Accommodation and where young people live, with our care leavers local offer
| Type of accommodation | Who is responsible for the accommodation? | What support is included, who is eligible and where to get further information |
|---|---|---|
| Staying Put arrangements | Leaving Care Team | Staying Put is available to any eligible young person approaching 18 who wishes to continue living with their foster carers. If a foster carer cannot offer Staying Put then we will look for another foster placement which can. Young people can stay within this arrangement until they are 21 years old. Staying Put can also be accessed whilst at university or engaging in another training programme that requires a young person to live away from home. This provides the security of the on-going relationship with a carer and their support to develop a young persons independent living skills. Choosing Staying Put has proved very successful for many young people; improving their employability, social resilience and life chances. |
| Leaving care supported lodgings | Leaving Care Team | Leaving care supported lodgings are arrangements arranged on a case by case basis. |
| Supported accommodation | Providers | A range of 24/7 staffed supported accommodation for single young people with either self-contained or shared facilities for up to 6 to 18 months. Young people have a support worker and access to activities to gain independent living skills and education employment & training. From here a young person might move into the supported move on accommodation or full independent living. |
| Own tenancy (social housing) through Housing Options Team | Housing associations or local authority housing | Central Bedfordshire housing options – identified housing association properties or our properties for rent. Available properties are advertised weekly and if a young person is eligible to qualify to join the housing register they can express an interest (bid) on up to 3 properties each week. |
| Privately rented | Private landlord | Renting a property from a private landlord. Find out more from Citizens Advice about renting from a private landlord. |
There are different housing options available in Central Bedfordshire, some with support included and some without. Ultimately, the young person will decide what accommodation to accept but with professional support to consider needs and the level of independent living skills of the young person. This ensures the accommodation offered is suitable and appropriate. The Leaving Care team will also liaise with housing to ensure that the young person’s views are listened to and accounted for throughout the process.
Staying with foster carers after young people have turned 18 is called ‘Staying Put’. Young people can stay with their foster carers until they are 25 if this is agreed. This does not affect their entitlement to housing when they leave ‘Staying Put’ as they are still considered a priority.
There are lots of different types of supported housing options available to young people, depending on the level of need. The Leaving Care team ensures young people fully understand the options available to them and encourage them to accept housing which is believed to be in their best interests.
Support is also provided to young people who are at university and need help with the cost of accommodation during vacation time.
Our care leavers can seek the support of the leaving care team to pay Council Tax on their behalf as part of their bespoke package of support based on assessed needs.