leapa guide for care leavers in Cornwall from 2016

BenefitsHousing

EducationEmployment

Living on a budgetContacts and help

First stepsPathway plan and Needs assessment

Supporting yourself Grants and benefitsEligibility and how much you’ll get

Preparing to leave Your status

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helloLeap into your future with this guide to leaving care... We know that leaving care can be daunting and confusing so we want to help make it as easy as possible for you. We also know that you are all different and will have different ideas and questions about your future. We can’t promise to answer all of your questions but we can give you information and point you towards the support that is available, so that leaving care is an exciting beginning to the next chapter of your life.

This guide has been put together with the help of local young people in care. It aims to help you find the services you need, understand what benefits or payments you’re entitled to and what your options are for further education or employment.

Your handy guide to leaving care

First steps Pathway plan Needs assessment

Preparing to leave Your status

Supporting yourself Grants and benefits Entitlements and how much you’ll get

Independent living Open door

Getting help and support

How to complain

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Pathway plan A written plan of what you want to achieve over the next few years, what help you’ll need and where to get it.

Your pathway plan must be completed no later than 3 months after your 16th birthday.

First steps

We want you to be as prepared as possible when you leave care. One of the ways we do this is by helping you to develop a pathway plan. The process starts a few months before your 16th birthday. The plan will look at what support you will need to live independently, when you are ready to make that step. It will be much more detailed than your care plan and will include things like where you’ll live, any education or training you might want, job options, your money as well as any health, lifestyle, relationship, family or other support you might need. This also includes any specific support you might need if you have a disability or particular lifestyle need.

The pathway planning starts with a meeting where you will discuss with your social worker what you want and what is best for you – this is called a needs assessment.

You will also be allocated a Personal Advisor who will support you when you are ready to leave care and will review your pathway plan with you every 6 months until you are 21.

Pathway plan...

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Pathway PlanA document which outlines what you will need to live independently once you leave care.

Independence toolkit A workbook for you and your helper to go through to make sure you are as prepared as possible for when you live independently.

Before your pathway planning meeting your social worker will give you lots of information, leaflets and documents which go through the various options you might want to consider when you leave care. They will talk through these with you. This will also give you time to think about what you will need and what path you’d like to take when the time comes.

Because we know that leaving care can be exciting, worrying or both, you’ll be given an independence toolkit to go through with your social worker, Personal Advisor, or other supporter. You’ll go through a workbook which contains all sorts of practical advice and information to prepare you for whatever comes your way. The independence toolkit contains things like:

how to manage a budget wiring a plug registering with a GP how to catch a bus the law

Needs assessment

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Depending on how old you are and how long you’ve been in care you may be able to get help and support with accommodation costs, education, training and living expenses. Now, we know you’re not children, but the law divides young people who are in care, or have been, into categories and which one you fall into depends on what support you can get.

Take our quick quiz over the page to see which of the following categories you fall into…

Eligible child

Relevant child

Former relevant child

Qualifying child

Preparingto leave

Your status

If you are not sure which of the categories in our quiz applies to you, call 0300 1234 101 for more help.

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For more information on eligible child, relevant child, former relevant child and qualifying child status (see pages 8 and 9).

3. Are you still in care or in hospital? If yes – eligible If no – relevant If you were accommodated under Section 20

before going into custody you are a relevant

16-17 years olds

1. Have you been in care for 13 weeks or more since you were 14?

If yes – go to question 2 If no – qualifying

2. When you were 16 or 17 were you ever in care, in hospital or in a secure unit/prison?

If yes – go to question 3 If no – qualifying

1. Are you aged 18-21 (or under 24 and in full time education or training) and have been in care for at least 13 weeks since you were 14?

If yes – former relevant If no – qualifying

18 year olds and over

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Grants and benefitsSupporting yourself at any age can be hard, but knowing what financial help you are entitled to, and where to get it, can take the pressure off a bit. There are funds and grants available for care leavers for lots of things, from basic living expenses to paying for your accommodation, as well as for education and training.

Depending on your status, you may also be eligible for grants to cover the cost of holidays, birthdays and special festivals, such as Christmas. There is also help available for childcare, clothing, to help you with any special needs such as dietary requirements, disabilities or pregnancy. In addition you may be entitled to help covering the costs of staying in contact with your family or other important people in your life as well as for counselling or therapy and hobbies or leisure activities.

There is also information on whether you might be eligible to claim benefits. What you receive depends on your status (see pages 8 and 9).

Supportingyourself

Grant

A sum of money provided by Government, local authority or public money.

Entitlements for care leavers

Eligible child

Relevant child

Former relevant

child

Qualifying child

Income maintenance

Personal allowance and basic living expenses

Accommodation

Semi-independent or hostel

Independent

Open door scheme

Vacation accommodation if in higher education or residential further accommodation

Education/training/employment

Fees, materials, special equipment and other

Higher Education Bursary

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We’ve put together a quick guide to what grants and allowances you might be entitled to and how to go about applying for them (see page 11). It’s not possible to give you all the details in the guide, but your Personal Advisor can help you more with this.

Benefits

Payments provided by a local authority (such as Cornwall Council) to help support those on a low or reduced income.

Assistance towards costs

Yes, provided or funded

Key

Yes Do not qualify

May qualify

Eligible Relevant Former relevant

Qualifying

Standard grants

Christmas/ festival

Birthday

Holiday

Leaving care/ setting up home

Other (identified in the pathway plan)

Costs for special needs (dietaery, disability, pregnancy)

Child care costs

Clothing

Contact with family/significant relationships

Cultural/religious needs

Counselling or therapeutic needs

Hobbies and leisure

Benefits

Eligible to claim benefits

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Only if you are a single parent,

disabled or in poor health

Only if you are a single parent,

disabled or in poor health

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How much you’ll get

Before you can claim any benefit or grant money, you’ll have to complete a financial assessment. This means looking at your individual circumstances and identifying any income or savings you already have.

You could be eligible for:

Accommodation costs Up to £100 per week Up to £2000 to set up home (to be budgeted from age 16 to 21)Up to 4 weeks rent for a deposit

Living costsUp to £60 per week (maintenance)

Higher education costs£4000 per academic year (£2000 towards tuition and £2000 towards living costs)

Special datesBirthdays (up to 19th) £100 per yearChristmas/other festival £50 per year (16 and 17 year olds only)

Needs assessment

A document which outlines what you will need to live independently once you leave care.

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Other payments

You may also be entitled to additional money for any of the following:

• Travel to school/college/university• Educational materials/equipment• Other educational costs• Help towards disabilities, dietary needs or pregnancy• Child care costs• Clothing, bedding, crockery etc.• Staying in touch with your family or other significant relationships• Special cultural or religious needs• Counselling or therapy• Hobbies and leisure

Whether you receive these and the actual amount you get is at the discretion of your Personal Advisor and the 16+ Team Manager. This will have been identified in your needs assessment (see page 4)

How you’ll get paid

Once all the forms have been completed and approved payments are made as follows:• Maintenance – direct to your bank/building society every Thursday.• Housing/rent – to your landlord (if Cornwall Council is the tenant) • Birthday payments - direct to your account a week before your

birthday • Christmas payments – in early December

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Independentliving

Open doorOpen door offers approved lodgings for young people aged 16 to 17 who are leaving care.You live in a normal house, with a landlord and possibly other care leavers, but you have your own bedroom and key and you can come and go as you please.

There are many open door houses across the county. Your landlord may be a single person, or a couple who may or not have family living with them.

You will normally get £47 per week which includes heating lighting and one meal per day; this could vary slightly with individual factors taken into consideration; which can be discussed with your worker.

You will agree with your landlord to a training programme so you can learn practical skills like cooking, cleaning, shopping and how to budget for items such as food, phone credit, travel, social life and toiletries, to help you look after yourself independently when you reach 18.

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Getting helpsupport&

The Cornwall 16 plus team This group is made up of workers from Cornwall Council and Action for Children. The team covers the whole county helping to prepare young people for leaving care. We provide support for your transition from being in care to living independently and provide support and assistance once you’ve left care.

We want to help you maximise your potential and have the best chances in life. We can help you plan your future, and make sure you’ve got the skills and information you need to take you forward in life. Contact details for the Cornwall 16 plus team are at the back of this booklet.

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Beeline Beeline is there for you if you want to raise a problem, concern, complaint or an idea with someone.

It’s a free* number open during office hours 0800 028 8228

Outside of office hours, outside of these hours you have the option to speak to a off duty manager or leave a message. *free from a landline only

Important contactsCornwall 16 Plus team contacts:

Cornwall Council 16 plus team 0300 1234 101 or Action for Children Leaving Care team 01726 815005SHARE Young people’s advice, information and counselling 0800 181033 www.share.youthcornwall.org.uk

Careers South West

0800 9755111 www.careerssw.org/13-19/13-19-home

Young Minds

www.youngminds.org.uk

Young People Cornwall

01872 222447 www.ypc.org.uk/projects.php

Brook

www.brook.org.uk/brook-cornwall

Community contacts directory

www.cornwall.gov.uk/communitycontacts

Children’s social work

0300 1234 101 (Out of Hours 01208 251300)

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How to complain

We hope the service you received from Cornwall Council is first class, but If you are unhappy with it you should speak to the staff that are working with you in the first instance – your social worker, Personal Advisor or Action for Children worker for example. They will want a chance to put things right. If you want to take things further and make a formal complaint you can contact:

FREEPOSTRRZJ-EUSJ-EGKLEHSC ComplaintsCornwall CouncilCounty HallTruro TR1 3AY

Telephone: 01872 323164 Email: csf.feedback@cornwall.gov.uk

38506 01/16

If you would like this information in another format or language please contact:Cornwall Council, County Hall, Treyew Road, Truro TR1 3AYTelephone: 0300 1234 100Email: enquiries@cornwall.gov.ukwww.cornwall.gov.uk

Voice4us is Cornwall’s participation service for young people in care aged 11-18 years old. It’s where young people can have a say about the things that matter to them. For further details contact 07825 414112

Carefree is a local voluntary organisation which works with young people in and leaving care, giving them the chance to do things for themselves and others. Working with young people across Cornwall aged

11-25yrs, including support with education, employment and training.For further details contact 01209 204333 or visit www.carefreeorg.uk

Does anyone listen - really listen - just to youYou might want a problem sorting, be facing a big meeting, or just have an idea to improve your care. MOMO is a fuss-free way to put down your thoughts and send them to those who need to hear from you. Download the app or use it online now http://www.mindofmyown.org.uk/how-it-works/