Waltham Forest

Care leavers receive priority for social housing

Priority is offered up to the age of: 25

Banding priority is: Band 1 for first three months

Additional information / how to qualify:
Young people are supported by their LCC to apply for their council accommodation

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

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

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

Details:
This will depend on the personal circumstances of the young person and has to be needs assessed again.

Care leavers are provided with a setting up allowance

Allowance amount: £2000

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

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

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

Waltham Forest will not in principle assist with support with broadband costs for care leavers

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

Waltham Forest will pay towards cooking equipment for care leavers

Waltham Forest does not offer work experience within the council for care leavers

Waltham Forest will pay for work/interview clothes

Waltham Forest will pay towards travel to work or training

There are no ringfenced apprenticeship vacancies for care leavers at Waltham Forest

There are no care leavers working as apprenticeships within Waltham Forest

Additional information about work and training:
Sessions are set up with DWP/Virtual School to offer young people access to training session information session.

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

Passport: Yes

Provisional Driving Licence: Yes

Birth Certificate: Yes

Waltham Forest in principle will assist with driving lessons

Waltham Forest in principle will assist with driving theory tests

Waltham Forest in principle will assist with driving tests

Waltham Forest in principle will assist with CBT tests

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

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

Care leavers do not have the opportunity for mentoring with any of the senior leadership team

Waltham Forest has a children in care and care leavers council

Details of council:
Yes, we do, and we have a Executive Corporate parenting board who sits with young people. Young people also directly influence and sit on the Corporate parenting Board.

Under 12s (6 members) CICC (10/12 approximately) Care Champions (10/12 approximately).

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

Waltham Forest does not have peer mentors (other care leavers)

Waltham Forest has other mentoring schemes

Details:
We are in the process of setting up a mentoring scheme for young people in LBWF.

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:
A worker will be present. Young people request access and we request for information from our access to information officer who will be dealing with this.