London Borough of Barnet: Supporting care leavers with a service throughout their lives

Leaving care comes with many challenges, and for many young people, the idea can be frightening. While there is a statutory duty for local authorities to offer care experienced young people a proactive support service until the age of 21, and a needs-led service for those seeking support thereafter, there is no requirement to offer any support after the age of 25. 

Following feedback from some of Barnet’s 400+ care experienced young people aged 18 and over (many of whom are unaccompanied asylum seekers), Barnet Council recently extended the support it offers, launching a “service for life” through its Local Offer and at the dedicated Onwards and Upwards Young People’s Centre.

Barnet Council’s Local Offer for those leaving care has been designed with the support of care experienced young people. 

In preparation for the most recent iteration of the offer, the council listened to the views of young people who said they found the idea of leaving care daunting and having no support after the age of 25 frightening. For many young people leaving care, the Leaving Care practitioners are the only ‘family’ they have who they can trust and depend on.

 They also shared that the Leaving Care service holds precious histories about them, and often they are the last people in the social care journey who have access and can relay these stories. The significance of this cannot be underestimated and supports a plethora of research which illustrates the relationship between an embedded sense of self and resilience.

Like anyone, care experienced people may need support from time to time throughout their lives and this does not stop just because they reach the age of 25 and it is for this reason that in summer 2023, the extended ‘service for life’  was initiated. 

The new policy to offer care experienced people a ‘service for life’ is actively supported by Barnet Council’s dedicated teams at the Onwards and Upwards Young People’s Centre. Unusual for a London borough, Barnet has its own dedicated building, a safe space and a learning environment where care experienced people can drop in for help, support or just to say hello. 

Services provided from the building are wide-ranging, extending from advice and practical support over finances, housing and education, employment and training through to on-site therapeutic support, ESOL classes and preparation for independent living courses. The service ethos being the Leaving Care hub is a corporate family home to which our young people are always welcome. 

This safe and welcoming space acts as a focal point for important events in a person’s life. For example, religious festivals such as Eid, Diwali and Christmas are celebrated here and the centre most recently hosted a summer BBQ in its garden for 92 young people, and are planning the next Christmas dinner. The centre provides young people with the safe space to share their happiest and saddest moments, facilities to cook or do laundry when their living arrangement is in crisis and a place where there is always a person present who can help them with a work application, queries on bills, help to make those frustrating phone calls with them and to always be beside them as they navigate their way into the world of adulthood.

Alongside this, the council has set up a new team which, taken together, is relatively unique in local government leaving care services. It provides young people with a single point of contact, taking out the stress of being passed from one team to another as they move through the social care system.

There is a bespoke team to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people up to the age of 25 which removes all unnecessary points of transition and stops these vulnerable young people from being passed from pillar to post between teams. The team is also part of a Home Office pilot offering remote interviews to asylum seekers. Attended by their key worker, the remote interviews remove the fear of visiting a large government building which may feel like a hostile environment.

In a recent survey, care experienced young people stated:

My Personal Advisor (PA) has been the sweetest most accommodating person I've known, I appreciate [PA] ‘s honesty and time and feel [PA] has done a lot to help me get to where I am which I am thankful for."

My PA has been extremely supportive and has always gone above and beyond for me. [PA] has always been there to help with my difficulties. Couldn’t of done it without [PA]."

Despite some concerns about changes in social workers and Personal Advisors from a couple of respondents, there was overwhelming acknowledgement for the dedication and support from the leaving care team in Barnet. They appreciated the commitment of continuity of care and the responsive approach towards addressing their needs and concerns.

The impact of a service for life will in time be measured by the stability, success and wellbeing of all Barnet’s care experienced young people as they journey through adulthood.

The way Barnet Council works is encompassed in its vision to “care for people, our places and the planet”. No more so is this true than in the way the council offers support to care experienced people. At the heart of this vision is the need to consult with communities of interest and to co-curate services accordingly.

By putting care experienced young people at the heart of what we do and by listening to what they have to say, Barnet’s Local Offer will constantly evolve.

Julie Harpin, Assistant Head of Service, UASC and Leaving Care Services

Email: [email protected]