It’s hard enough for young people to leave home and fend for themselves, but for those who have spent their childhoods in care it can be even tougher. They used to be expected to stand on their own two feet when they reached 16, but today there is a safety net that allows them to be looked after for longer.
Any eligible young person who is looked after in foster, kinship or residential care can now benefit from Continuing Care under the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014. An amendment in 2015 allows them to remain in their current care placement on or after they turn 16 until they are 21.
William Wishart, 20, is one youngster who is benefiting from the chance to stay with the foster family who, through fostering agency Care Visions Fostering Scotland, have given him a stable home since he was nine. William, who has additional support needs, will stay with Christine and Joe Leith until he is ready to leave.
In the Leiths’ tranquil and well-ordered house outside Glenrothes with a garden looking onto woods, William is a pleasant young man who seems at ease talking to The Herald with Christine.
“William can choose to leave at any time but meanwhile he has us to support him from day to day,” Christine says. “He felt he wasn’t ready to move out and plans to live here until he’s 26, when he will move on to adult services.”
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“I’d panic living on my own,” William said. “I wouldn’t have anyone to talk to as my autism means I find it hard to talk to people I don’t know. But one day, when I have a job that suits me and enough money, I’d like to have a flat and meet someone.”
William wants to work with animals and has completed a rural skills course and other courses at local colleges and The Prince’s Trust. He is now looking for volunteering opportunities with support from Christine and Joe, and his social worker at Fife Council’s Young Person Team. William still has relationships with his birth family, staying with his aunt at weekends and holidays.
Many local authorities postpone any changes until young people are 18. The Act states that continuing care means they are no longer defined as “looked after” but continue to receive the same support and are able to carry on living where they feel at home.
When continuing care ends at 21, the young person is then eligible for aftercare support until they turn 26. Aftercare refers to the advice, guidance, and assistance provided to care leavers, including securing accommodation, education and employment opportunities, as well as financial support.
Now that his foster arrangement is at an end and he is in continuing care, William pays for his own phone, clothes and toiletries from his college bursary and benefits, to help him transition to adult independence. Meanwhile he has the safety of living with the Leiths, who started fostering 11 years ago, when they took in William.
The couple, who have a 34-year-old daughter, and three grandchildren, both worked in the caring professions, Joe in a group home for adults with disabilities and Christine as a theatre nurse. Joe, although retired, still works at a mental health care support unit.
“We always wanted to foster and have looked after children with different needs over the years. We had all the room, time and love to give to someone,” Christine said. “Our daughter, Katie, was 23 when we started fostering, and she was a great help when William and his two siblings arrived.”
William found a new contentment and stability with the Leiths, who took him to the dentist and pushed for an autism diagnosis to get him extra support. After a few years, his siblings went on to other care arrangements, but William stayed with the Leiths.
“Before I came here, I was overweight because I’d only ever eaten fast food and was bullied at school. My clothes were old and wrong, but when Christine and Joe got me the proper school uniform, I looked like all the other kids. I’m happy here,” William said.
Christine and Joe have striven to give William the childhood and support growing up that he needs, taking him to the Riverside Museum in Glasgow, and to Edinburgh Zoo and Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park to follow his interests.
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“The great reward of fostering is seeing children flourish. William still struggles socially but he has turned into such a lovely young man,” Christine said. She also supports a young woman with additional support needs through Shared Lives Fife, part of Fife Council, which provides family-based care to adults with a learning disability, physical disability, mental health, or other sensory disabilities.
“We know William inside out and what he needs, and will always fight his corner,” Christine added. “Continuing Care has been excellent for him as a seamless transition from childhood to adulthood. It’s a scary time for a young person as they don’t yet know what they want to do and are reaching for independence, but still need the stability and support of being at home.
“William has had the consistency of being in the same home with the same family for 11 years. Continuing care takes the pressure off him to choose his own path. At the moment he’s not ready to move on, but the aim is for him to develop skills to become independent and manage his own life.”
Research shows that delaying the transition from care to independent living means young people are far more likely to have a better life, according to Sarah McEnhill, Head of Fostering at Care Visions Fostering Scotland.
She said: “Continuing care is important for the long-term stability and nurturing relationships they offer. It means a young person can continue with their carers until the age of 21 and have after support until they are 26 if needed, giving them more time to prepare for living on their own.
“We have lots of carers with young people who have been brought up as part of their family and have remained to allow a natural transition to independent living, without facing a cliff edge of care simply because they have turned 18.”
If you would like to learn more about fostering in Scotland, visit www.carevisionsfostering.co.uk.
Becoming a foster carer with Care Visions Fostering Scotland
•There are more than 12,500 children in care in Scotland with around 4,000 living with foster carers. At least 500 more foster families are needed.
•Children of all ages need care, ranging from short breaks of a few days to longer term over many years.
•Anyone over the age of 25 with a spare room is eligible.
•You can be single, a couple, married or divorced. We also fully support LGBTQ+ foster carers, those from diverse backgrounds, and those that already have families too.
•Foster carers receive combined fees and allowances of around £25,500 / £490 per week. Short break carers’ allowances are a percentage of that amount for the length of time a young person is with them.
•You can own your home or rent (you may need permission from the owner).
•All foster carers are given comprehensive training and ongoing support including therapeutic and education support.
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