Leicestershire County Council’s social services team is the lead authority for supporting care leavers.
Full details can be found on the Leicestershire County Council website.
However, officers from Charnwood Borough Council work together with Leicestershire County Council to support care leavers within the borough.
What is a Care Leaver?
A care leaver is someone under the age of 25 who has been looked after by the Leicestershire County Council as a child.
If you are a care leaver, Leicestershire County Council social services will be able to offer you support up until you are 25 years of age. A pathway plan will be developed when you are leaving care. This will include any support that you might need. They might be able to give you some financial help with the cost of moving or setting up a new home.
If you are not sure if you are eligible for support, you can contact the duty team on 0116 305 3051 or email cicduty@leics.gov.uk.
Accommodation
If you are a care leaver in need of accommodation, our housing options team can help:
- provide you with assistance in line with the Leicestershire Care Leavers Protocol
- explore suitable housing options for you, including supported accommodation if you are not ready for do not want to have your own tenancy
- assist you with securing private rented accommodation within the borough
- assist you with joining the housing register to apply for a Council or Registered Provider tenancy
- give you priority access to social housing in accordance with our Housing Allocations Policy
If you are homeless, or think you may be at risk of becoming homeless in the next 56 days, contact the housing options team using the online form, by email on housing@charnwood.gov.uk or by telephone on 01509 634567 as soon as possible for further advice and assistance. They can talk to you about your housing situation, housing needs and housing related support needs. And they may be able to help you find a new home.
If you are homeless and are a care leaver, the housing options team might be able to offer you temporary accommodation so that you have somewhere to live whilst you are trying to find a new home.
Tenancy support/mediation
The Bridge can offer a mediation service to young people living in the borough who are at risk of becoming homeless. They can also provide you with tenancy support to assist you with managing your tenancy.
Health and Wellbeing
It is important to look after your health and wellbeing. Your physical and mental health are fundamental to you living a happy and healthy life. We will provide a person-centred approach to help you access the best services, that are right for you.
Looking after your health will:
- Reduce the risk of major illnesses
- Improve your mood
- Improve your physical health
- May help you live longer
We have various physical activity opportunities that you can access, details can be found on the Active Charnwood website.
Access to Fusion leisure centres
Our leisure partner Fusion-Lifestyle manages access to leisure activities for care leavers. The leisure card individual registration form can be completed and sent to Fusion, who will then contact the care leaver.
We operate a leisure card which would give care leavers access to gym and swim for the cost of 50p across the three Charnwood leisure centres.
Volunteering Opportunities
Volunteering can make a real difference in the community and there are many benefits of volunteering:
- Helping to connect with the community
- Improving mental wellbeing
- Learning new skills and experiences
- Meeting new people
Our Active Charnwood team support with the delivery of physical activity, sport and health programmes and campaigns to the community. You may volunteer to lead a walking group, join us at an event, or support one of our programmes.
Everyone is different, so we offer tailored support and a range of opportunities to work best for you. For more information, please visit our or email active.charnwood@charnwood.gov.uk.
Mental Health Services
Looking after your mental health is just as important as looking after your physical health. Below are links to services that can help you to support positive mental health and wellbeing.
Local Organisations
National Organisations
Last updated: Tue 27th September, 2022 @ 17:08