Lib Dems seek to raise leaving residential care age to 21
Neil Puffett
Friday, April 24, 2015
The Liberal Democrats will push for the age young people leave residential care to be raised to 21 if it is in government after the general election, a senior figure in the party has said.
Speaking to CYP Now as part of an interview due to be published next Tuesday (28 April), Lord Storey, the party’s education spokesman in the House of Lords, said although the policy does not appear in the party’s manifesto, it is something it wants to implement.
“I think sometimes we get fixated on manifestos,” he said.
“These things are not always in the manifesto but if there is a will for it, it can happen and will happen.”
“I think it will happen.
“Once you have argued successfully for 21 for those children in foster care it has to be the same for those in residential care as well.”
Storey said the Liberal Democrats would be able to push for the change as part of coalition negotiations.
“What we know is that one party is not going to have overall control of government,” he said.
“There will be a coalition and we may be partners.
“In coalition there is a bit of give and take.
"I don't think anybody really thought five years ago that young people in foster care would be able to stay until 21 or that support for young carers would be provided.
"Those things happened because a bill came along and members were able to amend it.”
Calls for the age at which young people leave residential care to be raised have grown since the government last year introduced “Staying Put” arrangements for young people in foster care to be allowed to stay to 21.
And earlier this month Scotland raised the age for all children leaving care to 21.
Last week ADCS president Alison O'Sullivan vowed to make the extension of support rights for children in residential care a key goal of her time in office.
O'Sullivan said she will advocate for the Staying Put scheme, which enables young people to remain with their foster carers until they are 21 if they choose, to be extended to include children in residential care.
A scoping study into the feasibility changes, published in January, estimated that the annual cost of extending provision in such a way put the cost at £76m each year.