Freedom of information response

Care leavers’ setting up home allowance

Publication date: 
Tuesday 11 June 2024
Request: 

Please can you provide information about the care leavers’ setting up home allowance (sometimes known as the leaving care grant) in your local authority. 

Statutory guidance (Vol: 3 Planning Transitions to Adulthood for care leavers: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/61f81624d3bf7f78df30b359/CA1989_Transitions_Guidance.pdf) requires local authorities to provide a setting up home allowance to enable care leavers to purchase essentials (such as furniture, white goods and carpets/curtains) when they move into their first home.  

DfE guidance previously recommended that local authorities should pay a minimum of £2,000. The independent review into children’s social care recommended that the minimum amount should be increased. Government increased the minimum recommended amount to £3,000 from April 2023. (See https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/648339e8103ca60013039ccf/Section_31_grant_determination_letter_for_leaving_care_allowance_uplift_implementation_grant__2023_to_2025.pdf)   

We would like to understand your local authority’s policy on the setting home allowance and would like answers to the following questions.  

Local authority name:

  1. On the 1st March 2024, what was the total amount you offered to care leavers for their setting up home allowance/leaving care grant? (£)       

£

  1. If on the 1st March 2024 the allowance/grant was less than £3,000, are there plans to increase it to £3,000 in 2024?      

Yes

No

Don't know

  1. If a care leaver has already accessed some or all of their grant/allowance and the amount received was lower than £3000, will they be able to request the uplift / difference between £3000 and what they have already received?

Yes

No

Don’t know

  1. Appendix E of the Transitions to Adulthood guidance specifies that all local authorities should have a policy that sets out the level of the setting up home allowance, how it will be used and any conditions for its use reflecting local priorities.       

a. Do you have a written policy on the setting up home allowance/leaving care grant ? (please attach a copy)                    

b. If yes, when was this policy last reviewed? (date: Month-Year)                 

  1. Does your local authority pay for any of the following items for care leavers in addition to the setting up home allowance/leaving care grant?

Item

Yes (in addition to allowance/grant)

No (it’s included in allowance/grant)

Don’t know

a. Broadband costs

b. Carpets     

c. Cooking equipment

d. First grocery shop

e. Furniture  

f. House content insurance     

g. Mobile phone costs

h. Redecoration costs of home        

i. TV licence 

j. Utility bills  

k. White goods

i.  Other

(please describe)

I have attached an excel template to provide this information.  

In addition, please send us any written policies and public information that is available on the setting up home allowance for care leavers (e.g. local offer for care leavers).  

Response: 

Please can you provide information about the care leavers’ setting up home allowance (sometimes known as the leaving care grant) in your local authority.

Statutory guidance (Vol: 3 Planning Transitions to Adulthood for care leavers: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/61f81624d3bf7f78df30b359/CA1989_Transitions_Guidance.pdf) requires local authorities to provide a setting up home allowance to enable care leavers to purchase essentials (such as furniture, white goods and carpets/curtains) when they move into their first home.

DfE guidance previously recommended that local authorities should pay a minimum of £2,000. The independent review into children’s social care recommended that the minimum amount should be increased. Government increased the minimum recommended amount to £3,000 from April 2023. (See https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/648339e8103ca60013039ccf/Section_31_grant_determination_letter_for_leaving_care_allowance_uplift_implementation_grant__2023_to_2025.pdf)

We would like to understand your local authority’s policy on the setting home allowance and would like answers to the following questions.

Local authority name:

  1. On the 1st March 2024, what was the total amount you offered to care leavers for their setting up home allowance/leaving care grant? (£)

£3000

  1. If on the 1st March 2024 the allowance/grant was less than £3,000, are there plans to increase it to £3,000 in 2024?

Yes

No

Don't know

  1. If a care leaver has already accessed some or all of their grant/allowance and the amount received was lower than £3000, will they be able to request the uplift / difference between £3000 and what they have already received?

Yes

No

Don’t know

If some of the grant has been accessed the young person would still be able to claim up to £3000, if all of the grant had been previously accessed we would not then provide a further £1000.

  1. Appendix E of the Transitions to Adulthood guidance specifies that all local authorities should have a policy that sets out the level of the setting up home allowance, how it will be used and any conditions for its use reflecting local priorities.

a. Do you have a written policy on the setting up home allowance/leaving care grant ? (please attach a copy) information published in the local offer, there is no separate policy in relation to the SUHG specifically

b. If yes, when was this policy last reviewed? (date: Month-Year) Local offer last reviewed in Feb 2024

  1. Does your local authority pay for any of the following items for care leavers in addition to the setting up home allowance/leaving care grant?

Item

Yes (in addition to allowance/grant)

No (it’s included in allowance/grant)

Don’t know

a. Broadband costs

  

x

  

b. Carpets

  

x

  

c. Cooking equipment

  

x

  

d. First grocery shop

Basic provisions (see below)

    

e. Furniture

  

x

  

f. House content insurance

  

x

  

g. Mobile phone costs

  

x

  

h. Redecoration costs of home

  

x

  

i. TV licence

  

x

  

j. Utility bills

  

x

  

k. White goods

  

x

  

i. Other

(please describe) while we do not have a blanket offer on additional costs for the items listed above we will to meet costs for these items outside of the SUHG on a case by case basis depending on the need and circumstances of the young person.

We also provide a basic provisions payment of up to £30 and first aid items up to the cost of £10 for the young person  upon moving into their first accommodation
Request reference:
FOI 13897