The Government has announced a £51 million funding boost to help thousands of vulnerable young people in the care system. The support package will fund a range of schemes, including:
- £33 million continued investment in ‘Staying Put’, which helps looked after children stay with their foster carers after their 18th birthday if they wish to
- £3.6 million to extend the ‘Staying Close’ pilot which gives extra support for young people leaving residential care
- £12m for councils to continue to provide personal advisors to support care leavers up to the age of 25
- £2.7 million to provide intensive support to care leavers at high risk of homelessness, as part of the Government’s Rough Sleeping strategy
The Department for Education is also set to provide more than 5,000 more laptops for care leavers, which will mean they can more easily keep in touch with their personal advisers and wider support networks, as well as help them access support services such as education, mental health support and searching for employment opportunities online.
