Turning 18 is an exciting time for many teenagers across the country, as they officially become adults and take their lives into their own hands.
But what if this milestone means you’re now expected to handle everything alone? From managing a household and finding a job to paying rent and cooking nutritious meals, adult responsibilities can be a lot to grapple with all at once.
That’s where Continuing Care comes in. This gives care leavers more time to get to grips with independent living before they go it alone, and this article will help you understand what it is, why it’s important, and the real difference it can have on young people’s outcomes.
What is Continuing Care fostering?
In Scotland, children who grow up with their birth family typically leave home when they’re 25. This gives them the chance to build life skills and explore their options, all while knowing they have a place to call home and people who love them if things get tough. It also means that if they choose to go to university, they have somewhere to stay during the holidays.
Continuing Care, which is also known as ‘Staying Put’ in England, ‘When I’m Ready’ in Wales, and ‘Going the Extra Mile’ in Northern Ireland, ensures that teenagers who’ve grown up in foster care have the chance to do the same.
These arrangements allow them to stay with their foster families until they’re 21, and in some cases 26, easing the anxiety about turning 18 and giving them more time to prepare themselves for independent living.
How is Continuing Care different from fostering?
Children enter foster care between the ages of 0 and 18, but once they turn 18, they’re classed as adults, and children’s services stop being responsible for them in the way they were before.
Former foster children who continue to stay with the foster family beyond the age of 18 are considered adult lodgers with a Continuing Care Agreement. However, these arrangements won’t be made with FCA Scotland, but rather with you, your young person, and the local authority, because the services your teenager will need in adulthood will be different.
Is there a Continuing Care allowance?
Yes, your local authority will support you to provide Continuing Care by paying you an allowance.
The amount you receive will depend on your local authority, and as part of the agreement, your young person will be expected to pay a share of their expenses with the income they receive from employment or benefits.
The reason for this is to help young people learn how to manage their money and pay for things like groceries, rent, and utilities when they eventually leave your home.
As with foster care pay, qualifying care relief will also apply to your Continuing Care allowance, which means it’s likely to be tax-free.
5 ways Continuing Care supports care leavers
When you agree for your young person to stay in your home during the first few years of adulthood, you help them by providing:
Stability through big change
Imagine you’re a teenager who, for the past 18 years, has relied on someone else to manage everything, from buying and preparing food to making sure your school uniform is clean and that you get your homework done.
You’ve just turned 18, and you’re now expected to move on to higher education, training, or employment, all while getting to grips with managing a home and keeping yourself fed, clothed, and healthy. You’d probably feel anxious, scared and completely overwhelmed by the prospect of independence.
This is the reality for young people who leave care as soon as they officially become an ‘adult’ by law. But when you allow a teenager to stay in your home until they’re 21 and sometimes longer, you let them walk towards independence at a pace that suits them.
Continuing Care Agreements are also made before a young person turns 18, which means they can finish school or college with hope for their next chapter rather than fear.
A safe place to call home
The sad reality is that care leavers are at higher risk of sofa surfing, living in unsafe accommodation, or becoming homeless. 2024 government data revealed that homelessness among care leavers aged 18 to 20 years had seen a 54% increase in five years.
If you’ve been providing long-term foster care for your young person, they’ve probably become a key member of your family unit, and the last thing you’d want for them is to live in unsafe conditions on the streets.
By providing Continuing Care, you ensure that your teenager has a safe place to call home for longer and protect them from this outcome.
An ongoing sense of belonging
A foster child’s experiences can make it hard for them to trust others and let their guard down enough so they can develop a sense of belonging, especially if they’ve moved foster homes multiple times.
Everyone wants to feel like they belong, like they always have someone to celebrate their achievements with and someone to turn to when things go wrong. People who truly understand who you are, where you’ve come from, and what you’ve been through.
When a child moves into a foster home, it takes time to build a sense of belonging, not only to the family, but also to the area and local community. Imagine having to leave all that behind when you turn 18 and start the process again somewhere new. That would be hard for anyone, but for a young person who has experienced trauma, even the thought of doing so could feel difficult.
Agreeing for your young person to continue living with you for the foreseeable future means they don’t have to say goodbye to feeling like they belong. It also shows them that you truly see them as part of the family and want them to stay.
More time to build life skills
Although 18-year-olds are technically ‘adults’, they still need the wisdom and guidance of a parental figure to navigate this complicated and ever-changing world.
Children learn a lot in school, but some things fall on the caregivers to teach them, such as opening a bank account, setting up insurance policies, saving, investing, cooking, and cleaning.
Living in close quarters with others, such as foster siblings, can also teach young adults very useful social skills, like conflict resolution, active listening, empathy, and cooperation, helping them build healthy relationships at home and work.
You’ve likely already taught your teenager many of these skills. However, when they live with you after 18, they become semi-independent because they’ll be doing things like paying some of the bills, washing their own clothes, and working. This gives them the chance to practice important elements of independence while still having your guidance and support whenever they need it.
As a result, when they are ready to live completely autonomously, they’re more likely to be successful.
The platform for a more successful life
Continuing Care was included in the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 and rolled out in Scotland in 2015, following successful trials of the scheme between 2008 and 2011.
A report produced by Action for Children found that young people who stayed with their foster families after turning 18 were twice as likely to continue in full-time education as those who left their foster home.
This demonstrates the real-world difference that Continuing Care has on young people. When they have the chance to remain in education or training, they can break generational cycles of poverty, significantly improve their outcomes, and have a life where they don’t just survive; they thrive.
Supporting teenagers into independence
At FCA Scotland, not only do all of our care leavers have the opportunity to remain with their foster families in Continuing Care arrangements until they’re ready to move on, but they also have access to the following support:
- Expert team: They don’t just receive support from their Local Authority Social Worker; they’re surrounded by our team at FCA Scotland, who’ll help them walk confidently into adulthood. This team includes you, as their foster carer, the family’s FCA Scotland Social Worker, our Education and Support Co-ordinator, and our Children and Young People’s Support Team.
- Financial Assistance: Care leavers in Scotland are entitled to a range of financial support, such as grants, bursaries and free tuition at Scottish universities. We’ll help your young person understand what they’re eligible for and support them in accessing funding.
- AQA Unit Award Scheme: All our children and young people have the chance to complete this scheme, which encourages them to try new things, build self-confidence, and learn new skills that will help them when they leave care. They’ll receive a certificate for every unit they complete, which they can showcase on their CV and in university applications.
- Care Experienced Consultant: This is a paid opportunity that helps young people build relationships within FCA Scotland while gaining first-hand experience in employment. They’ll be trained to sit on interview panels, mentor young people, support events, and more.
- Being in Care Hub: From money management and finding a job to staying safe online and tackling bullying, our Being in Care Hub is full of advice and guidance to help our children and young people manage life in care and beyond.
Get in touch to find out more
Want to learn more about Continuing Care fostering? Call us today on 0141 646 4805 or submit your details via our online form to speak to a member of our friendly team.
They’re ready to answer any questions you have about becoming a foster carer, including our fostering allowances, training, support, and more.
Together, we can help more children and young people have the childhood they deserve and a future without limits.
