The Group Manager Childrens Regulated Services provided the Committee with information about the “When I am Ready Scheme”

She explained that the scheme which comes into force on the 1 April 2016 having been developed by Welsh Government in partnership with Local Government and key third sector partners to enable eligible care leavers to continue to live with their foster carers once they attain 18 years of age.  The Social Services and Wellbeing Act (SSWBA) uses the term post 18 living arrangement to describe a situation where a care leaver who has turned 18 years of age continues to live with his or her foster parent in an arrangement facilitated by the Local Authority.  

The Group Manager Childrens Regulated Services stated that ‘When I Am Ready’ would be different to supported lodgings, which were governed by a separate statutory framework.  She added that supported lodgings were primarily a housing scheme for vulnerable young people, and did not operate on the familial model promoted by ‘When I Am Ready’. She further added that supported lodgings placements were financed primarily by supporting people grant monies.  The tax and benefit rules were also different especially in relation to qualifying care relief for the providers. 

The Group Manager Children’s Regulated Services informed members that the main aim for ‘When I am Ready’ were:

·         To provide stability and continuity for young people leaving foster care as they prepared for independent living

·         To improve the life chances of Looked After Children

·         To provide Looked After Children with increased opportunities to exercise choice and control over their lives

The Group Manager Children’s Regulated Services further informed the Committee that a ‘When I am Ready’ agreement may be made where:

·         The young person was a Looked After Child immediately prior to their 18^th birthday and is living with foster carers in a placement arranged by the Local Authority (this includes in house, relative or Independent provider foster placements); and

·         The young person is deemed, under current legislation, to be an eligible child within the meaning of the Children Act 1989 immediately before they reached 18 years of age (from 1st April 2016 the term ‘eligible child’ will be replaced with the term category 1 young person under the SSWBA); and

·         The young person and the foster carers both wish to enter into a ‘When I Am Ready’ agreement and the arrangement has been set out in the young person’s pathway plan; and

·         The Local Authority is satisfied that such an arrangement is consistent with the young person’s wellbeing; and

·         A proportion of the allowance paid to the ‘When I Am Ready’ carer will be paid by the Local Authority.

The Cabinet Member for Childrens Social Services and Equalities asked Officers if there was any indication what the financial implications would be prior to the Government information that was set to be made available in January 2016 regarding the allowance rates payable and whether it was a budgetary pressure for the Authority or not.  The Corporate Director Social Services & Wellbeing stated that the Authority was still not clear as WG were yet to clarify the position and that the finance department were aware of the impending pressures.  She added that the costs associated with ‘When I Am Ready’ would be offset by the Universal Benefit. 

A Member asked how a child would be eligible for ‘When I Am Ready’ and if they contributed towards the costs of the scheme if they were in employment.  The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing advised that the young person was not in education or training a proportion of their benefits would be used towards the cost of the placement.  The same would also apply if they were in employment.

The Deputy Leader asked what the differences were between supported living and ‘When I Am Ready’. The Group Manager Childrens Regulated Services advised Members that with the Supported Living provision the young person would not know the adult that they would live with.  With ‘When I Am Ready’ the young person would stay with the family that they had previously been placed with

The Leader stated that he was concerned at the lack of financial information from WG and asked Officers if they were confident that we would have further information in January.  The Corporate Director Social Services and Wellbeing stated that she hoped it would be January that they would have further information although it was not certain to be the case.  She added that they would need cabinet approval for any further changes so that they would be ready to launch in April 2016.

RESOLVED:             That the Corporate Parenting Cabinet Committee noted the information contained within the report