Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 54
54
Deferred
The Minister for Children and Families agrees that the Staying Close pilot has produced “very,...
Recommendation
The Minister for Children and Families agrees that the Staying Close pilot has produced “very, very good evidence”. Without further delay, the Department must roll out Staying Close nationally as a statutory entitlement. Care leavers must have the right to opt-out of participating in Staying Close if they wish. Ahead of leaving residential care, each young person should have a mandatory meeting with the key adults responsible for their care and continuing education to ensure that participating in Staying Close is in their best interest. (Paragraph 127) Early intervention funding
Government Response Summary
The government has announced funding to extend the Staying Close programme and has asked WWCSC to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme to inform further roll-out. The government will respond to the recommendation that Staying Close should be a legal entitlement, in the comprehensive implementation strategy.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
130. We have recently announced funding of £36 million over the next 3 years to extend the Staying Close programme so that more care leavers leaving children’s homes get move-on accommodation and support from a trusted adult–providing stability and a safety net into adulthood. 131. We have asked the What Work’s Centre for Children’s Social Care (WWCSC) to evaluate the effectiveness of the ‘Staying Close’ residential care programme. Initial evaluations of the programme suggest participating young people benefit from: • access to improved housing options, and reduced eviction rates; • higher levels of participation in education, employment, or training (EET); • improved independent living skills, wellbeing, and relationship management skills. The WWCSC evaluation will consider how Staying Close can be implemented most effectively and its cost effectiveness for local authorities, to inform further roll-out. The first part of the evaluation will be published in late spring 2023. 132. Young people leaving care have a ‘statutory review meeting’ to discuss their future, including where they’re going to live, so we would expect options like Staying Close, where available, to be discussed at that. Staying Close is currently a voluntary programme available in some areas which care leavers can choose to participate in. The care review recommended that Staying Close should be a legal entitlement up to the age of 23 with an ‘opt-out’ rather than ‘opt-in’ expectation. The government will respond to this, and the other recommendations for care experienced young people, including those around improving access to apprenticeships and well-paid jobs, in the comprehensive implementation strategy.