Specific circumstances for Care Leavers

This can be a confusing title. It is used to recognise those Care Leavers who qualify for advice, guidance and a small level of financial support, though they have not been in care for long enough or recently enough to meet full entitlements of the care leaver offer.

Qualifying Care Leavers are not entitled to the level of financial support as is set out in the bulk of the information on this website. However, we will work with you to understand your needs and will seek to advise you accordingly.

As a Care Leaver, we do support you with a letter to our Housing department to say you are a Care Leaver and this does give you priority banding when you are looking for your first tenancy.

You can also access health support such as Thor as you have experience of being in care.

If you live within the Cheshire West and Chester Council area, you can also have an allocated worker from the Young People’s Service, workers expert in supporting young people into careers and their next steps for education, training or employment.

In summary

As a Qualifying Care Leaver, you can access advice and assistance based on a Needs Assessment completed by the Supporting Independence Team. Any consideration of financial assistance is dependent upon this assessment of need.

The legal requirements for support for qualifying care leavers is:

• advice and assistance from Children’s Services
• help with accommodation during holidays if in higher education away from home
• in exceptional circumstances we may provide assistance with housing or financial support; however, qualifying care leavers are usually responsible for their own accommodation and living costs

Special Guardianship Orders

If you moved from being in care to then being with carers under a Special Guardianship Order you have Qualifying Care Leaver status when you reach 16. There may also be information in the Special Guardian Support Plan (part of the documents considered by the court when the Special Guardianship Order was made) that indicates commitment the local authority has made to you and your support.

Relevant Care Leavers

If you have been a child in care for more than 13 weeks since turning 14, with at least some of that being since your 16th birthday, then while you are still ‘Looked After’ you are what is called an Eligible Care Leaver.

If you then stopped being in care, for example if you’ve returned home to your parents or to someone with parental responsibility for you, then at that point you have become what is known as a Relevant Care Leaver. If you have then been a Relevant Care Leaver at home with parents, or someone with parental responsibility for you, for six months or more before turning 18 then your Care Leaver status has become what is known as Qualifying Care Leaver.

If this arrangement back at home, or with others with parental responsibility for you, breaks down in some way, please get in touch. This can mean that you become a Relevant Care Leaver again and this does bring a greater level of entitlement to support within the Care Leaver Offer.

For all Qualifying Care Leavers

We offer a Needs Assessment once you are 16 in order for us to understand the level of support that you need and/or want moving forward to help you to thrive in your transition into adulthood.

On the basis of this Needs Assessment we may work with you to create an appropriate Pathway Plan as is beneficial and applicable.

We may allocate you a Personal Adviser who will be able to support you working through what has been included on the pathway plan.

If there are no outstanding needs, then there doesn’t need to be continuing active involvement in supporting you. However, at any point up until your 25th birthday, if you wish for another assessment or some advice and guidance please do not hesitate to contact our Supporting Independence Team;

• Email: leavingcareservices@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk
• Phone: 0151 337 4662