Foster Care: Care Leavers

(asked on 4th January 2019) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of implications for his policies of the recommendation in the Staying put: an unfulfilled promise, published by the Fostering Network in November 2018.


Answered by
Nadhim Zahawi Portrait
Nadhim Zahawi
This question was answered on 14th January 2019

‘Staying Put’ has helped thousands of care leavers to transition more smoothly from care to living independently. It provides continuity of relationships and care arrangements, enabling care leavers to benefit from a stable and secure family setting, and to prepare for independence at a more gradual pace, rather than facing a ‘cliff-edge’ at age 18.

The government keeps the Staying Put policy under constant review, including through monitoring data from local authorities on take-up by young people, engagement with the sector, and reviewing information from Ofsted inspections of local authorities. Staying Put was also considered as part of the independent fostering review undertaken by Sir Martin Narey and Mark Owers, published in February 2018.

The latest data show that increasing numbers of care leavers are living in Staying Put arrangements. In the year ending March 2018, 55% of 18-year-olds chose to Stay Put, which is an increase of 4% on 2017. Furthermore, the data show that 31% of 19-year-olds, and 26% of 20-year-olds were still living with their former foster carers, which represent increases on the previous year.

In 2018 to 2019 the government provided £23.3 million to local authorities to implement Staying Put, with a further £23.77 million committed for 2019 to 2020. Decisions on funding beyond March 2020 will be subject to the outcome of the next Spending Review.

The government does not believe that introducing a national minimum allowance for Staying Put carers is the right way forward. Unlike children in foster care, young people in Staying Put arrangements are adults, and may be in work or claiming benefits. These financial sources can be used to contribute to the cost of providing the Staying Put arrangement, in a similar way that young people who are still living at home with their parents may contribute to the costs of running the household.

The government does not believe a foster carer’s approval should automatically lapse after 12 months if they are a Staying Put carer. We will communicate this message to the sector.

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