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Local offer for care leavers

Managing your money as a care leaver

When you leave care, we will support you by helping you get work and access benefits, grants, and loans. Your personal advisor can discuss your financial needs to help you achieve your goals. Any financial support packages will be clearly explained in your pathway plan.

Your personal advisor will also offer support and give you advice around managing money. They will help you prioritise your wants and needs so that you are able to budget and not get into debt.

If you do get into debt, please let your personal advisor know as soon as possible. They will be able to support you and connect you with other professionals, if needed, to help you clear your debt.

Universal Credit

You will be eligible for Universal Credit or Employment Support Allowance for those with a disability if you are:

  • between 18 and 25 years old
  • not in full-time education
  • actively seeking or available for work or working less than 16 hours per week

You will be eligible to claim Universal Credit equivalent rates if you are:

  • between 16 and 19 years old
  • in full-time education (excluding university)
  • and either a parent, not living with a parent or a refugee

Care leavers can continue to receive Universal Credit until they are 22 if the claim is made before they turn 21 and they are still in full-time education.

Transitional payment for Universal Credit

When you apply for Universal Credit for the first time you may have to wait up to six weeks to receive your money. To make sure that you are not struggling financially, we will support you by giving you up to £70 a week for up to six weeks from the date of your claim.

Accommodation costs

Housing Benefit

You can get help with your rent if you:

  • live away from family
  • have a low income
  • less than £16,000 in savings

Care leavers eligible for Housing Benefit should be entitled to the single room rate up to the age of 22.

Moving costs and help with paying your bills

You can find out how we can support you with setting up your new home on our Finding a place to live page.

Travel

Bus travel

If you’re a care leaver aged 18 to 25 and live in the West of England, you can claim free bus travel through the Travel West website.

If you live outside of this area, we’ll help you find a similar scheme or offer you financial support to make sure you can get where you need to go.

Driving

We will support you by funding and helping you to apply for:

  • a provisional driving license
  • your theory test
  • up to 10 driving lessons

Identification Documents (ID)

Once you turn 16, you will need formal documents to access things like benefits and employment. We will pay for and support you in getting identity documents:

  • birth certificate
  • passport
  • provisional driving license

Savings

When you come into care, your social worker will have planned so that money can be saved for you. 

You will be able to access these savings when your reach 18. Any savings you have built up will be discussed as part of the pathway planning process so that when you turn 18 you will have had time to think about how you might want to spend it.

Birthdays, religious festivals and special events

We will give you birthday money up until your 21st birthday.

  • 16, 17 and 18 years: £60
  • 19, 20 and 21 years: £50

We will support you to celebrate important festivals throughout the year such as Christmas, Eid, Diwali or Hanukah. You will receive £60 per year up until your 21st birthday to spend on celebrating religious events.

If you also have a celebration event like a wedding or graduation, we will also send you money as a gift.

We will also give you a home support voucher of £50 at Christmas from the age of 18 up until your 25th birthday.

Emergency financial assistance

Your personal advisor will support you if you find yourself in an emergency financial situation. If this keeps happening, we will help you with budgeting.

You may be able to get additional support through the welfare provision scheme. You can apply twice in a 12-month period. This can help you with furniture, white goods, gas and electricity, food, clothing, footwear and travel. 

You can check eligibility and apply through our Welfare provision scheme webpage. Your personal advisor can also help you apply.

Funding from grants and other schemes

The Spark Foundation provides grants for care leavers to get white goods, bikes and driving lessons.

The Rees Foundation provides financial help for care leavers such as crisis payments or to support with education.

The Capstone Care Leavers Trust provides grants for former relevant care leavers to get household items, training courses, education equipment and driving lessons.

Young parents can apply for Healthy Start vouchers to help purchase milk, fruit and vegetables.

Young parents under 20 and in full-time education can apply for the Care to Learn scheme to help with childcare costs while they study.

Buttle can provide packages of support for children and young people including:

  • items and activities to support learning and development
  • clothing and uniforms
  • social and leisure activities
  • and household items not available from other sources

For any further information, you can speak with your allocated social worker or personal advisor. You can also access free advice from Citizens Advice.