Care Leavers

(asked on 29th November 2016) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to support people leaving care.


Answered by
Edward Timpson Portrait
Edward Timpson
This question was answered on 5th December 2016

In July 2016, we published the refreshed cross-government care leaver strategy ‘Keep on Caring’. It set out the five outcomes that we want to achieve for care leavers, that they: are better prepared to live independently; are supported to access education, employment and training; experience stability and feel safe and secure; have good health and wellbeing; and achieve financial stability. ’Keep on Caring’ is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/keep-on-caring-supporting-young-people-from-care-to-independence

Through the Children and Social Work Bill we are introducing a set of corporate parenting principles that will govern how local authorities deliver services to children in care and care leavers, placing a new requirement on local authorities to consult on and publish their local offer for care leavers; and we are extending the role of the Personal Advisor to age 25 for all care leavers.

In addition, we are developing the Care Leaver Covenant to encourage the whole of society to support care leavers. We have also announced plans to pilot Staying Close, as an alternative to Staying Put for young people leaving residential care; and we will develop Social Impact Bonds focused on supporting care leavers into education, employment and training.

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