult mental health services, where needed.

Local authorities should work closely with their integrated care board (ICB) and NHS trusts to recruit mental health workers and co-ordinate this offer.