How to help children coming out of foster care?

Something like this! Geez. Google is free.

Thank you for your clear explanation.

Hi Op i worked with a company who provide housing specifically for care leavers, they have a tenancy (rent paid by benefits usually) until they’re in their early 20s, so it helps them learn independence in terms of balancing bills, they get support to find a job and care leavers also have lots of support Available should they want to go to university,
from specific university schemes.

they’ve had very hard lives and are almost without exception traumatised. The properties we rented to them had frequent police visits and needed 24/7 security and support.

Rooms and doors were very frequently kicked down by gang members or drug dealers looking for residents. The residents were generally a lot of trouble and got into a lot of trouble and a good outcome is as basic as establishing a family relationship or staying in employment for a year.

and that is in the wealthiest home county in the uk

care leavers do need a lot of support and their outcomes ARE poor and even with excellent support their outcomes are far poorer than an average 18 year old. What they don’t need are unqualified people who don’t fully understand childhood trauma randomly trying to help them with coding, tbh.

This organisation is mainly in Scotland and provides mentoring support for care experienced young people.
https://mcrpathways.org/where-we-are/

@GRex

At the end of the day being a foster carer is a job. Many of the FCs I know do maintain contact with adult care leavers. But there could be many reasons why not.
I'm a FC, I've just been asked to take a 16 year old. All the young person wants really is taxi driver, someone to cook and do their laundry, be able to vape and come and go as they please.
I could be a more than OK foster carer for them, but they are clearly not interested in a family life, they are in a holding pattern until they get their own accommodation.
Once they are 18 and an adult, any authority you have as an FC is gone, you aren't much more than a landlady, to some potentially very difficult young people, who may have no real interest in remaining part of your family.
There are some wonderful young people in foster care, doing well and with a good future ahead of them. I'd suggest these are the ones who will maintain a relationship with their FC family.
Sadly there are many young people in FC who are very very challenging.
I've just had to say goodbye to a young person after they trashed my house and garden for the second time. I'm looking at 100s of pounds for repairs and replacements. I'm devastated for them, they aren't getting the help they need for their mental health. And I can't do anything about it. Yes I could battle on, keep getting my home trashed, keep picking up the bills but I have my own mental health and my son to consider.
This young person is 12, imagine an 18 year old behaving like that.
As much as I feel sympathy for that young person, sometimes there is only so much an FC can do, and it's nothing to do with whether they are a 'fit parent'

I must confess that I find it strange when some foster carers don't continue relations with the kids. The only 2 people I know personally who were in care both have ongoing family relationships with their last placement. A friend of ours works with a supported housing scheme locally for care leavers, so I'm well aware that a lot don't. I'm not sure how someone could be a fit parent to a 15yo, yet not want to keep in touch, invite for Christmas dinner etc.

Here there’s continued support for the young people who are “ageing out”, I think the leaving and aftercare team are involved from ages 16-21.
I would say this support still falls far short of the level of support a young person, particularly one who has been through the care system, actually requires.

@BoredZelda i don't disagree with a lot of your post but I have to disagree with this

SW is over-stretched and at best would provide sign-posting. Local Authorities have plenty of obligations they don’t meet and nothing could be done

Leaving care services are separate from main social work teams. Leaving care workers have caseloads of only careleavers and they do a huge amount of work. It's far more than signposting. I have been a leaving care personal adviser for 8 years, it's a challenging but amazing job.

When I was managing a Leaving Care team, we were lucky enough to have some premises to use as a day centre for the young people and we had numerous activities going on during the week, many of them with volunteers. We had arts and crafts, computers and so on.
Initially, we used a volunteers organisation that took care of essential things like police checks and supervision, but we later recruited some volunteers individually, which included interviews with a panel of young people.

Mentoring care experienced young adults is only in London on this link.

This is really unfair. I’d love to be able to help young people leaving care too. I am well aware of the lack of support for people leaving care, despite all the “they have a SW” and “the LA is obliged to help them” posts here. SW is over-stretched and at best would provide sign-posting. Local Authorities have plenty of obligations they don’t meet and nothing could be done.

Teenagers and young adults are failed by the system. Foster carers and adopters tend to prefer younger children. Once they have aged out of the system there are few structured support systems. I remember how difficult it can be going out into the big bad world, and not having someone to turn to for advice from your mum or dad, having a base to go back to, even just someone to share your successes with, these are hugely important.

I had the privilege to have opportunities that my stable family background gave me. I want to be able to do that for other young people. Not because I am a do-gooder and want a “pet” but because the world is on fire and every young person deserves the best start to help them on their way. My current situation means I’m not able to provide accommodation, but when that changes, I’m happy to do that. For now I’d like to do whatever I can. I already mentor a young person at school, but have the time to be able to do more. My intentions may also sound vague, but that’s because there are so few organisations in my area who provide this, I’m not sure where to start. I asked my Local Authority about it and they basically said “you’d have to become a foster carer” but again, for us, that isn’t possible right now.

The phrase “it takes a village” isn’t just about helping people with babies and toddlers in your social circle, it also applies to older kids who have no-one. I’d like to be part of that village. Providing help and support to those who need it, helps society too. People bitch and moan about the benefits bill and how many people aren’t working, this is one way to make sure those who are able can find work and become contributors. Are you doing anything to help, or just sniping from the sidelines at anyone who does?

What’s prompted this? If you don’t even know enough to guess that SW means social worker, why have you suddenly got this in mind? Your posts are a bit blunt and vague so it’s hard to follow.

Op are you looking to employ a care leaver?

Are you maybe better doing that through local schools?

I am sure you can find something in your area
https://family-action.org.uk/volunteers/mentor-a-care-experienced-young-adult/

There are charities where you mentor foster care leavers. You need to have a DBS and attend training and regular sessions with a supervisor.

Providing work experience could be really helpful - even apprenticeships.

I don't think there is a specific young person, OP just wants to "help" in general but knows nothing of the population she has in mind. Or he, I guess

She's said a few times there is no specific young person in mind

Are you related to the young person?

In my area they look for work experience placements for those children and the people who provide those do so on a voluntary basis. The companies need to agree but there are usually identified voluntary work place mentors, especially women for the girls interested in male dominated fields

Could you volunteer as an independent visitor?

Or if you have a spare room your could provide supported lodgings?

I have never known of a leaving care service taking on volunteers.

There may be a young people's centre near you OP that you could volunteer with? It wouldn't be solely for careleavers.

Alternatively you could get on linked in and see if you can connect with any social workers in the field on there and ask their advice? I have a friend who moved from corporate to social work and she's very proactive in trying to get organisations with charitable funds to spend involved in supporting looked after children.

Actually you said "not housing", so I guess they're not moving in with you. Your intentions seem rather vague though - a kind of general wanting to do good but knowing nothing about the people you want to help? Care leavers are not pets or special projects for do-gooders.

If you want to volunteer with children exiting care you need to approach the leaving and after care social work team, but to be honest you don't sound like you have the right experience. They will have LAC social workers and personal advisors/support workers who are properly trained to work with children who have experienced trauma.
You might be able to provide some work experience for those interested in tech.

She said there isn't a specific young person, she just wants to help young people leaving care.