The legal stuff
There are different legal definitions or types of young adults on their journey to leaving care. It will be useful for you to understand which definition applies to your situation.
Please contact your personal adviser if you have any questions regarding the legal definitions below.
You're an eigible care leaver if:
- you're currently looked after
- aged 16 or 17
- you've been looked after for a period of 13 weeks (or periods amounting to 13 weeks) which began after you reached 14 and ended after you reached 16
You are a relevant care leaver if:
- you are no longer being looked after by the local authority but you have been 'eligible'
aged 16 or 17 years old - immediately before being detained or in hospital you were 'eligible'
You're a former relevant care leaver if:
- you are aged 18 years or above, and either have been a relevant or eligible child when under 18
You're a qualifying care leaver if:
- you're aged between 16 and up to 21 (or up to 25 if you are in education)
- you left care on or after your 16th birthday and you were looked after for less than 13 weeks since your 14th birthday
- you're on a 'special guardianship order' or were on a special guardianship order when you reached the age of 18 and were looked after immediately before the making of that order.
- you're a relevant child who returned home for six months or more
As a qualifying care leaver, you're able to access advice and assistance based on a needs assessment completed by the Leaving Care team.