Support
It's important that we provide you with the best support we can offer.
This could be from your personal adviser or from other services that offer advocacy or support groups in the area you live.
Who care leavers are
When you leave care, we will continue to support you. The level of support we give you depends on your age, when you were in care and for how long.
See Coram Voice: My rights when leaving care to see what your legal status is and what you are entitled to.
You are an eligible care leaver if you are aged 16 or 17 and;
- are currently in the care of the local authority and;
- have been in the care of the local authority for a period of 13 weeks (or periods amounting to 13 weeks), beginning after you reached 14. This must include at least 1 day while you were 16 or 17 years old.
You are a relevant care leaver if you are 16 or 17 and;
- were previously an eligible care leaver
- have left care.
A relevant care leaver can include those that:
- have been detained through the criminal justice system (on remand or serving a sentence), or;
- were detained in hospital on their 16th Birthday.
You are a former relevant care leaver if you are:
- 18-25 and were previously an eligible or relevant care leaver.
If at the age of 21 you are still being helped by Kirklees Council with education or training then you'll remain a Former Relevant care leaver, at least until you are 25.
If you are still in higher education after your 25th birthday then we will continue to support you until you complete the course.
You are a qualifying young person if you are 16-21 and:
- have been in care at some point after your 16th birthday for less than 13 weeks since the age of 14
- have been privately fostered at any time after reaching the age of 16 but before reaching the age of 18
- were in the care of the local authority prior to becoming subject to a Special Guardianship Order (SGO)
If you are a care leaver aged 21-24 you can request support from a leaving care Personal Advisor up to the age of 25.
If you were in care or looked after by Kirklees Council and need support, then contact customer services on 01484 221000.
A Personal Advisor will then arrange to see you to complete an assessment of what support you need. This could be from the Leaving Care Service, or you may be signposted to other services.
Care Leaver Covenant
Care leavers and support workers can sign up to Connects Care Leaver Covenant . They will keep you up-to-date with relevant work, education and recreational opportunities, as well as information about the support that care leavers may be able to access. In addition to this, care leavers will be automatically entered into give-aways.
Become
Become offers various information and support to children in care and care leavers up to the age of 27, including free coaching for care experienced young people aged 16-27, community groups, and information and support around education, training and employment. Become have a Care Advice Line - a helpline for children in care and care leavers and contact can be made via phone or email. For further details about 'Become', the information and support they offer, and their contact details, please visit their website.
