Supporting young people with experience of care move into adulthood

Taking those big steps into adulthood is a huge milestone for young people and can come with challenges; it cannot be rushed, and almost all young people need some sort of support. ‘Care leavers’ can often face the pressure of ‘accelerated adulthood’ - they are often expected to transition to independence much earlier than their peers and often without the same level of support.

Young people with experience of care may be eligible to Continuing Care, that is, that after their sixteenth birthdays they are able to stay where they were living with their current carers, up until the age of 21, or Aftercare where they can, if they wish, receive guidance, assistance, and advice that their local authority has a duty to provide for care leavers, from their sixteenth birthday up until the age of 26.

For young people in care, taking the next steps post-16 such as going on to further or higher education, training, employment, a gap year, and/or their own tenancy can be a struggle. If there is no support or guidance, this can result in challenges that are too great, and they will continue to experience problems that lead to far poorer outcomes than their peers. Care leavers may struggle to find affordable housing, manage their money, or cope with the emotional impact of living alone.

This is not inevitable and should NOT be accepted as the 'norm'.

We know that young people with care experience make smoother transitions into adulthood when they have been settled in secure, stable care for as long as they need it, and are supported.

Early planning for children transitioning into adulthood is vital. This is true for all children, but this must be intentional for children in need of care and protection. As soon as a decision has been made that a child is in the care of their local authority, then that local authority should be planning to support that child’s aspirations into their adult life.

Ensuring young people in care, and those who support them, are given enough time, advice and resources to effectively prepare them for moving into adulthood is a vital precursor to build life skills for young people who were previously ‘looked after’.

It is important to be clear that taking first steps into adulthood should never be a singular point in a young person’s life. Rather, it should be a process of moving into independence and interdependence, where carers and young people can work together in a way that supports their wellbeing, sharing decision-making. For many young people with care experience in Scotland, this is not the case. If a young person with care experience ceased being looked after before the age of 16, they do not qualify for Continuing Care or Aftercare support.

A corporate parent refers to an organisation or individual with legal responsibilities to support and promote the wellbeing of children and young people who are in care or have care experience, such as local authorities, health boards, and educational establishments such as schools and colleges. The list of organisations and individuals who are corporate parents is contained in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014.

Corporate parents have legal duties to provide comprehensive support which upholds the rights and promotes the wellbeing of ‘looked after’ children and ‘care leavers’.

Continuing Care is the right for a young person to stay with their carers in foster care, kinship care or residential care up to the age of 21, if it's right for them.

Young people who are ‘looked after’ away from home - living with foster carers, kinship carers or in residential child care – on or after their 16th birthday have legal rights and entitlements to stay in the same place, (‘stay put’), with their same carers up until their 21st birthday. Before their 18th birthday, they should be under no pressure or expectation to ‘leave care’ (for example when someone under 18 stops being legally looked after under a Supervision Order), if they don’t want to or don’t feel ready to. And they should be under no pressure or expectation to leave where they are living if they are under 21.

Young people don’t have to apply for Continuing Care, or be assessed for this, or to sign an agreement. If they are happy and settled where they are, with people they trust and who care for them, and they want to stay, then their local authority has a legal duty to support that and make it happen.

What matters is that young people are supported to think through all the options available and be able to speak to someone they trust.

Throughcare and Aftercare are terms used in the context of supporting young people as they transition from care to adulthood, and independent living. This is usually provided by their local authority.

Throughcare is the support given to young people while they are still in care and as they transition towards adulthood. It typically involves a combination of planning, support, and services such as practical help in finding suitable housing, an education placement, or employment, and also emotional support, and guidance on independent living.

Aftercare is the ongoing support after a young person has left care - the guidance, assistance, and advice that a local authority provides for ‘care leavers’. Aftercare aims to ensure that the young person does is not isolated and has the resources and support needed to transition successfully.