Wiltshire Council

Care leavers receive priority for social housing

Priority is offered up to the age of: 25

Banding priority is: Band 1

Additional information / how to qualify:
Any Wiltshire Care experienced young person aged under 25 who is assessed as ready for independent living will be placed into Band 1 in the care experienced category and will automatically have a local connection to Wiltshire if they are ready for independent living

Before applying for social housing, the allocated SW or PA will need to take into account whether the young person -

understands the responsibility of managing their own tenancy
has completed the council’s tenancy awareness course
has a local connection to the area where they are seeking accommodation

PAs and SWs should understand the detail of what a housing application and choice-based lettings involves and ensure they have got the information and evidence to be able to make an application for the scheme with the young person in a timely manner that allows for plenty of time to allow for the young person to find the right accommodation for them and make a planned move on into it.

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

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

Details:
When assessed as necessary and the right accommodation for the young person.

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

Details:
If a young person is in receipt of the housing benefit element of Universal credit, then young person is eligible for Discretionary Housing Payment – either upfront rent or deposit but not both. If young person is not in receipt of Universal credit then in practice, we are using the Leaving Care Grant to make a deposit, any agency costs plus rent in advance.

Care leavers are provided with a setting up allowance

Allowance amount: ££3,000 for young people turning 18 after 1st April 2023. £2,000 for others.

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

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

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

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

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

Wiltshire Council will not pay towards cooking equipment for care leavers

Wiltshire Council offers work experience within the council for care leavers

Number of places per year: No fixed number

Wiltshire Council will pay for work/interview clothes

Wiltshire Council will pay towards travel to work or training

There are no ringfenced apprenticeship vacancies for care leavers at Wiltshire Council

Care leavers are working as apprenticeships within Wiltshire Council

Number per year: No fixed number, currently 2

Additional information about work and training:
We have developed a ‘whole council’ offer with each department in the local authority and have written a directory of employment offers for care leavers and distributed to PA’s and directly to care experienced young people. Our care experienced adults can also be paired with a work mentor/buddy in the Council to support them into the work place /employment. PA’s take specific young people to the EET subgroup for discussion about their Education, Employment and training needs. Education and Skills Career Fair taking place in October 2023 is open to all young people (including our care leavers) and links with other partners and community businesses

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

Passport: Yes

Provisional Driving Licence: No

Birth Certificate: Yes

Wiltshire Council in principle will assist with driving lessons

Wiltshire Council in principle will assist with driving theory tests

Wiltshire Council in principle will assist with driving tests

Wiltshire Council in principle will assist with CBT tests

Partners local to Wiltshire 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:
Representatives of the Children in Care Council which includes Care Leavers meet with the members of the Corporate parenting panel via what we call “Shared Guardian Sessions”. In the past these sessions have immediately followed a meeting of the Corporate parenting panel (at which CiCC representatives are also able to attend and contribute) and in pre-Covid times they commenced around 5pm and were held in the Cotswold space which is area used by the café at County Hall (with light refreshments provided as the children had usually come straight from school/college) and went on until about 6.30pm. These were usually held in March and September each year. More recently these sessions have been held online. The next SGS is 18th March 2021 at 4.30pm where the corporate parents have been invited to attend the CiCC meeting.

Wiltshire Council has a children in care and care leavers council

Details of council:
In financial year 2022/2023 48 children attended our children in care council (25 females, 23 males).
Since 2021, we have engaged with 91 children in care and care experienced adults (care leavers) through our CiCC and other youth voice initiatives
The age range for CiCC is 9 – 17, the average age is 14
You can contact [email protected], also there is a referral form built into our case management system, Liquid Logic.

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

Children in care and care leavers council has its own constitution

Details:
The CiCC co-produced Wiltshire Council’s Promise to children in care. They review this on a 6 month basis, officers and members present their progress to a sub committee of the children in care council, called the CiCC Committee.

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

Wiltshire Council has other mentoring schemes

Details:
Grand mentors is a programme where volunteers age 50+ support a young person leaving the care system to achieve their goals. These could be around education, training or employment, independent living skills or confidence and self-esteem.

https://volunteeringmatters.org.uk/project/grandmentors/

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 young persons Personal Advisor (PA) supports them.