Priority need

Care leavers

Whether or not you have priority need will depend on your circumstances, the evidence you provide, and the advice we receive from other organisations supporting you.

The county council social services team that last looked after you as a child is responsible for you (even if you move to a different area), until your 21st birthday, or your 25th birthday if you are still in education or training.

If you are from Staffordshire, find out more on Staffordshire County Council's care leavers' website. If you lived elsewhere as a child, please visit your home county council's website. 

You should be provided with a pathway plan by your county council social services team before you leave care - this will set out what support you need to live independently. Find out more about pathway plans, leaving foster or local authority care.

You should also be assigned a personal adviser whose job it is to make sure that you claim everything you are entitled to and get the support you need - your adviser can help you with application forms for housing, benefits, and education and/or training courses. They should also help you with learning life skills, like how to budget.

Your personal adviser should stay in contact with you and provide ongoing support until your 21st birthday, or your 25th birthday, if you are studying full time - we recommend you speak to your home county council social services team.

If you were not assigned a personal adviser when you left care, you may still be able to access the support of a personal adviser - we recommend you speak to your home county council social services team.

Help for 16 and 17 year old care leavers

Councils across Staffordshire have signed up to a joint homelessness protocol for 16 and 17 year olds that sets out our approach.

Housing support

If you have already left care, and you spent a total of at least 13 weeks in care since the age of 14, and part of that time in care was while you were 16 or 17, you will be able to get help finding somewhere to live from your county counciil's social services.

It doesn't matter if those 13 weeks were not all at the same time - you 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 threatened with homelessness and are working with a social worker, make them aware and they will be able to provide relevant advice and assistance.

Any accommodation should be suitable for you - you may get a place in a hostel or a self-contained flat. In some cases, you could be offered a place in a children's home or foster care. Ask your personal adviser to help you if you have problems in your accommodation.

If you are a care leaver moving to a new home, you can get a setting up home allowance (also known as a leaving care grant) to help you buy essential things when moving into your own home - speak to your personal adviser about this.

Ongoing financial support

Most 16 or 17 year old care leavers are not eligible for benefits.

The children’s services department of Staffordshire County Council will help you by:

  • supporting you financially by paying you enough for your rent, food, bills, travel costs
  • providing support for education and training, clothing, pocket money and childcare if you need it
  • giving you any other support you need, such as help with continuing your education, finding work or dealing with personal problems

You can usually only claim benefits if you are a 16 or 17 year old care leaver and you are also a single parent, or you are unable to work because of a disability or illness. Find out more about benefit rules at www.turn2us.org.uk

Help for young adult (over 18s) care leavers

Councils across Staffordshire have signed up to a joint homelessness protocol for 18 - 25 year olds that sets out our approach.

Housing support for 18 - 25 year olds

If you are aged 18 to 25 and facing homelessness, you can get help from both Staffordshire County Council’s Children’s Service and our housing options team.

You are automatically classed as being in ‘priority need’ until your 21st birthday, which means our housing team will support you to find a place to live. If you are aged 18 to 25 and spent at least one night in care when you were 16 or 17, you are automatically classed as being in priority need until your 21st birthday, or your 25th birthday if you re still studying full time.

If you are under 25 and normally live in a different area to that of the county council that owes you leaving care duties, and have done for at least two years, including some time before you turned 16, you will also have a local connection in that area.

Any accommodation should be suitable for you - you may get a place in a hostel or a self-contained flat. Ask your personal adviser to help you if you have problems in your accommodation. If you are in full-time further or higher education, your home county council social services must find you somewhere to live during holiday periods if you need it.

If you are a care leaver moving to a new home, you can get a setting up home allowance (also known as a leaving care grant) to help you buy essential things when moving into your own home - speak to your personal adviser about this.

  • You may be entitled to a housing support payment to help pay for any rent in advance or moving expenses. 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.
  • The Care Leavers Foundation can offer modest but vital grants to care leavers aged 18-29 who are in crisis, or who want to take control of their lives and develop new skills. Call 01678 540598 or visit www.thecareleaversfoundation.org

Housing support for older care leavers

Some older care leavers can get accommodation from our housing team if they are in priority need.

For example, this may be the case if you:

  • are vulnerable as a result of having been in care
  • haven't had a stable home since you left care
  • have slept on the streets in the past
  • you are in full-time further or higher education and you have nowhere to stay outside term time,

Any accommodation should be suitable for you - you may get a place in a hostel or a self-contained flat. Ask your personal adviser to help you if you have problems in your accommodation.

  • If you are a care leaver moving to a new home, you can get a setting up home allowance (also known as a leaving care grant) to help you buy essential things when moving into your own home - speak to your personal adviser about this.
  • You may be entitled to a housing support payment to help pay for any rent in advance or moving expenses. 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.
  • The Care Leavers Foundation can offer modest but vital grants to care leavers aged 18-29 who are in crisis, or who want to take control of their lives and develop new skills. Call 01678 540598 or visit www.thecareleaversfoundation.org

Other support for care leavers aged 18+

As a care leaver you should continue to receive help and advice from the county council social services team who looked after you as a child, until your 21st birthday, or 25th if you are still in education or training.

Your personal advisor should still keep in touch and should go over your pathway plan with you to see how you are getting on.

Ask your social services team to help you if you need support to continue with your education or find training or employment. They may be able to help with the cost of living near your college, training centre or workplace.

Lichfield District Council works closely with Staffordshire Leaving Care Team to help ensure care leavers' first tenancies are successful - you can also ask for support from our tenancy sustainment team.

Ongoing financial support

When you turn 18 you are entitled to claim Universal Credit - find out more about universal credit.

Usually if you are aged under 35 and you rent from a private landlord, the maximum Universal Credit you can get is the same rate you would get for renting a single room in a shared house, however if you've been in care, this doesn't apply until you turn 22.

You should be entitled to Universal Credit even if you have just spent one night in care.

There is a maximum amount that you can be paid, which depends on the area you live in - see the local housing allowance rates.

Useful organisations