Staying Put Covering letter to accompany application for Housing Benefit

(for addresses in Brighton & Hove City Council and Lewes District Council areas)

Dear Sir or Madam

Re Housing Benefit Application

……….. (name of young person) is applying for housing benefit while they live in a Staying Put arrangement. This young person who was Looked After immediately prior to their 18th birthday (as an ‘Eligible Child’ as defined in Schedule 2 of the Children Act 1989) continues to live with their former foster carers who have been approved under Fostering Regulations.

The former foster placement was fully funded by the local authority until the young person’s 18th birthday at which point they came under Staying Put arrangements. At 18 the young person becomes a ‘Former Relevant Child’ as defined in Schedule 2 and continues to live in the same household but is now viewed as and adult member of the household and an “excluded occupier on a licence” who signs a licence agreement.

The Staying Put duty contained in the Children and Families Act 2014 came into force on 13th May 2014. This is a new legal duty that requires every local authority to provide financial support for every young person who wants to say with their foster carer and with their foster carer’s agreement from their 18th for any length of time up to their 21st birthday.

Staying Put recognises that for most young people in care, their 18th birthday may not be the most appropriate time for them to move on from foster care. It is designed to make sure young people do not experience a sudden disruption to their living arrangements, continuity is promoted and they can make a gradual transition from care to adulthood and successful independent living in line with their peers.

The young person at 18 will be eligible for either Income Support (if in Further Education) or Job Seekers Allowance and will claim Housing Benefit. They will pay an ineligible service charge of £20.00 per week towards food and utilities. A placement agreement meeting is held which identifies support needs relating to the development of skills needed for living independently including the skills required to maintain a tenancy and the house rules particular to that arrangement.

Children’s Services act as the landlord in this arrangement and the Staying Put provider is our agent. The payments that we pay to the provider includes an element for the rental of the room and access to communal areas in the accommodation, covers bills and food, housing management cost (their additional insurance costs due to the nature of their employment, wear and tear on fixtures and fittings including repairs and redecoration, time spent on helping the young person to keep to the terms of their licence agreement) and support.

The young people in these placements are vulnerable (having poorer outcomes in relation to education, employment, substance misuse, offending and housing) and have a higher level of difficulty than their peer group in the general population in keeping to the terms of their licence agreement. We acknowledge this in our payments to our providers and are aware that there tends to be additional wear and tear and damage to the properties and behavioural issues relating to keeping to the terms of the licence agreement (assuming that 20% of the providers time will be spent on these issues and that 1½ hours per week of staff time will be spent on these issues).

The rent has been set at £150.00 to reflect these factors and the breakdown of these payments is as follows:

Please find attached Housing Benefit Application Form and Staying Put Licence Agreement.

Please contact me if you require any additional information.

Yours faithfully

Social Worker

POD …..

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