Where a young person cannot Stay Put with their Foster Carers, but would benefit from support to build their independence skills when they leave foster care in a family home environment, then Supported Lodgings may be considered as an option.
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Supported Lodgings provide vulnerable young people with places to live in the homes of local people. These might be the same people who fostered the young person when they were 'looked after', or they might have been specifically recruited to be Supported Lodgings carers. These hosts/carers are assessed, vetted and trained for the role.
The Fostering Regulations do not apply in Supported Lodgings placements. However, the supported lodgings scheme will need to register with Ofsted and comply with the requirements of Supported Accommodation (England) Regulations 2023. They also require quality standards to be met, including those in relation to the accommodation and support provided to young people, as well as their safeguarding, behavior management, etc., as set out in the Guide to Supported Accommodation Regulations 2022.
The supported lodgings carer will usually be approved under a supported lodgings scheme run by your local authority or by local providers. Host carer(s) help with the transition to independence and may work on areas such as:
- getting into education, training or work
- managing money
- learning to cook and do housework
- attending appointments
- building confidence
- finding a home
Support and training is provided to supported lodgings carers along with payments to cover the costs of “hosting” a care leaver. The payments received by Supported Lodgings hosts/carers constitute a combination of rent and payment for the provision of support. These can be broken down into rent, service charges, support costs and food/meals. Payments to Supported Lodgings hosts/carers may be derived from Supported Lodgings schemes, from Children’s Services Departments, or other budgets. In addition, it is common practice that young people contribute to the cost of their Supported Lodgings, including payment of housing benefit depending on their specific circumstances.
If you think you can help give a young person the help and support to get to grips with the adult world, get in touch with your local supported lodgings team at your local authority or other local providers for more details.
