Support

Understanding your rights as a care leaver is very important. There are certain things that we have to provide to you by law:

• Advice and support from a personal adviser
  You can ask for support from your personal adviser up to the age of 25.
• Needs assessment and pathway plan
  An assessment of your needs, a plan that says what support is available to you on your pathway into adulthood and for your pathway plan to be reviewed regularly.
• Keep in touch with you and visit you regularly
  Your personal advisor will keep in touch with you at least every month or more often if you need additional support and visit you regularly.
• Your right to be heard and taken seriously
  You have a right to be involved in all decisions about your plans for leaving care. You have a right to support from an independent advocate (see independent support) if you want to challenge decisions about the support we give you.
• Access to records
  Once you are 18 you can ask to access your records, which are kept by Childrens Services, such as reviews, assessments and pathway plans.
• Education, employment or training
  The law says we must provide you with assistance with expenses linked with employment, education and training. In particular:

• • a Higher Education bursary of at least £2,000 if you go to University.
  • somewhere to stay during University holidays if you are in full time Higher Education or full time residential further education and your term time accommodation is not available.
• Staying Put
  We must support you to stay with your former foster carer up to the age of 21 if this is what you and your foster carer want. Your social worker will have all the details on Staying Put.
• Setting Up Home Allowance
  We provide you with £3000.- financial assistance to decorate and furnish your home when you leave care.
• Leaving care before turning 18
  If you choose to leave care before age 18, we must provide you with suitable accommodation.

More information and advice

The your voice - get involved section of the care leavers local offer has more information about how you can have your say on issues that affect care leavers and children in care.

The youthzone has some more general information about young people's rights.

Other organisations that provide information and advice:

• Coram Voice - information about your rights as a care leaver
• Citizens Advice - information about human rights, consumer rights and your rights at work

Every child and young person needs a good parent to look out for them, speak out on their behalf and respond to their needs. For children and young people who are in care and care leavers this is the responsibility of the county council. This is called being corporate parents.

Lancashire County Council and our partners have made promises to children in care and care leavers about the support we will give you. 

The care leavers local offer tells you about all the support that we have in Lancashire for you as a care leaver.

We know that it is a big step when you move out of care and start living on your own or with friends.

Just because you are leaving care, or have already left care, we haven’t stopped caring about you. We want to make sure that you feel safe and supported and know where and who to go to for advice and help.

Care leavers have helped make the website. We will continue to listen to your views to make sure the services we offer are what you need.

To be able to get the support set out in the care leavers local offer, you must have been in care for a period of at least 13 weeks (or periods amounting to 13 weeks) which began after age 14 and included some time after your 16th birthday. If you are not sure whether you qualify for support, then ask your personal adviser.

Your personal adviser will talk with you about the information on this website.

Watch this short video to explain what a local offer is and how care leavers in Lancashire have helped with it.

You might be a care leaver if you have spent time in care or have been privately fostered.

If you are a care leaver, we will continue to support you. The level of support we give you depends on your age, when you were in care and for how long.

See the detailed criteria below to see what your legal status is and what you are entitled to.

Your personal adviser is there to help you to prepare to live independently and to offer advice and support after you leave care. Personal advisers should talk to you about what support you need and record this information in your pathway plan.

Age 16 and 17

By your 17th birthday you'll be allocated a personal advisor. They will give you advice and guidance and help prepare you for living independently (along with your carer and social worker). This will include a plan to help you make the transition from care to independent life – called a pathway plan.

Age 18-21

Once you turn 18, in most cases, you'll no longer have a social worker. Your personal adviser will make sure you get the services you need and help co-ordinate your pathway plan and reviews.

Age 21-25

The support you receive from your personal adviser does not need to end on your 21st Birthday. You can receive support from your personal advisor up to your 25th Birthday.

However, if you feel that you no longer need support from us then that’s ok. You can continue to access support from universal services in your community and your case will be closed to Children's Social Care.  You can request support again anytime up to the age of 25.

Your personal advisor will offer to continue supporting you for a limited period of time after your 25th birthday, if you experience significant difficulties at the time.

Age 25+

It's ok if you still need advice or signposting to services from the Leaving Care Service. You can make contact via costumer access on 0300 123 6720 or visit the Leaving Care Hub in your area.

If you don't have a personal adviser

If you are a qualifying care leaver or over the age of 21 and would like to be supported by a personal adviser, please call 0300 123 6720 to request an assessment of your needs/entitlements.

We will do an assessment to work out what support you need to live independently and work with you to create a plan. This is called your pathway plan.

Your pathway plan is about your needs and what we all need to do to ensure your successful transition to adult life. You will continue to have a pathway plan until you're at least 21.

Visit the your future - preparation for adulthood page for more information about your pathway plan.

If you're aged 18 to 25 your personal adviser can refer you to a service called 'Ask Jan' for extra support if you need it.

Ask Jan provides:

• Personal finance advice – mortgages, pensions, savings, debt, insurance
• 24-hour counselling helpline - direct and immediate access to a BACP accredited counsellor
• Up to 8 face to face counselling sessions per issue with a BACP accredited counsellor
• Nutrition, exercise, stress and wellbeing advice
• Access to My Possible Self App
• Online cognitive behavioural therapy
• Housing advice helpline 8am to 8pm
• Legal advice helpline 8am to 8pm
• Citizen's advice helpline 8am to 8pm
• Discounts and special offers on days out and activities with The Max Card
• Access to all other Rees Foundation projects

Ask your personal adviser for more information.

The local authority (local council) that looked after you as a child continues to be responsible for you as a care leaver.

Although Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwin are in Lancashire, they are unitary (independent) councils and not part of Lancashire County Council. If you live in Blackpool or Blackburn with Darwen it is the same as living anywhere else outside of Lancashire..

However, we have close relations with our neighbouring councils and you still get the same support from us as if you were living in Lancashire. This includes access to our council tax grant and additional support where Lancashire services are not available to you and no similar support is available locally. Some councils also offer services to care leavers from other local councils.

Speak with your personal adviser who can make enquiries locally and tell you what is available to you.

If you have special educational needs or disabilities, depending on the support you need, you may have a personal adviser from a specialist team.

Your leaving care team will consider with you what extra support you may need and there is also a special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) local offer.

You have the same rights and entitlements as any other care leaver and you can access our full support offer.

We will also continue to pay for your home and provide you with a Leaving Care Allowance after your 18th birthday if you have not yet had a final decision on your Leave to Remain application. We will also provide you with practical and financial assistance, if you wish to appeal that decision.

We work closely with Lancashire's Resettlement Team and you can find out more about the support for refugees in Lancashire. 

If you are pregnant, speak with your personal adviser so we can help you to get the right advice and support to make the right choices for you.

If you are pregnant or a young parent, we will support you to do the best for you. We will support you during pregnancy and, if you want, can help you moving into bespoke supported housing for young parents.

You can join our parent and little one group in East Lancashire and we can also help you arrange childcare, if this is what you want. Talk to your personal adviser about the different support groups in the area you live.