LGA criticises funding shortfall for new care leaver duties

An initiative to support children leaving care has only enough funding to support one in five young people, councils have warned. Currently all care leavers are entitled to support from a personal adviser, providing them with practical and emotional support, up to the age of 21. But through a new duty introduced through the Children and Social Work Act 2017, from 1 April personal adviser support will extend to all carer leavers to age 25. Last month, the DfE announced it will increase funding to councils by £12m for the period up to 2021 to cover the new responsibility. However, the Local Government Association has warned that the government is providing only enough funding for 20 per cent of care leavers. This amounts to around 4,700 young people out of an estimated total of more than 23,000. Read more.