Agenda item

To receive the updated Care Leaver Offer and Care Leaver Charter prior to its publication.

Kelli Eboji (Head of LAC and Permanency, Brent Council) introduced the report which presented the revised local offer for care leavers. In presenting the report, she advised members that the local authority was required to consult on and produce a local offer for care leavers under Section 2 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017. The offer provided care leavers with information about services and support available to them including both statutory entitlements and discretionary support. The local offer was first implemented in 2018 and refreshed in 2022, and it was now being presented with a refreshed offer again alongside an updated care leaver charter. The revised offer also made links with the previous item on the agenda considering care as a protected characteristic.

In detailing the revised care leaver offer, Kelli Eboji highlighted that, as of the end of March 2024, Brent Council was responsible for 564 care leavers, 164 of which were between 22-25 years old. Some of the additions to the offer were outlined in section 4.4 of the report and included; eligibility to apply for the Digital Resident Support Fund for a device and 12-month free fibre connectivity in their home; all eligible care leavers claiming universal credit would be able to apply for free internet access from internet provider TalkTalk; and expansion of the Grandmentors scheme to recruit mentors from within the Council and offer mentorship to care leavers; a rent deposit scheme to care leavers for whom private rented accommodation was deemed a suitable housing option; half price bus and tram travel, or free bus and travel for care leavers in education, employment and training with the Council paying the remaining half; an increase in the statutory care leaver allowance for care leavers to purchase essentials when they move into their first home, at £3,000, or £3,250 for single parents; an increase in festival and birthday allowances, in line with similar London local authorities.

The Chair thanked Kelli Eboji for her introduction and invited contributions from the Committee, with the following points raised:

CLIA fed back that free internet and discounts on bus and tram travel would be particularly useful for them. They queried why the birthday and festival allowance only applied to those under 21 years old when the Council had a duty to care leavers up to the age of 25. Afzal Ahmed (Service Manager for Leaving Care, Brent Council) explained that the Council’s financial duties were up to the age of 21 and anything additional provided to 21-25 year olds was discretionary. The majority of local authorities stopped birthday and festival allowances at age 21, although there were other financial incentives available for care leavers between 21-25 years old. Nigel Chapman (Corporate Director Children and Young People, Brent Council) advised that increasing the age that care leavers were eligible for a festival and birthday allowance was aspirational, but the Council needed to balance that against budgetary pressures, with children’s services stretched in what it could do to expand that offer. He highlighted this could be looked at again in future if budgetary pressures were alleviated.

Nicole Levy (Service Manager- Quality Assurance and Learning and Development, Brent Council) advised members that, in the discussions officers had with care leavers regarding the local offer, they had considered what the Corporate Parenting Committee could do politically to promote, enhance or advocate for additional offers for care leavers. The Chair highlighted that a motion would be presented to Full Council regarding care as a protected characteristic which would provide a strong and practical way forward to ensure care experienced young people were considered in all Council services and decisions. CLIA asked to be involved in the preparation of any motion to Full Council.

The Committee asked how often the local offer was reviewed and revised, noting the incoming Autumn Budget due from Central Government at the end of October might bring additional options for the local offer. They were advised that the local offer was usually revised on a three-yearly cycle, but if the government announced significant changes in funding for local authorities then officers and young people would need to revise the offer or annexe it with changes.

Going forward, CLIA asked for a feedback loop from Committee members where they had taken away actions to progress the local offer.

As no further comments were raised, the Committee RESOLVED to endorse the updated Care Leavers Offer and the work undertaken to date to ensure that the local authority and partners were effective corporate parents.