Who is a care leaver?

You are an eligible care leaver if:

• you are currently looked after; and
• you're aged 16 or 17; and
• you have been looked after for a period of 13 weeks (or periods amounting to 13 weeks) which began after you reached 14 and ended after you reached 16

You are a relevant care leaver if you are no longer looked after by the local authority, but:

• you have been ‘eligible’; and
• you're aged 16 or 17
• immediately before being detained or in hospital you were ‘eligible’; or
• you’ve lived for a continuous period of 6 months or more with a parent or someone with parental responsibility and those arrangements have broken down

You are a former relevant care leaver if:

• you are aged 18 years or above, and either have been a 'relevant' or 'eligible' child when under 18

You are a qualifying care leaver if:

• you are at least 16 but under 21; and
• you were looked after immediately prior to the making of a special guardianship order which was in force when you reached 18; or
• if at any time after reaching the age of 16, but before reaching the age of 18 you have been a looked after child, accommodated by or on behalf of a voluntary organisation, registered children’s home, or by a health authority or privately fostered

As a qualifying care leaver, you are able to ask for advice and befriending. You can get some assistance with costs associated with education, based on a needs assessment. This will be completed by the Transition and Leaving Care team. You will not be entitled to the full care leaver offer.

We'll contact you when you're 17 to explain your rights as a qualifying care leaver. We will ask for your permission to keep in touch so we can share information that might be helpful for you.