What we offer
When you leave care we are committed to supporting you at what can be a challenging time. You may face many changes and the need to make decisions about your future. We are here to support you with these and into your adulthood.
We provide information about all the support and services that we have to help you - this is called our local offer.
We have listened to what you have said about what we and our partners do for you, and what is important to you. The feedback you gave helped us create this local offer for you. We will continue to listen to what you tell us, and we have used this to shape the offer.
Your Social Worker and Pathway Advisor will be able to go through all the information with you so if there is anything you don’t understand or you have any questions you can always speak to your Social Worker, Pathway Advisor or the Team Manager.
Corporate parent
Corporate parenting is the term is used when a child becomes cared for, and the council becomes the corporate parent. The corporate parent has special responsibilities to care experienced children and young people, including those in kinship care and those who are cared for at home. In short, these people have a responsibility to ensure you have a good local offer and that they are continually helping the offer to be the best it can be.
Who can get support
To get support you must:
- have been cared for, for at least 13 weeks between the ages of 14 and 18 and including at least 24 hours when you were aged 16 or 17
- have been a child who was cared for during this period by us to be able to access our support
If you have been cared for less than 13 weeks, but at least 24 hours of this was when you were aged 16 or 17, you are deemed a ‘Qualifying Young Person’ and parts of the 'Local Offer' can apply depending on an assessment of need.
Contact the Local Authority you lived in during the time you became cared for if you think you are eligible as a care experienced young person and now live in Cumberland. Ask for the Children's Social Work Team. They will help you work through any questions you have and let you know if you are entitled to support through the offer.
How to ask for help and support
You can ask us for help at any time up until the age of 25, even if you haven't been in touch for a while or you have told us you don't want or need support before.
You might need extra support, for example if:
- you are a young parent
- you have a disability or special educational need
- you are an unaccompanied and separated child and you have an ongoing asylum claim
- you are in custody or in contact with Probation or youth offending services
- you are going through a difficult time
Talk to one of our team:
Cumbria House Team
Telephone: 01228 221541
Email: LeavingCareCarlisleandEden@cumberland.gov.uk
West Cumbria House Team
Telephone: 01900 706 034
Email: LeavingCareAllerdaleandCopeland@cumberland.gov.uk
Keeping in touch
We want to hear from you. We hold regular community-based coffee and a craic sessions and social groups, a chance to catch up and have a cuppa together.
We know that sometimes your Pathway Adviser (PA) is on holiday or out and about spending time with other young people therefore we have a Duty PA that you can call if your PA is not available.
Please let us know if you move house or have changed your phone number so we can keep in touch.
Support we must give you by law
Through the Children Leaving Care Act (2000) we must provide you with:
- a Pathway Advisor (PA), who will offer you advice and support
- suitable accommodation and financial support if you leave care before your 18th birthday
- a pathway plan which must be regularly reviewed with you
You can ask for support from your PA up to the age of 25, regardless of whether you are in education or training or not.