A care leaver is someone between the ages of 16 and 25 who has spent time in care of the council as a child or young person but has now left that care.
They may have left care before or after their 18th birthday.
As a care leaver you are entitled to support and services from the council. Your entitlement to support and services depends on your leaving care status. This status depends on how long you were in care and at what point you left care.
A care leaver can have one of the following status':
- eligible
- relevant
- former relevant
- or qualifying status.
Types of care leaver
You are an eligible care leaver if:
You are currently in care, aged 16 or 17 years old and you have been looked after for a period of 13 weeks (or periods amounting to 13 weeks) which began after you reached 14 years and ended after you reached 16 years.
You are a relevant care leaver if:
You are 16 or 17 years old, have left care and were previously an 'Eligible' (looked after) young person.
A relevant care leaver can include those who have been detained through the criminal justice system or were in hospital on their 16th birthday.
If there is a planned move for you to return home to your parents or someone with parental responsibility, then you will become a relevant young person.
After 6 months this changes to a young person qualifying for advice and assistance.
You are a former relevant care leaver if:
You are between 18 and 25 years old and were either a relevant or eligible care leaver when you were under 18 years old.
You are a qualifying care leaver if:
You are between 16 and 25 years old and you were in care prior to the making of a special guardianship order which was in force when you reached 18, or if you had been in care at any time when you were between 16 and 18 years old.
As a qualifying care leaver, you can access advice and assistance based on a needs assessment completed by the Care Leavers team.