Financial support

Eligibility

You may be able to get financial help, if:

• You're over 16 years old and living semi-independently
• You're 18 years old and a care leaver
• You have no recourse to public funds

B&NES savings scheme

We have a scheme in place to provide a certain amount of money to young people leaving care, with a maximum amount of £1000. When you turn 18 years old, your Personal Adviser will help you use the money, which is intended to help you start out in adult life.

We can hold this money up to your 25th birthday to help you use it on a planned basis with your Personal Adviser, and with the agreement of our Team Manager. This money can be used to help pay for any of the following:

• Driving lessons
• Help towards buying a car
• Gap year travel
• Equipment for a course, career, hobby or leisure interest
• Discretionary items when setting up home
• Musical instrument

Junior ISA

If you've been in care for more than 12 months, you should also have a Junior ISA, which was set up with £200 by the Government. When you turn 18 years old, these accounts will be Adult ISAs or Adult Trust Funds, and you will be able to access this money.

We receive a letter from the scheme when you turn 18 years old, and then your Social Worker or Personal Adviser will be able to give you information about the money in your account, and advise you on how to access it. It's important that you think about what you want to spend it on (or save!), as once the money has been spent, it may be a long time before you're able to add to it again.

Extra financial support for 16 to 21 year olds

You will be given an annual clothing allowance between 16 and 20 years old.

You will also receive £50 of birthday money up to your 21st birthday, and a £50 ‘Festival’ gift once a year.

If you're serving a custodial sentence and you're aged 16 to 25 years old, you may be sent up to £10 per week towards the costs of phone calls and toiletries.

Maintenance 16 to 18

If you're a care leaver aged 16 to 18 and living semi-independently, we will give you maintenance at the Universal Credit rate and Housing Allowance level for rent to your provider. We will encourage you to stay or go back into education, find training or work. If you're working, we will take your wage account (however, we will always make sure you're better off and rewarded for working).

If you cannot evidence what you've been doing to find work, or you refuse opportunities, we will ask you to see your worker (or skills worker) before you receive your money. When we're concerned about how you're using your money, your support may then be in the form of food vouchers, instead of money.

Benefits

When you're about to turn 18, your worker (or skills worker) will help you apply for benefits, if eligible. Benefits will depend on your circumstances, such as, the level of your earnings, or if you're in education. Your worker will help you seek what you're entitled to from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP.

Whilst waiting for benefits to come through, you will need to evidence to your worker that you have done everything necessary to progress your claim in order for us to keep financially supporting you (for example, by signing on). You can sign a letter allowing us to talk to the DWP on your behalf. If you're a parent, you can access benefits rather than receive finance from us.

Accommodation and utility bills

To help you learn to budget and manage your finances in your first year living independently, we will pay up to £150 towards your Council Tax, if you're not eligible for BANES Council Tax Scheme (see 'Accommodation advice and support for care leavers' section for further details about the Council Tax Scheme).

We will also pay £150 towards the cost of your first year of utility bills (for example, water, gas and electric). Help will be paid in instalments on your key, token or bill, but not all at once and this is just for your first year of tenancy. Rents and deposits can be paid for care leavers when it's agreed you need to secure suitable accommodation.