Kirklees

Care leavers receive priority for social housing

Priority is offered up to the age of: 21 or but this can be extended to 25 if our young people are continuing to access the support of the LC service.

Banding priority is: B

Additional information / how to qualify:
Our care leavers qualify for the banding in respect of their first home i.e. move to independence. Further offers linked with their Leaving care status are dependent on assessment of need and situation.

Care leavers do not get to practice independent living with taster flats

Kirklees will not in principle assist as a guarantor for care leavers in private rented property

Kirklees in principle will assist with providing a deposit for care leavers in private rented property

Details:
According to assessed need.

Care leavers are provided with a setting up allowance

Allowance amount: ££2000 Currently

Kirklees in principle will assist with support to pay at least the first year TV licence for care leavers

Kirklees will not in principle assist with support to pay at least the first year home contents insurance for care leavers

Kirklees will not in principle assist with support to pay for redecoration costs of a care leavers first flat

Kirklees in principle will assist with support with broadband costs for care leavers

Kirklees in principle will assist with support with mobile phone costs for care leavers

Kirklees will pay towards cooking equipment for care leavers

Kirklees offers work experience within the council for care leavers

Number of places per year: We have a “Saturday jobs” project that offers some work experience on a short “taster” basis to our care leavers. Opportunities can be in any area of the council, and is not actually limited to Saturdays !- Unfortunately this had needed to be put this on

Kirklees will pay for work/interview clothes

Kirklees will pay towards travel to work or training

There are no ringfenced apprenticeship vacancies for care leavers at Kirklees

Care leavers are working as apprenticeships within Kirklees

Number per year: At least 5 over the last 3 years

Kirklees will ensure each young person has ID documents when they leave care

Passport: Yes

Provisional Driving Licence: Yes

Birth Certificate: Yes

Kirklees in principle will assist with driving lessons

Kirklees in principle will assist with driving theory tests

Kirklees in principle will assist with driving tests

Kirklees in principle will assist with CBT tests

Partners local to Kirklees do not offer support with free travel for care leavers

Care leavers have the opportunity to meet with their corporate parents (councillors)

Care leavers have the opportunity for mentoring with any of the senior leadership team

Kirklees has a children in care and care leavers council

Children in care and care leavers council has its own bank account

Children in care and care leavers council does not have its own constitution

Kirklees does not have peer mentors (other care leavers)

Kirklees has other mentoring schemes

Details:
We have a mentoring offer for apprentices within Kirklees.

Young people do not have to go through the complaints dept to access their care files

Young people who access their care files get emotional support before, during and after disclosure

Details:
This support offer comes from the leaving care service and is usually provided by a young persons own PA, who is usually the best person to offer this support, given their relationship. We however do carefully asses what support our young people need in each given situation, e.g. in a situation of a one of our young people wanting to access their files whilst serving a custodial sentence, the PA worked closely with the prison’s pastoral care support. In another situation funding was agreed for a PA who was leaving the service part way through file access work, to complete that work, using sessional payments, to enable that young person to complete the
work with a trusted person.