Source · Select Committees · Education Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Rejected
Care leavers experience a confusing patchwork of differing local authority entitlements.
Conclusion
Care leavers face a confusing patchwork of entitlements when they leave care. This is made more complex by the differing offers in each local authority and the fact that they are having to navigate this at a young age, often with little or no support. Our witnesses supported the view that a National Care Offer would help with this. (Conclusion, Paragraph 19)
Government Response Summary
The government rejects the concept of a National Care Offer, stating that local authorities are best placed to respond to local needs and a central framework would be bureaucratic. It instead highlights existing legislation and upcoming Bill changes aimed at strengthening care leavers' legal entitlements and support requirements.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Government response to Conclusion five: The government is committed to ensuring there is a clear and strong offer for care leavers, underpinned by existing legislation and upcoming changes through the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. Existing legislation already sets out care leavers’ legal entitlements in the Children Act 1989 and accompanying statutory guidance. These require all local authorities to: a. Appoint a Personal Adviser (PA) to support care leavers up to age 25 to transition to independent living; b. Accommodate care leavers aged 16 or 17; and support eligible care leavers to ‘Stay Put’ with their former foster care up to age 21, if both the young person and former foster carer want it; c. Provide a leaving care grant to enable the young person to furnish their first home, which DfE recommends should be £3,000; and d. Support care leavers to engage in education, employment or training, including providing a £2,000 bursary if the young person goes to university. Legislation already requires local authorities to publish their local offer for care leavers, clarifying these legal entitlements, and setting out any discretionary support that the local authority provides. The discretionary support provided should be tailored to the needs of the local cohort on the basis of local authorities’ discussion and consultation with young people in their area, rather than a single offer designed and imposed centrally. Local authorities are best placed to respond to local needs. Central Government should not design a national offer for 152 local areas as one size does not fit all. To impose a framework centrally would be unnecessarily bureaucratic. Clause 7 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill proposes to extend care leavers’ legal entitlements by requiring local authorities to provide Staying Close support to care leavers where their welfare requires it. Clause 8 builds on existing requirements, by requiring local authorities to also publish the arrangements it has in place to support and assist care leavers to find and keep suitable accommodation.