Councils given leaving care guidelines

Introduction to Leaving Care has been put together by The National Care Advisory Service and the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum. It sets out the services that the local authority in its role as corporate parent should provide for its young people when they leave care.

This includes giving them practical support to prepare for independence, such as budgeting and life skills and emotional support. They should also be given the opportunity to stay in care until they are ready to leave.

Young people should be given a range of accommodation options and good partnership working between housing and leaving care services are important ways of supporting young people, it adds.

John Hill, national manager of the Care Advisory Service, said: "This joint piece of work reflects the commitment of the National Care Advisory Service and the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum to high quality support, services and parenting to care leavers."