Care Leavers - Your accommodation and where you live

Semi-independent accommodation offers a high level of round-the-clock support to young people. Each young person has their own room, with sharing communal areas and a kitchen. You will be supported by a staff team who will work with you to complete the ‘Key to My Future’ programme to help prepare you for independent living.

Read more about Semi-independent Accommodation

Key things to remember:

There will be staff in the accommodation 24 hours a day to support you in improving your independent living skills.

Supported accommodation offers a supportive package for young people who are ready for independent accommodation but still need help to develop the skills needed for independent living. There is a range of supported accommodation on offer in Doncaster, for example, shared houses or single flats.

You can read more about the accommodation available on the links below: 

Read more about Supported Accommodation on the YMCA website

Key things to remember:

You will still have a support worker who will help you settle in and ensure that you have what you need.

There will be staff on hand to support and guide you. They might be there for certain parts of the day or for 24 hours.

Independent housing in Doncaster is provided by St Leger Homes. There are four levels of priority - Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. When you reach the age of 17 your Social Worker or PA will support you in completing the necessary form to make sure that you receive Gold priority.

Read more about tenancy support on the St Leger Homes website

Key things to remember: 

To access independent housing you will need to have completed the Key to My Future programme.

St Leger offers continued tenancy support if needed.

Continuing to live with your foster carers after you have turned 18 is called ‘Staying Put’. Staying Put is available to any eligible young person approaching 18 who wishes to continue living with their foster carers. If your foster carers are unable to offer Staying Put, we can consider another foster placement for you if you want us to. You can continue with this arrangement until you are 21 years old. This will not affect your entitlement to housing when you leave ‘Staying Put’, as you are still a priority.

Staying Put is still an option if you go away to university or are engaging in another training programme that requires you to live away from home during term time.

If you are in Further Education, then you are entitled to Universal Credit and Housing Benefit. (Please see the Staying Put policy). Your PA will help you to make this claim.

Read more about Staying Put on the St Leger Homes website

Key things to remember: 

• Staying Put can help you to maintain a supportive relationship with your foster carers.
• If you decide to ‘Stay Put’, we will still help you to apply for independent accommodation after you are 21.
• You don't need to be in a rush to get your own flat! Living on your own can be hard; make sure you make the right choice for you.
• Speak to your social worker, independent reviewing officer or support worker if you would like to find out more.

Young people who have a disability and who want to continue to live with their foster carers is called ‘Shared Lives’. Shared Lives is available to any young person approaching 18 who is in need of adult care services.

You can find out more about Shared Lives on the Shared Lives Plus website. 

You can read more about the support available in the Borough on Doncaster Council website. 

Key things to remember:

• Shared Lives can help you maintain a supportive relationship with your foster carers.
• Your Social Worker will assess whether this option is right for you.
• Speak to your social worker, independent reviewing officer or support worker if you would like to find out more.

Council Tax is a payment made to the Local Authority by every household; it is used to fund local services. As a young person leaving care, you do not have to pay this until you reach 25 years of age.

Key things to remember:

Funds have now been made available to pay the Council Tax bill for those care leavers living outside of Doncaster. If you receive a council tax bill, please speak to your PA who will help you sort this out.

You will have to pay council tax when you reach 25.

We will arrange for someone to support you with understanding how to maintain your property. They will be able to help you with any DIY and maintenance needs you may have.

Key things to remember: 

You will need to tell us if you require help and support to fix something. 

Young people who are in prison will still have the continued support of their PA. We will work with you and your prison support worker to make sure you are well supported when you are released from prison.

There will be an initial payment of £40 for the month while assessments are completed.

Up to £10 per week can be agreed following the assessment.

Where there is an opportunity to earn additional money whilst in prison, then you will be supported to do so.

Your support worker and PA will support you in planning for your release.

We will support you with:

• Funds for basic living items
• Planning for your release.

Going to university provides an exciting opportunity for you to develop many of the essential skills you may need in your choice of career and working life. Your PA can support you in deciding whether university is for you and help you access the relevant information to make an informed choice. They can also support you with university visits, your application to university and your application for financial support from Student Finance England; if you need them to, they will also liaise directly with the university to ensure that all other support is available to you.

If you are a care leaver and you decide that higher education or a university degree course is for you, we will also provide you with the following financial support:

Accommodation costs (up to 52 weeks if needed)

A bursary of £2000 each year which is paid as a weekly amount of £38.46. This is in addition to the support you are entitled to from Student Finance England

All young people have to apply for a Tuition Fee Loan for their course, each year.

The application forms, PN1 (New Students) and PR1 (Continuing Students) can be downloaded. However, it is recommended that you apply online.

Your PA will continue to support and guide you with any housing issues that you may face.

If you live in supported housing, you will also have a floating support worker who will continue to work with you to help you build your independence skills.

If you live in your own property, your PA can refer you to a floating support worker who will help with any issues you may face in your personal life and with practical aspects such as budgeting.

Read more about housing support on the Doncaster Housing for Young People website

If you are allocated a floating support worker and you do not attend meetings with them, then the support may stop.

Try to engage with your workers and get the maximum benefit from them. They are there to support you!

The Supporting My Future Workshops have been designed to support you in developing the skills that will enable you to live successfully in your home. The workshops can cover cooking to budgeting, filling in forms and understanding housing and tenancies and anything else you let us know that you need support with. We have also linked the workshops to the AQA unit award scheme so you will get an accreditation certificate for the workshops you attend.

The workshops are guided by what support you need, so your feedback to us is important to ensure that we get it right for you. The workshops are run in small groups. However, if this is difficult for you, let us know and we can look at an individual workshop for you.

Other young people help us to run the workshops and you will be given the opportunity to be part of this if this is something you want to get involved in.

These sessions are online and you will be supported in giving you access to them if you do not have a suitable device.

If you want to be part of delivering the workshops to other young people, speak to your PA.