Continuing Care: What is it?

There is an initiative called ‘Staying Put’ where “young people who are ‘looked after away from home’ - living with foster carers, kinship carers or in residential care – on or after their 16th birthday have legal rights and entitlements to stay in the same place with their same carers up until their 21st birthday.” The term of ‘leaving care’ is often used to describe moving on from the system you are currently in when you become an adult by law (16 years of age) but you should feel no pressure from anyone to ‘leave care’ when you turn 16. In fact, there should be no expectation to leave where you are living until you turn 21. 

Is there an application process? 

No. The local authorities have a legal duty to keep you where you are as long as you feel safe and are happy to stay where you are. There is no signup process, further assessments for your carer or yourself and no document to sign. You should feel supported to make this decision and you should feel comfortable making this decision with your carers, social worker and/or a trusted adult. If you do not feel supported in your decision, talk to your carer or connector or get in contact with The Why Not? Trust team so we can give you the support you deserve. 

What’s the Point? 

Making decisions about where to go for college or university, what career path to choose, finding a job are tricky for anyone and you deserve to be in a safe and supportive environment when making these decisions about your life. Or perhaps you still want guidance on saving up money for your own place, or how to cook healthy meals, or just want further support for your mental health. Continuing Care allows you to stay in the environment you feel most safe and supported for a bit longer to help with this transition into adulthood a little easier. 

How do I know if this initiative is for me? 

The ‘Staying Put’ initiative is for all those ‘looked after away from home’. As long as the environment you are being cared for is good for your wellbeing and welfare, you should be able to continue living where you are. 

This is a big decision, however, and not one that should be made lightly. It’s okay to be worried, uncertain, anxious or undecided. CELCIS recommend that you “take your time, talk to someone you trust and get independent advocacy if you’d find that helpful.” We totally agree. If you’d like to speak to a professional about this, get in touch with The Why Not? Trust Team, comment below or have a look at some of our recommended helplines in another blog. 

All of this information has been supplied by CELCIS and you can find the original page of information here.