Children leaving care
Providing the right kind of support for children leaving care is an important concern for the Every Child Matters: Change for Children programme, which aims to achieve five key outcomes for all young people.
Recent documents
National
Protocol - Inter-Authority Arrangements - Second Revised Edition
This protocol provides arrangements for negotiating support for care leavers
resident outside of their responsible authority.
The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000
The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 is based upon the consultation document Me, Survive, Out There?. The act came into force in October 2001. Among its key provisions are:
- A duty on local authorities to assess and meet the needs
of young people aged 16 and 17 who are in care or care leavers.
Wherever the young person lives the duty will rest with the local authorities
to keep in touch with care leavers until they are at least 21.
- Every eligible young person in care should recieve a
comprehensive pathway plan when they turn 16. This plan should map out a clear
route to independence.
- Each young person should have a young persons advisor who will coordinate
the provision of support and assistance to meet the needs of the young person.
Particular emphasis will be place on helping the young person into education,
training or employment.
- A financial regime for care leavers to end the confusing present system and
ensure they have comprehensive financial support.
- Continuing assistance for care leavers aged 18-21, especailly with education and employment. Assistance with education or training continues to the end of the agreed programme, even if it takes someone past the age of 21.
Click to view the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 on the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) website.
Implementation of the Children (Leaving Care) Act Regulations and Guidance
The Children (Leaving Care) Act came into force in October 2001. Supporting regulations and guidance were published in September 2001.
The guidance was issued under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 meaning that it has to be followed unless there are exceptional circumstances that justify a variation.
Click to download the Children (Leaving Care) (England) Regulations 2001 from the OPSI website.
Click to download Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 - Regulations and Guidance.
Good practice
In order to improve services for care leavers and help local authorities and key organisations design and plan their services post-implementation, the we have also issued supporting literature on good practice.
Future Positive A Resource Guide for People Working with Disabled
Care Leavers 2006
Future Positive is a resources which assists
local authorities in the development of effective, joined-up services
which support young disabled people up to the age of 19 leaving local authority
care.
Click to download Future Positve.
Getting it Right: Good Practice in Leaving Care Resource Pack
2000
This resource pack draws on published research and a survey of local
authorities' own examples of best practice. Hard copies can be obtained
from ODPM, PO Box 236, Wetherby, West Yorkshire, LS23 7NB. Email: odpm@twoten.press.net.
Audit and Assessement of Leaving Care Services and Leaving
Care: A Time for Change
In autumn 2000 the Department of Health and the Rough Sleepers
Unit jointly issued Audit and Assessment of Leaving Care Services in
London by the National Children's Bureau together with the government's
response: Leaving Care: A Time for Change.
Click to download the audit and the government response.
Care Leaving Strategies: A Good Practice Handbook
This handbook was developed following the work of Centrepoint with
seven London boroughs under the Careleaving Support Service funded by the
DTLR's Rough Sleepers Unit and supported by the Social Services
Inspectorate.
Click to download the handbook.
Putting Young People at the Centre
Putting Young People at the Centre is a summary report of
the Leaving Care Regional Seminars 2003. In mid-2003, the Department of Health
and the former Department for Education and Skills held eight regional leaving
care seminars, which was focused on multi-agency working and young people's
involvement in leaving care services.
Click to download Putting Young People at the Centre.
Hard copies of the document can be obtained from Prolog, Prolog House, Sudbury, Suffolk, CO16 2XG. Tel: 01787 370272.
National Leaving Care Project Group
The National Leaving Care Project Group met regularly until July 2006. Some members of this group had contributed to the development of the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 and following commencement of the act the group met regularly to coordinate a programme of work to improve outcomes for care leavers.
Presentations from the group's final meeting are below. These summarise the key messages about the development of services for care leavers since the Children (Leaving Care) Act commenced in October 2001. The presentations of Prof Mike Stein and Bob Broad summarise findings from research; Rob Dunster and Stewart Betts present a view from the local authority sector; and Dr Mike Lindsay summarises the views of care leavers themselves, based on the report of the Children's Rights Director.
Report and presentations
Young People's Views on Leaving Care - report of the
Children's Rights Director (February 2006)
Young
People's Views on Leaving Care - presentation by Mike
Lindsay
Young
People Leaving Care: Reflections and Challenges - presentation by Mike
Stein
The
'Highlights' Tour: Trends in Leaving Care Research Findings -
presentation by Bob Broad
Putting
the Act into Practice: The Views of Local Authorities - presentation by Rob
Dunster and Stewart Betts
Useful websites
More information about care leavers and leaving care services can be obtained
from the following websites:
National
Leaving Care Advisory Service
Prince's
Trust - care leavers
Includes Mentoring for Care Leavers: Good Practice Guides, produced
following a three-year project sponsored by the former DfES.
This page was last updated on 14 April 2008
