Support for care leavers

This content applies to England only.

Housing laws vary between England and Scotland. Get advice relating to Scotland

If you left care you may be able to get housing help from social services. They should continue to help you until you turn 21, or until you are 24 if you are still studying full time. The help you get depends on your age and what help social services provide in your area.

Many young people have problems getting help from the council or are sent from one department to another without getting help. If this happens, contact your local Shelter advice centre or Citizens Advice immediately. An adviser can help you deal with the council and may be able to get you the help you need.

Who is eligible for help?

This page explains the help that you can get from social services if you've left care and spent a total of at least 13 weeks in care since the age of 14. The 13 weeks doesn't have to be all in one go. Any time that you have spent being looked after by a charity, the local council, a health authority, children's home or with foster parents counts.

You will probably have different rights if:

you have spent less than a total of 13 weeks in care, or
you want to leave care before your 16th birthday.

If you are in one of these situations, you could be eligible for help from social services and/or the housing department. An adviser can look into your situation and explain your options. Use the Advice Services Directory to find your local Shelter advice centre or Citizens Advice. They are free and confidential.

What if I am seeking asylum?

In many cases, unaccompanied young people who are seeking asylum will have been looked after by social services until they turn 18.

When you turn 18, social services may continue to support you until you are 21 years old, as you are classed as a care leaver.

What help can I get if I'm 16 or 17?

If you leave care when you are 16 or 17, the social services department that last looked after you is responsible for you until you turn 18. It has to continue to give you any help you need, even if you move to another area. This includes:

providing housing or helping you find and keep your own place
supporting you financially by paying for your food, bills, travel costs for education and training, clothing, pocket money and childcare if you need it
any other support you need, such as help with continuing your education, finding work or dealing with personal problems.

Any accommodation social services provides should be suitable for you. You may get a place in a foyer, a hostel, a self-contained flat or a children's home. In some areas, there may only be bed and breakfast accommodation available.

If you have problems in the accommodation, your personal adviser should give you any help you need. S/he should stay in contact with you and provide ongoing support and help until you are ready to live on your own or you turn 18. If you are still studying full time, you are entitled to help until your 24th birthday (see 'after you turn 18' below). If you don't have a personal adviser, get advice. You may be able to get one even if you didn't get one while you were still in care.

Benefits for care leavers under 18

The financial support social services can provide is very important because you probably can't claim benefits (such as income support, jobseekers allowance or housing benefit) until you turn 18. The only care leavers who can claim benefits at 16 or 17 are single parents and people who are unable to work because of a disability or illness.

What happens after I turn 18?

Just because you are legally an adult, it doesn't mean that social services don't have to help you anymore. Your personal adviser should still keep in touch and should go over your pathway plan with you to see how you are getting on. If you need support to continue with your education or find training or employment, social services may be able to help by:

arranging a grant to help with the costs of your course
helping with the cost of living near your college, training centre or workplace
providing somewhere for you to live, or paying you enough to find somewhere yourself if you are still in full time education and your accommodation isn't available during vacations (they have to do this until you turn 25).

Benefits for care leavers over 18

When you turn 18 you will be entitled to benefits. You will probably be able to claim housing benefit and either income support or jobseekers allowance. People who have been in care are exempt from the 'single room rent' rule until the age of 22.

Your personal adviser should make sure that you claim everything you are entitled to and can help with the application forms. Any financial help you get from social services should not be deducted from the amount you get.

You may also be able to get extra help to set up your new home, for example:

you can apply for a community care grant to pay for furniture, clothing, household goods, moving costs and connection charges. These grants don't have to be repaid
you can apply for a budgeting loan to help pay for rent in advance, moving expenses or household items. Most people who have been on income support or jobseekers allowance for at least 26 weeks can apply. These loans are paid back through deductions from your benefits
if you get a community care grant, you can also claim for a crisis loan to cover rent in advance. You will probably have to pay it back through deductions from your benefits.

What if I become homeless?

Most young people who have been in care are entitled to help if they become homeless. The only exceptions are some groups of people who have come from abroad or are returning from overseas (people who are not eligible for assistance). The help you are entitled to usually depends on your age and personal circumstances.

If you are under the age of 18, social services is still responsible for you. If you go to the housing department for help, it will probably ask social services to help you.

If you are aged 18 to 21, you can get help from both departments. You will automatically be classed as being in priority need until your 21st birthday, so the housing department should help you find a place to live. Social services can help you by providing support and help with training and education.

Some older care leavers can get accommodation from the housing department if they can show that they are in priority need. This may be the case if you are vulnerable as a result of having been in care - for example, if you haven't had a stable home since you left care, or you have slept on the streets in the past.

Where can I get advice?

If you become homeless, get advice from a Shelter advice centre or Citizens Advice as soon as you possibly can. An adviser may be able to:

check whether social services and/or the housing department should help you
tell you what sort of accommodation and support social services normally provide in your area - this will give you an idea of what you can expect
make sure you are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to
help you find emergency accommodation if the council won't provide it
tell you what longer term housing options are available in your area and give you an idea of how much it might cost
put you in contact with specialist support organisations or local schemes that can help you raise a deposit or find a suitable place to live.

Use the Advice Services Directory to find a Shelter advice centre or Citizens Advice in your area. Their services are free and confidential, which means that whatever you say is just between you and the adviser you speak to.

How do I complain about social services?

Social services have to take your wishes into account when they decide how to help you. They should also consider your gender and your ethnic and religious background when deciding what services you need.

If you are not offered the kind of accommodation or services you need or if what you are offered is not right for you, you can make a complaint. Get advice from a Shelter advice centre, Citizens Advice or other local advice centre if you want to do this, as the complaints procedure can be complicated. Use the Advice Services Directory to find agencies in your area.