Member

The right reverend Prelate raised the important issue of support for care leavers. While the Government have not been able to support the Private Member’s Bill, and although, as she will be disappointed but not surprised to hear, I cannot offer to increase the rate of universal credit, I want to reassure her of the support the Government give to care leavers. We offer various support, such as the exemption from the shared accommodation rate, and “staying put” arrangements. We try to make sure we are supporting care leavers into work. They have special single points of contact in jobcentres, priority access to universal credit budgeting support, and the opportunity to make advanced claims for universal credit to try to bridge those gaps as they effectively become independent adults. We are doing our best to support them to move into work and to develop in work, to give them a more sustainable future.