Leaving foster or local authority care

If you’re leaving care, your local council might give you support to help you move from care to independent life. The support you get depends on:

  • how long you were in care (also known as ‘looked after’) for
  • how old you were when this happened
  • if you’re still in care

Care can include foster or residential care, time in custody aged 17 and under or care for young asylum seekers.

If you’ve been in care for at least 13 weeks

If you’re aged 16 to 17 years

Your local council must provide you with support if you’ve been in care for at least 13 weeks (just over 3 months) between ages 14 and 16. This must include at least one day in care after your 16th birthday.

If you’re still in care, your local council may call you an ‘eligible child’. If you’ve left care, your local council may call you a ‘relevant child’. You can use these terms when asking for help to make sure you get the support you should.

Your local council must:

  • give you a personal adviser (also known as a ‘PA’) - they will help prepare you for leaving care and support you afterwards
  • do an assessment to find out what advice and support you need
  • create a plan for leaving care (known as a ‘pathway plan’) and review this regularly
  • help you with education and training plans and related costs
  • make sure you’ve got somewhere safe and suitable to live (known as ‘suitable accommodation’)

Your local council may also give you extra support (sometimes known as a ‘local offer’) depending on where you live.

If you’re aged 18 to 24 years

Your local council must provide you with support if you’ve left care but were in care for at least 13 weeks (just over 3 months) between ages 14 and 16. This must include at least one day in care after your 16th birthday.

Your local council may call you a ‘former relevant child’. You can use this term when asking for help to make sure you get the support you should.

Your local council must:

  • give you a personal adviser (also known as a ‘PA’) until you’re 21, or your 25th birthday if you ask
  • continue to review your plan for leaving care (known as a ‘pathway plan’)
  • help you find safe and suitable housing (known as ‘suitable accommodation’)
  • help you to continue living with your foster carer if you want to (which might be until you turn 21 or finish education or training)
  • give you a Leaving Care Allowance (also known as a ‘setting up home allowance’) to help you buy essential things when moving into your own home
  • help you with education, training and work plans and related costs

If you’ve been in care less than 13 weeks and are aged 16 to 20 years

Your local council will do an assessment to find out what support you need if you were in care for less than 13 weeks between ages 16 and 18.

They might then give you:

  • advice and guidance
  • some financial or practical support

Your local council may call you a ‘person qualifying for advice and assistance’. You can use this term to find out what help you can get.

Your plan for leaving care

Your local council must write a ‘pathway plan’ when you reach 16 which helps you prepare for leaving care and says what support you should get.

It must include plans for your:

  • health
  • education, training and development
  • contact with family
  • financial management

Your personal adviser must take part in any pathway plan reviews until you’re 21, or 25 if you want this support to continue. You must have a review:

  • at least every 6 months
  • if you ask for one
  • if your personal adviser or the council asks for one

Discussing your future

If you’re leaving care you’ll have a ‘statutory review meeting’ to discuss your future, including what support you’ll need.

Things to consider before your meeting

These things will be discussed at your statutory review meeting:

  • where you’re going to live (you can move somewhere where personal support and advice is always available if you want to)
  • if you’re going to work, get training or continue in education
  • how much support you think you’ll need from your social worker or personal adviser

Who should be at your statutory review meeting

The following people should be at the meeting:

  • you
  • your personal adviser
  • an independent advocate, if you ask for one (an adult who can explain your rights to you and make sure you feel heard)
  • your social worker
  • your carers
  • any other people responsible for supporting you (like a mentor or a member of staff from your school or college)
  • an Independent Reviewing Officer (a neutral person appointed to make sure everything’s done properly)

Complaining about your statutory review meeting

You can make a formal complaint if you’re not happy with how your meeting went. Your social worker or personal adviser from the leaving care service and the Independent Reviewing Officer must tell you how to do this. If you have an independent advocate, they can also help you with this.

Supporting you in education

You might be eligible for a bursary of £1,200 a year if you stay in full-time education. Contact your school or college to find out how to claim the 16 to 19 bursary.

You can get a higher education bursary of £2,000 from your local council if you’re going on to higher education (for example, university).

If you are doing an apprenticeship you might get a £1,000 or £3,000 care leavers’ bursary. Contact your training provider to find out how to claim the bursary.

Finding work

You may be able to:

Benefits

You might be able to claim some benefits, like:

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