Set income for young people leaving the care system.

Barmeyoldbat

Wellbeck asking if he was an asylum seeker was unnecessary,

i was just interested. why the disapproval?

Mallin - that's a good idea.

GillT57 - don't get me started on this - I am furious that Sure Start was withdrawn. I have been banging on about this for years.

I agree about the comments that even from a simple financial point, this makes sense. Another example is the cost of running a Sure Start centre for families and children being cheaper than teenagers being in the care of the probation and/or social services.

Wellbeck asking if he was an asylum seeker was unnecessary,

A great idea and a sensible payment. My gd is with a chap who has come out of care and it’s a struggle, no family to guide him and not much idea about looking after himself. He has been taken under our wing and this money would go along way into being able to rent a decent place of his own. Well done Wales.

I work with children in care and care leavers, this is a fantastic idea and once again the Welsh government has led the way. This won’t go down well in certain sections of the media, but taking the long view and along with other such public health policies will be of benefit in the long term. I hear some terribly sad stories in the course of my work, but there are good news stories too. I always say that even if the bean counters aren’t convinced by the social justice argument, it makes good financial sense in the long term to prevent these problems and get in early (pre conception). If we think about this in purely financial terms, if we don’t get it right it costs us much more in the long term. Problem is, nobody thinks in the long term, just to the next headline or next election.

My grandad and his wife fostered 3 girls and one of them was later adopted by another couple. The 2 older girls stayed with him until their 16th Birthday and from that moment on, they were not considered to be the Council's responsibility. Fortunately my grandad was able to provide a home for the girls, financially support them until they both had good careers so they were not destitute. He was just horrified at the callous attitude of the state.
I welcome this new payment but these young people still need support. Many of the youngsters have learned to self medicate to get over the traumas they have suffered and this could be less of a lifeline than we want it to be. The money is great, of course it is, but it takes more than money for a young person to be tread the right path to a job and happiness. I know from experience that these young people never access the mental health system for support where it is needed and social workers are too over worked to do more than to see these young people are safe in their placements. We need to do more.

Would be very much better if a new type of foster parents were recruited. Older couples with grown and gone children. Willing to take on a youngster leaving the care system and acting as auntie and uncle for them to stay with for a couple of years.

Yes - a lovely story. But it should not be exception to the rule. Let us hope this new grant will help some young people to get a start in life.

Lovely story Treetops.

was he an asylum seeker ?
anyway well done to him, and to you for persisting.
which was the other college that offered to fund him?
? can't imagine how one would use mates rates for the services of a brain surgeon ..?

What a lovely story Treetops05. Thank goodness something is being done to help youngsters leaving care. I’ve also worked with teenagers in the care system and have been horrified by some LA social care responses. A typical one was ‘we’ve informed them of their options’. Not very helpful.

Excellent idea.

Yes, when I was in education I had a brilliant student...so intelligent who wanted to go to Uni. Got into Oxford, Cambridge, Bristol, St Andrews and Edinburgh.

Then found due to his age and bracket of care, he got no funding at all. He would have been homeless let alone at uni! I worked with 5 charities to house him.

Uni still looked unlikely until my boss allowed me to call his choices (as a caring elder). Two offered full funding for his entire course. He went to Oxford and is now a Consultant brain surgeon...he offered me mates rates. Married with children and very involved with care leaving individuals. A wonderful human being ❤

Coyoacan

I find it odd that you compare your needs with the needs of a teenager going out into the world with no family to support them, a virtual orphan, and no possessions.

Yes, the needs of someone setting up home for the first time, and who probably has few possessions are very different from someone with their own house and a lifetime's worth of 'stuff'.

I realise that that makes all sorts of assumptions, but as a generalisation I think it holds true.

I've been a Foster carer and young people coming out of care need this money, I just hope it's not in place of on going support,

Excellent idea

I find it odd that you compare your needs with the needs of a teenager going out into the world with no family to support them, a virtual orphan, and no possessions.

£1600…. I have to run a three bed house ( private) ….. feed us two and clothe us…. buy my husbands incontinence pants( £72 a month….. maintain our property to a good standard…. On the grand total of £1,250.
I would love to have £1,600 …. I’d consider myself wealthy.

Anything to help these young people is a good idea but I hope they're not just abandoned without any help in budgeting and basic self care, finding and looking after their accommodation and many other life skills they will need. Money doesn't solve everything.

I too was wondering at what age young people must leave the care system. Not only financial support is needed but personal support is I would say even more so. If they don't have a mentor of sort the money can be wasted and debt etc created. Where are the young people going to be housed, hopefully not in blocks in drug hotshots? The care system in UK is awful in comparison to other countries eg Norway, Netherlands but the system before anyone has a child needs a lot of work too to ensure the responsibility and hard work involved is uppermost in any consideration.

A child leaving the care of their biological parents will receive a lot of support for many years after - we have all done this I guess. Free board and lodging in the holidays, financial support, advice and support when filling in job applications, propping them up and egging them on when they hit a challenge etc. - and lots of love.

I am glad that young people leaving the care system will have this additional support. It does not make up for the emotional loving support that most care leavers have, but it will help to level the playing field in other ways and open up opportunities that might not otherwise to be open to them. It does need to be accompanied by mentors and support workers - it is not sufficient on its own.

Myself and a colleague tried to get funding to address the awful issue of few care leavers getting into higher education. So very few manage it and it obviously blights their chances if they are capable and not able to go. Of course the uni management wouldn’t have any of it but I still believe it’s something worth addressing. Unless anyone knows of anything being done?

I think maybe paying their rent directly and also uni / college fees if they can be encouraged to go Wouid be good. Most kids Wouid just go mental with that amount of money suddenly after not having any previously. I’m sure I’d have blown it all in a week and then been in trouble. Maybe I was particularly stupid though.

I think it is a brilliant idea. It can only have a positive outcome. I do think the children will need to be followed through and helped with budgeting etc.