Please sign This petition Ian Duncan Smith to live on £53 a week.

Dunroamin

mazza111 wrote: »

And where do they find these flat shares? They just magically appear do they? No flat shares available in this area at all, they are even less available than one bedroom properties. Unless you talk of a group of them. And yes, many of them are under achievers at school, does that mean we should just forget about them or try to get them improve their lives?

Staying on with foster carers isn't an option for a most of them. They just don't get that option.

I've lived all around the country and I've never known an area where there weren't opportunities to share or lodge. These opportunities are likely to increase with the reduction of HB for those with a spare room;).

Staying on with foster carers is quite common and will become more so with the new initiatives that are being introduced and, of course, quite a few care leavers return to live with their birth families.

Sticking them in 2 bed flats they can't afford to run and which tether them to high unemployment areas seems to me one of the worst things anybody could do to a care leaver.

mysterywoman10

bloolagoon wrote: »

Surely that highlights how much we as a society are letting these young people down. If any of my loved ones wanted to move into a 2 bedroom place I'd raise the roof on affordability, waste and need to have company. Why do we treat them so badly when as you point out, no rational parent would allow their loved ones to move into a 2 bed and be fully supportive.

We should be encouraging them to share a 2 bed with another leaver.

I have vast experience in this area and can say that they are then often targeted by older members of community as a doss house, party house and these vulnerable are taken advantage of and expected to offer overnight to many others, extra bills to accommodate their overnight stays, parties, fridge raiding, the list goes on. I feel sure shared accommodation would resolve part of this.

As a parent and someone who cares for young adults greatly, I would never advocate a 2 bedroom place they cannot afford to keep and also the magnet attraction of a spare place to doss for those who seek advantage.

Why do we treat care leavers so badly, surely we look after their interests more?

Your son is at University (if I have that correct), as a loving parent there is no way in this world, you would want him living in a 2 bedroom home alone and supporting this, so why do this to care leavers?

Actually he prefers to be on his own (that's another story!! I'd rather he wasn't and was sharing which he will do) but I take your point I think it would be good to get two care leavers to share etc. but that does happen a neighbour of mine helps set up small homes for 16+ care leavers to live independently together.

To be honest though whether they are sharing or not, living on £57 a week is going to be very hard. I just wish we were creating more opportunities for young people in general in terms of jobs and opportunities.

OH is dealing with a case at the moment in his 40's ex care leaver, totally blind, just managed to get him in a one bed it's a very challenging case. He was on the streets, so clearly the system has failed

bloolagoon

I have said I could not live on £53 a week, far better benefits to cut, but still I'd rather not see any young person (under 25) living alone unless vast parental support, particularly if vulnerable.

I have seen the vultures that surround them and the lend they take, it is not fair at all.

If they were paired with for arguments sake a more mature person, they would have a mentor, someone to really help them.

Dumping them in a household they can never afford, even when working is setting them up for failure and a life as easy pickings.

If you see the merits of sharing, why do we set these emotionally babies up for a short fall. No way will they earn enough, it's like condemning to a life on benefits sanction because SW and others cannot be chewed to do the job they are paid for

mazza111

Dunroamin wrote: »

I've lived all around the country and I've never known an area where there weren't opportunities to share or lodge. These opportunities are likely to increase with the reduction of HB for those with a spare room;).

Staying on with foster carers is quite common and will become more so with the new initiatives that are being introduced and, of course, quite a few care leavers return to live with their birth families.

Sticking them in 2 bed flats they can't afford to run and which tether them to high unemployment areas seems to me one of the worst things anybody could do to a care leaver.

Right I've had a look and there are NO houseshares in this area whatsoever. The closest to rent a room is in Glasgow. At £325/month is more expensive than a 1/2 bedroom council flat. Not to mention if they were putting 2 care leavers in there on benefits... MUCH more.

None of the kids in care I worked with had the option to stay on with foster parents or go back to their parents.

How is it going to be any easier for them in a more expensive flat share than it is in a council place?

Bloolagoon I agree that they can become targets for the vultures. I am happy to say that we managed to avoid those scenarios. I'm not going to say it's easy for these kids leaving care, cos at £57/week coming in at first, it's darned hard. But I don't see sharing as being any more beneficial to them.

My lass chose to leave home as I've said on many occasions and managed well all the time she was working full time. We are in a unique situation (or not... after reading more on these threads) that we have a good stock of 2 bedroom flats. As it turned out, the lass got a 1 bedroom property that had been empty for about a year. Purely because no one wanted to spend the money on it that was required. She had plenty of parental support (well from one parent anyhoo ) but i do feel care leavers should be given more support for longer if they need it. It seems like we abandon them way too early.

I do agree with the mentoring thing to start with and could be an option away from flat sharing. I just don't see how a flat share that is more expensive should be an option, nor do I think they should be penalised for being in care and not given the same chances to apply for SH as everyone else has.

Ellejmorgan

mazza111 wrote: »

Right I've had a look and there are NO houseshares in this area whatsoever. The closest to rent a room is in Glasgow. At £325/month is more expensive than a 1/2 bedroom council flat. Not to mention if they were putting 2 care leavers in there on benefits... MUCH more.

None of the kids in care I worked with had the option to stay on with foster parents or go back to their parents.

How is it going to be any easier for them in a more expensive flat share than it is in a council place?

Bloolagoon I agree that they can become targets for the vultures. I am happy to say that we managed to avoid those scenarios. I'm not going to say it's easy for these kids leaving care, cos at £57/week coming in at first, it's darned hard. But I don't see sharing as being any more beneficial to them.

My lass chose to leave home as I've said on many occasions and managed well all the time she was working full time. We are in a unique situation (or not... after reading more on these threads) that we have a good stock of 2 bedroom flats. As it turned out, the lass got a 1 bedroom property that had been empty for about a year. Purely because no one wanted to spend the money on it that was required. She had plenty of parental support (well from one parent anyhoo ) but i do feel care leavers should be given more support for longer if they need it. It seems like we abandon them way too early.

I do agree with the mentoring thing to start with and could be an option away from flat sharing. I just don't see how a flat share that is more expensive should be an option, nor do I think they should be penalised for being in care and not given the same chances to apply for SH as everyone else has.

As an ex care leaver myself I had limited options, I was in a residential unit due to lack of foster placements, and I went into 'independence' aged 16 and 3 weeks...Way too young....

I was placed in a bedsit, it was 1994 and my total income was £36.15 per week..it was hard, I had to pay my gas, electric, food, travel to college and clothe myself....I often went without food...

I had no emotional support, could not handle the situation and certainly couldn't have worked, so I tried to study...I didn't know how to be an adult as in care it was just survival..I didn't know how to write a cv, and to be honest I was so angry that I'd been put in the situation..I became seriously depressed and didn't know to turn to the doctor..

I did however re locate two years later and started working in the catering field, I worked on the transpeninne service, then for an agency specialising in silver service and wine waitressing...it did help my depression..

Care leavers do have it tough when they get older, more because of the lack of family support ie with child care when in employment...I found it so hard to settle in one location because of the amount of moves I've had (35)...not that that was anyone's fault other than my useless parents....

I really feel for care leavers today, and I feel they should have much more financial support...many have issues with depression, and identity..I know I still have...

mazza111

Thanks for sharing that Elle. I think it's extremely hard for them, and it's a few years since I worked in that field.

seven-day-weekend

There is a friend of my son's who has a Council flat which he was given when he was quite young because of his family situation. He can't pay the rent and bills if he works, so he doesn't work (he has tried, just couldn't manage on the money, he has no idea how to budget ). He does need some help and support, he gets this largely through his friends.

He could lodge with someone for £65 a week inclusive of bills (I know this from first-hand experience).Then he would have company and support, and could afford to pay his way.

I don't see how him having a flat that he can't afford does him any favours at all.

Dunroamin

Ellejmorgan wrote: »

As an ex care leaver myself I had limited options, I was in a residential unit due to lack of foster placements, and I went into 'independence' aged 16 and 3 weeks...Way too young....

I was placed in a bedsit, it was 1994 and my total income was £36.15 per week..it was hard, I had to pay my gas, electric, food, travel to college and clothe myself....I often went without food...

I had no emotional support, could not handle the situation and certainly couldn't have worked, so I tried to study...I didn't know how to be an adult as in care it was just survival..I didn't know how to write a cv, and to be honest I was so angry that I'd been put in the situation..I became seriously depressed and didn't know to turn to the doctor..

I did however re locate two years later and started working in the catering field, I worked on the transpeninne service, then for an agency specialising in silver service and wine waitressing...it did help my depression..

Care leavers do have it tough when they get older, more because of the lack of family support ie with child care when in employment...I found it so hard to settle in one location because of the amount of moves I've had (35)...not that that was anyone's fault other than my useless parents....

I really feel for care leavers today, and I feel they should have much more financial support...many have issues with depression, and identity..I know I still have...

Things were very bad in the past but they have greatly improved more reecently. Kids don't leave care (unless they want to) at 16 any more and, as I mentioned earlier, there are new initiatives that will allow them to stay with foster parents until 21. Even when leaving care at 17/18 there is ongoing support, particularly for those in education. As an example, university students can claim extra funding (up until the age of 25, I think) for maintenace during the summer vacation when other young people return to live with their parents.

Another change, of course, is the higher numbers living with foster parents rather than residential accommodation which does tend to offer greater levels of support. Things ar by no means perfect but there have been improvements since you left care.

By the way, do you think that it would have been an improvement for you to be put in a 2 bed council flat and left to cope on £50 odd per week, feling you couldn't move from that area? I'm genuinely interested.

Dunroamin

mazza111 wrote: »

Right I've had a look and there are NO houseshares in this area whatsoever. The closest to rent a room is in Glasgow.

I don't think that you can possibly say this with any degree of accuracy. I doubt very much that you've spent the night trawling card ads in newsagents windows and the other sorts of places where people advertise, much less know anything about the way people find rentals through word of mouth.
.



None of the kids in care I worked with had the option to stay on with foster parents or go back to their parents.

This is the problem. As a support worker, it would be the kids who didn't do these things who were allocated to you. This means that your view of the situation is skewed becuse you didn't come across those who did.

How is it going to be any easier for them in a more expensive flat share than it is in a council place?

Again, I'm afrad that you miss the point that sharing is going to be cheaper because there is at least one other person with whom to share bills and no buildings insurance to pay. If benefits are paying the rent then the amount of money you have to spend on utilities is crucial. In addition, in your own flat, you have to furnish and equip it yourself (although care leavers receive a grant for this) and also cover emergency costs if, for example, your cooker breaks down. In a flat/house share this is the LL's responsibility and one less thing to worry about/pay for.

Bloolagoon I agree that they can become targets for the vultures. I am happy to say that we managed to avoid those scenarios. I'm not going to say it's easy for these kids leaving care, cos at £57/week coming in at first, it's darned hard. But I don't see sharing as being any more beneficial to them.

My lass chose to leave home as I've said on many occasions and managed well all the time she was working full time. We are in a unique situation (or not... after reading more on these threads) that we have a good stock of 2 bedroom flats. As it turned out, the lass got a 1 bedroom property that had been empty for about a year. Purely because no one wanted to spend the money on it that was required. She had plenty of parental support (well from one parent anyhoo ) but i do feel care leavers should be given more support for longer if they need it. It seems like we abandon them way too early.

I do agree with the mentoring thing to start with and could be an option away from flat sharing. I just don't see how a flat share that is more expensive should be an option, nor do I think they should be penalised for being in care and not given the same chances to apply for SH as everyone else has.

How are they being penalised when no other young person would be allocated a council flat? They are actually being put in this position specifically because they have been in care!

dandelionclock30

Foster placements are in very high demand and a lot of Local Authorities want the places freed asap, never mind someone hanging on until they are 21!.