Staying Put financial advice

[Iloveagoodnap]

Hi, my eldest foster child is due to turn 18 soon and wants to stay with us. Nothing official has been put in place yet though we have a meeting very soon, but I don’t really understand the financial side of things.

My fostering officer has said that on his 18th birthday he must apply for benefits and then that will form part of any financial package he and I receive. That seems totally against what I would do with my birth child. If he was my birth child I would continue to support him financially until he left full time education. I wouldn’t expect him to pay me rent or anything. Once he was finished with his education I would expect him to find a job and to pay me a small amount of board out of his wages. I did ask my FO if we could opt out of any finances but she said that if he didn’t apply then he would then have to start paying for things like prescriptions and eye tests which he will continue to get free if he applies for benefits. So that kind of thing might be worth having financial help with. But then another foster carer I know said that a lot of kids are not entitled to benefits anyway but the foster carer continues to get an allowance from social services for the 18+ year old. So then is there even any point in applying anyway? As a family we don’t get any kind of benefits. I am the primary foster carer and my husband works a separate job full time.

I don’t want my foster son to start adult life thinking that claiming benefits is anything other than a last resort for people who really need it. I want him to continue at college and then get a job and save up enough money to move out when he’s a bit older and able to support himself. Does anyone have any advice please?

I have had several young people remain with us on Staying Put. I am not sure if the arrangements are different in particular areas, but in my county the young person applies for Universal Credit and is able to also apply for Housing Benefit, which the young person gives to the foster carers. There do seem to be other financial benefits for the young person as long as they remain in full time education or on an apprenticeship (help with travel to college for example) and I was told recently they can get help with driving lessons too. We have just had a 21 year old leave for his first flat and he received a grant to help him with furniture and as a care leaver is exempt from paying council tax until they are 25.

It IS very different to having your own child, and how my own children were at that age, who as you say pay their way once they start earning and have never claimed benefits (and would never have been entitled to them anyway). Actually there are many financial advantages to being a care leaver (see above) and I have found some young people can be entitled because of that. So I think encouraging a work ethic is even more important and understand what you say about them automatically relying on benefits is the wrong message somehow.

You usually have to sign some kind of contract between the young person and their ex foster carers too. So you both know where you stand. Though they have all remained part of our family even once they have left our home.