November is National Care Leavers’ Month, and this year’s theme is “Leading the Way: From Experience to Empowerment”. It’s a good time to talk about what happens when young people in foster care reach adulthood.
Most of us didn’t have it all worked out at 18. We still came home for a proper meal, asked someone to look over a form, or moved back when a plan fell through.
Young people in foster care deserve that same safety net. Turning 18 doesn’t have to mean packing up and leaving the people who have become their family. Here we try to answer common questions about what can happen next.
What happens at 18?
Legally, a young person stops being ‘in care’ on their 18th birthday and becomes a ‘care leaver’. It’s a big change, and it can arrive in the middle of college, a first job or exams.
But it doesn’t have to mean leaving home.
What is Staying Put?
‘Staying Put’ means a young person can carry on living with their foster carer after they turn 18, usually up to the age of 21.
It only happens if the young person and their foster carer both want it. In England, councils have a legal duty to advise and support the arrangement unless it wouldn’t be right for the young person’s welfare.
Why it matters
Staying Put gives young people time. Time to finish a course, start a job, learn to budget and work out what they want next, with someone in their corner.
It also means they can move on when they’re ready, not because of a date on a calendar.
What changes for the foster carer?
The relationship carries on, but the arrangement changes. Once the young person turns 18, they’re no longer a fostered child, so the carer becomes a Staying Put carer for them.
Payments also change. They’re different from a fostering allowance but we help our foster families navigate this.
It’s best to talk this through early. Planning usually starts well before the 18th birthday, so everyone knows what to expect.
Can you still foster other children?
Often, yes. Many of our current foster families have a young person Staying Put and still foster other children, as long as the household is right for everyone. Your supervising social worker will talk you through what’s needed, including checks for the young person once they’re an adult living in your home.
What about after 21?
Some young people move into their own place. Some stay on through a private arrangement with their carer. Many stay close either way, and still turn up for Sunday dinner. We have foster families who are still in touch with every young person they have ever fostered!
Fostering doesn’t stop at 18
If you’re thinking about fostering, especially fostering teenagers, this is worth knowing. You could make a difference well beyond their childhood.
At Hope, you’ll have a supervising social worker who knows you and support whenever you need it, 24/7, 365 days a year.
Get in touch
If you live in Nottingham, Derby or the East Midlands and want to know more about fostering, let’s talk. No pressure, just an honest chat.
Call us on 0115 900 2795, email enquiries@hopefs.co.uk, or get in touch for an informal chat.
Nurturing Hope for every child. 💚