Following a bid for national funding for a Staying Close programme, £270,000 has been accepted by Derby City Council from the Department of Education to help fund a Staying Close offer for care experienced young people.

Many young people who are leaving care report that they do not feel ready for the challenges of independent living. These young care leavers often do not have a strong support network to help them transition to independent living. This means that care leavers are at risk of homelessness due to a lack of support and suitable accommodation.

Derby City Council’s Leaving Care Service made a bid for national funding for a Staying Close programme to offer extended support for young people who are care experienced and have spent time living in residential care to reduce risks of eviction and homelessness later in life.

The Staying Close programme will build on the existing offer with partners both external and internal to Derby City Council.

The programme will support ten young people in Derby over the course of the two financial years, these will be young people with high levels of need and who would present challenges for services in terms of consistency of placement, and costs of support. The needs of this group would create a high level of demand for services if needs were not addressed in the transition to adulthood. The programme will offer those young people leaving care accommodation in properties provided by Derby Homes. The young people in this programme will also be offered support to develop their skills so they are prepared for adulthood.

Councillor John Whitby, Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care, Learning and Skills, said:

In Derby we have several options to support vulnerable young people after they leave care. However, it is important that we do all that we can to make the transitional period for young people leaving care as easy as possible.

The Staying Close programme will help prepare young people leaving care in Derby for the crucial next steps in life as they enter adulthood.”

You can learn more about our SEND local offer on our webpage.