Local Offer at a glance

 

This page provides an overview of all of our core guarantees that we have included in our Local Offer to Care Leavers. Please refer to the individual sections for full details about the support available.

Please read our What is the Local Offer? page before exploring the Local Offer below.

If you don’t know what some of the terms used on this page mean, please check out our handy list of definitions and explanations.

Care For Me – Housing, home and the cost of living

We want you to feel supported in your living arrangements and to understand your housing options. We will work with you to help you find suitable accommodation that meets your needs.

  • We will work with you to help you find suitable housing that meets your needs.
  • We will help you to register on Devon Home Choice
  • We will help prepare you to be “tenancy ready,” working with you and supported accommodation providers on the things that will help get you ready to maintain your own tenancy.
  • We offer a guarantor scheme for care experienced people so that landlords have the confidence to offer tenancies.
  • We will work with you and the relevant housing services if you are in a housing crisis so that you are not roofless, then plan with you next steps.
  • We will provide you with up to £3000 as a setting up home allowance to help ensure that you have essential items to start on your journey. This is £3000 for those who left care after 1 April 2024 and £2000 if you left care before this point.
  • We will offer advice, guidance, and advocacy to ensure that you are able to maintain your supported accommodation or tenancy, helping you to work with the team around you so that your housing is successful.
  • We will help you to claim any allowances that you can to support rental costs.
  • You will not have to pay Council Tax as a Devon Care Leaver regardless as to where you live.
  • We will support you with the cost of your water bill up until the age of 21.

Read the Care for Me section here

 

Talented Me – Education, training and employment

We’ll help you to get the most from education, employment and training opportunities so that you can achieve your goals in life and have the best possible future.

  • We will give you time with a specialist Education Training and Employment Persons Advisor to help plan your pathway.
  • We will contribute towards your first tools for a trade.
  • We will contribute towards your first work outfit or uniform, so you are job ready.
  • We will ensure that you have a smart outfit if you are going for interviews.
  • We will support you to travel to and from work until you start to get paid so that you don’t struggle when you start to work.
  • We will celebrate your successes with a financial gift when you complete a course (and sit the relevant exam if applicable).
  • If you are 16 or 17 and in Further Education, and are living in supported accommodation, we will help you financially with a personal allowance of £71.73/week.
  • We will support you with £100 per academic year towards books or essential items if you are in further education.
  • We will help you to claim all bursaries that are available to you and complete forms and applications for further or higher education as these can be complicated.
  • If you are at university, we will support you with a £2000 bursary over the course of your degree.
  • If you are at university, we will provide you with £60 a week to support your living expenses.
  • If you are at university and living away from carers or home, we will visit you each term and support you with a food shop up to £150 and, if you’d like to, we will also take you out for lunch.
  • If you are studying at university outside of Devon and away from your carers or home, then we will support you with transport costs at the start and end of each term.
  • If you are studying at university outside of Devon and away from your carers or home, then we will contribute to your accommodation cost support during your university vacation time if you need this.
  • We will do all we can do to provide you with support to become work ready through work experience across our Devon Education, Employment and Training Partnership.
  • We will take a favoured approach to employing care leavers in roles in Devon County Council (please see main text under Family Firm).
  • We will use our Talent and Aspirations Bank to try to match you to employment and work experience opportunities across the Devon Education, Employment and Training Partnership.

Read the Talented Me section here

 

Healthy Me – Health and wellbeing

We will support you to access what you need to be physically and emotionally healthy, and to get the right help when you need it.

  • With the help of health colleagues, we will ensure that you have a Health Passport which provides you with your health history.
  • We will help (if you need help) you to download the NHS App so that you can access your health services easily.
  • We will provide access to an Ask Jan subscription if this is something that you would like.
  • We will work with you to ensure that you are registered with a GP.
  • We will provide you with access to the Devon County Council Employee Assistance Programme (you do not have to be an employee to access this).
  • We will help you to register for an NHS dentist.
  • If you are unable to see an NHS dentist, we will support you to access free dental care at a trauma-informed clinic. If you are in pain or need urgent dental care, we can fund a private dental care appointment (please speak to your PA first before booking this).
  • Some Districts in Devon will provide you with free leisure centre passes. Please speak to your PA to find out if this is available in your area.
  • Your PA has access to our new Therapeutic Wellbeing Workers, who can advise about emotional and mental health issues. How you feel is important – if you think you need help then please talk to your PA about this part of our offer to you.
  • We will cover the cost of any courses of medication that you are prescribed. Please be aware that this is only for courses of medication, not for one-off prescriptions. Talk to your PA to find out more.

Read the Healthy Me section here

 

Welcome and Support me – Identity and specific support needs

We want you to be able to be whoever you want to be and live the life you choose. To do this, we will provide you with support around issues important to your identity, such as religion, sexuality, gender or culture, as well as providing support for things such as pregnancy, child care, and any disabilities that you might have.

  • We will help you to obtain and pay for initial documentary identification.
  • We will support you to attend antenatal or parentcraft classes.
  • We will help you with up to £300 for essential items if you are having a baby.
  • We will provide you with £100 towards maternity clothing.
  • If you are having your first child and live in Devon, you will be eligible for the Devon Hugs Programme which is an intensive Health Visitor service.
  • If you are facing custody, we will support you to prepare, visit you in custody, provide you with some financial support and plan your release with you. We will help young engage in education, employment to training to help prevent a return to custody.
  • As a Young Asylum Seeker, you will be able to access most of this offer. However, if you are 18 and are still awaiting an outcome on your asylum application, we will support you with your living costs until a decision is made.
  • We will provide some support to you in an emergency so that you are not without food or power.
  • We will provide you with a financial gift on your birthday and for one cultural festival a year.
  • We will help you financially with your first 10 hours of driving lessons, your first driving test and your provisional licence.

Read the Welcome and Support Me section here

 

Involve Me – My rights, my future, my voice

We want you to be able to get your voice heard, have a say in the services that support you, and to play an active role in your community.

  • We will provide you with a personal advisor until at least the age of 21 years.
  • We will offer you an extended post 21 service until you are 25 years old.
  • We will keep in touch with you both in person and by phone/social media.
  • We will help you with your housing, your employment, education and training, your relationships, and your health needs as is set out throughout this offer.
  • We will offer you advice and guidance and support with things that matter to you.
  • We will work with you to create a co-produced pathway plan that helps you to reach your goals and aspirations.
  • We will challenge you to be the best you can be because your future is important to you and us.
  • We will seek your views and involve you in developing your service. If you would like to be involved in this important work, you can do so through our participation team (Stand Up Speak Up)
  • If you need help in getting your voice heard about your individual circumstances, then we will help you to access NYAS advocacy service.
  • We will help try to reconnect you with people who you have lost contact with through our lifelong links programme.
  • We will welcome you to engage with SUSU events where you can link with other care experienced people from Devon.
  • You can access Devon County Council’s Participation Team (stand up speak up) and Avocados Advocacy who run groups, events, and activities throughout the year. Links to both Instagram/ web sites. They are youth workers who help young people make their voice heard to influence how local services are delivered. They can also support you with lots of different issues and be someone to talk to.

Read the Involve Me section here