Leaving care
Care leaving services
A young person who has been looked after may be eligible for care leaving services when they reach the age of 18.
If you are a care leaver, you may be eligible for services:
- from the ages of 18 to 21
- from the ages of 18 to 25 if you are in further or higher education
If you are in education, you will be eligible for an annual bursary paid by the Council. The bursary is to help contribute towards your accommodation and living expenses.
The aim of care leaving services to help you live a successful and independent life. We will encourage you to be involved in some sort of education, training or employment while we are working with you.
Who is eligible for care leaving services
To be eligible for care leaving services, you must have been looked after for:
- 13 weeks from your fourteenth birthday and
- at least one night once you turned 16 years of age
Care leavers born in the UK
If you were born in the UK and are eligible for care leaving services:
- you will carry on seeing your allocated social worker
- your care plan will become a pathway plan - this will document your needs and help map out your future
Care leavers born outside the UK
If you were born outside the UK, have made a claim for asylum and are eligible for care leaving services:
- the Unaccompanied Minors and Care Leavers Service will still be responsible for you
- your pathway plan will be reviewed at least every six months
Not in care before your eighteenth birthday but eligible
If you were no longer being looked after before your eighteenth birthday but are eligible for leaving care services, you can expect to get support up until you are 25 years old if you are in further or higher education.
Information about young people's entitlement is outlined in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Pledge. This includes financial entitlements.
Remanded in prison or in local authority care
If you have been remanded in prison or in local authority care, you may become eligible for care leaving services.
If you are eligible you will have an allocated worker. You worker will be a qualified social worker or a personal adviser who can support you with issues such as:
- housing and accommodation
- money management
- education
- employment and training
- independent living skills
- emotional wellbeing
Staying put arrangement
If you've been looked after in a foster placement before your eighteenth birthday, you might want to stay there for a while while you gain life skills and prepare to move into your own permanent tenancy.
Under a staying put arrangement, you can carry on living in your foster home with the agreement of your foster carer. A staying put agreement will be drawn up which includes your financial contribution to accommodation costs.