Your home

We encourage young people in foster care to 'Stay Put' with their carers when they turn 18.

This arrangement allows you to remain with your foster carer until the age of 21.

Your social worker will have all the details on Staying Put or you can read our guide to Staying Put.

If you do choose to move on from your foster home or have to move out of your residential children's home when you turn 18 then care leavers have priority access to our supported accommodation projects in the county.

This might be for you if you are not yet ready to live independently. We have a variety of projects with different levels of support available across the county to find the right one for you.

If you are a young parent, we can also help you to move into one of our bespoke supported accommodation provisions for young parents, if you want.

Lancashire’s House Project supports 16 and 17 year olds to:

• be well prepared to leave care with others
• develop friendships
• move into social housing

The project continues to support people for as long as they need it in adulthood.

If you want to be part of our House Project community and live or want to live in Preston or South Ribble you can read more on the Lancashire's House Project website.

Social housing

Social housing is flats and houses managed by district councils or a housing association.

We encourage young people to move into social housing because these tenancies are more secure, and rent is more affordable if you have an income from employment or covered from benefits.

To access social housing you need to register with the select move scheme for the district you want to live in and bid on a property through that scheme.

Private tenancies

Private tenancies are flats or houses rented out by a private landlord.

Private tenancies tend to be less secure, and rent is very often much more expensive than social housing.

If you want to live with family or friends and we have identified this is a safe and stable arrangement, we will support you to achieve this.

Living with your family and friends may affect the support we provide to you, if you live with them before you turn 18. Your social worker or personal advisor can tell you exactly if this applies to you and how, if so.

Living with your family and friends after your 18th birthday does not change the practical and financial support we provide to you (except for house moving costs like deposit or advance rent where we would expect a fair share from everyone).

If you:

• live outside of Lancashire or in Blackpool or Blackburn with Darwin when you are 16/17 years old
• and cannot stay where you are when you are 18 and do not want to move to Lancashire

your social worker or personal adviser will explore with you what housing options are available to you locally.

Living outside of Lancashire does not affect the support we provide to you or your financial entitlements as a care leaver.

Social Housing is only available to you if you have a local connection, for example if you have lived in the area before your 16th birthday.

But, if you choose to move back to Lancashire, you can access our supported accommodation provisions and social housing in the same way as every other care leaver of Lancashire County Council.

Your circumstances

• What type of home is the right one for me?
• What support do I have?
• Would I feel safe, be worried or lonely on my own?

Choosing a place

• How long can I live there for?
• What are public transport connections like to get to family/friends and college or work?
• What shops and local services are nearby?
• What do I do if I don't want to live there anymore?
• What happens, if I cannot live there anymore?

Costs

• How much does it cost for me?
• How much do I have to pay for utilities (water, gas, electricity, wifi)?
• How well do I manage my money?

Being prepared

• What do I have to do to move into this home?
• What do I need to do to prepare for when I leave care?
  Think about practical things like budgeting, cooking and what bills will you need to pay.

We know it can be very hard having your own place for the first time. We will do whatever we can to ease the pressures on you.

If you are aged over 18, your personal adviser will help you to find a safe, suitable and stable home.

This might involve:

• working with housing services to come up with suitable housing options for you
• advice about holding down a tenancy, including:
  • avoiding rent or Council Tax arrears
  • paying bills and budgeting
• helping you to claim Universal Credit
• practical support with moving into and furnishing your new home
• supporting you if you have a housing crisis, including helping if you are threatened with or lose a tenancy (homelessness laws say that care leavers aged 18-20 have a priority need for housing)

We may provide you with financial support to help you to live independently or in semi-independent accommodation. 

The financial support we give you depends on your age, when you were in care and for how long. This is what decides your legal status as a care leaver.

See 'Who is a care leaver' on the support page to check your legal status.

The following links will take you to more information about help you could get based on your legal status:

• Eligible or Relevant care leavers age 16 or 17
• Former Relevant care leavers age 18-25

Speak to your personal adviser if you have any questions about what you are entitled to.

District councils are responsible for housing services.

Lancashire County Council works with Lancashire's 12 district councils to support care leavers to move into safe, suitable and stable homes as young adults. This is set out in an agreement called a Joint Housing Protocol.

Our leaving care housing advisers can provide you with expert housing advice and help you if you have any legal issues with your tenancy or are at risk of eviction.

Ask your personal adviser to refer you to our housing advisers.