Wakefield Council

Care leavers receive priority for social housing

Priority is offered up to the age of: 21

Banding priority is: A

Additional information / how to qualify:
The Young Person’s Personal Assistant needs to complete a Housing Needs Panel report to evidence they can manage a tenancy. There is a protocol with Housing in place.

Care leavers get to practice independent living with taster flats

Additional information:
Wakefield Council has approximately 50 beds for CIC/CL where young people live usually prior to turning 18. The aim is for the Young Person to develop skills whilst living in semi independence. The stay is usually around six months

Wakefield Council in principle will assist as a guarantor for care leavers in private rented property

Details:
This is part of the Local Offer to Care Leavers, the Personal Assistant will ask the Service Manager for approval and she is named as guarantor.

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

Details:
The Local Authority pays the bond for the property and a letter is sent to the letting agency requesting the bond is returned to the Local Authority if/when the tenancy ends.

Care leavers are provided with a setting up allowance

Allowance amount: ££2000

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

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

Wakefield Council in principle will assist with support to pay for redecoration costs of a care leavers first flat

Wakefield Council in principle will assist with support with broadband costs for care leavers

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

Wakefield Council will pay towards cooking equipment for care leavers

Wakefield Council offers work experience within the council for care leavers

Number of places per year: We do not have a set number, this is requested on a case by case basis.

Wakefield Council will pay for work/interview clothes

Wakefield Council will pay towards travel to work or training

There are ringfenced apprenticeship vacancies for care leavers at Wakefield Council

We do not have a set number we put in requests to different departments if there is an expression of interest. apprenticeship vacancies are ringfenced a year

Care leavers are working as apprenticeships within Wakefield Council

Number per year: 7

Additional information about work and training:
We provide clear HE support

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

Passport: Yes

Provisional Driving Licence: Yes

Birth Certificate: Yes

Wakefield Council in principle will assist with driving lessons

Wakefield Council in principle will assist with driving theory tests

Wakefield Council in principle will assist with driving tests

Wakefield Council in principle will assist with CBT tests

Partners local to Wakefield Council 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

Additional details:
Councillors have offered this opportunity but there is no record that there has been any take up.

Wakefield Council has a children in care and care leavers council

Children in care and care leavers council does not have its own bank account

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

Details:
We have a terms of reference not a constitution.

Wakefield Council does not have peer mentors (other care leavers)

Wakefield Council has other mentoring schemes

Details:
Peer mentoring is a work in progress project being undertaken by the Participation Worker.

Engie provide a mentoring service to our young people.

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:
The Personal Assistant will talk to the young person prior to accessing their files and advise. They offer to support them with looking at their files and ensure they are available to answer any questions.

The Personal Assistants recognize the impact of reading the files, the information written from one person’s perspective, that the young people may come away with more questions, and that what they read can be upsetting for the young person. Work is done around preparing young people should they decide they wish to read their files. They are advised too, around the timing of this due to the potential impact. Ultimately it is the young person’s decision when and how they read their files.