Am I a care leaver?
We know it can be confusing to understand what it means to be a care leaver and what help, and support may be there for you as you become a young adult.
When you turn 18 you will no longer be looked after and will now be classed as a care leaver. Our leaving care service is on hand to support you until you are 25 years old.
There are different types of support available depending on your age and circumstances. To get support from the leaving care team you must have been in care for 13 weeks between the ages of 14-16 or in care after your 16th birthday. If you aren’t sure if you can get the support, you need there are 3 ways you can check:
- the Coram website has lots of handy tips and information which tells you your rights and a quiz which can help you understand if you can get support. See the Coram website to see if you are a care leaver
- if you already have a social worker or leaving care worker, get in touch with them and ask what support and help you could get, even if you are no longer in touch with them. If you are under 25, they are still there to help
- if you don’t have a social worker or leaving care worker or don’t have contact details for anyone, you can call our leaving care service on: 01522 575955
When does the leaving care team support start?
To help you prepare to leave care, your social worker will introduce you to your leaving care worker soon after your 16th birthday so they can get to know you, understand what you may need and how they can help you.
Once you turn 18, all of your support will be via your leaving care worker. Your social worker will make sure all your plans and agreed support has been handed over.
At 21 you may step into a less intensive form of support. This doesn’t mean we no longer care or won’t keep in touch, but we recognise that as an adult you may no longer wish to be involved with us. Regardless of what you decide, we will always keep in touch until you are 25 through sending our newsletter updates and a least yearly contact to check in. At any point from 21-25 if you need more help or support than you currently have, even if you’ve maybe not had support for some time always get in touch to see what we can help with. If it’s needed, we’ll also make sure you have a named leaving care worker who you can be in regular contact with.
When does the leaving care team support stop?
Our service to you comes to end once you have reached the age of 25. However, we will always be here for you, and you are welcome to call us for advice and guidance in the future, no matter how old you are
Support from different organisations
There are lots of organisations who we work with really closely to make sure you can access the most helpful support and guidance, such as:
- housing providers and local housing departments
- schools, colleges, universities and alternative education providers
- local businesses
- voluntary and community organisations
- Department for Working Pensions (benefits, job seeking and income support)