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Through Care: Children in care and care leavers

Throughcare logo

This page will give you an overview of some of the work Through Care does and the support available to you.

Who are we and what do we do?

The Through Care Service is made up of Social Workers, Personal Advisers (PAs), Children and Families Workers and a Housing Liaison Officer.

Our team provide social work and personal advice to you between the ages of 12 to 25.

Our social workers and personal advisers work with you, as agreed in your Pathway Plan and are passionate about supporting you in all areas of your life.

Colleagues dressed as dinosaurs enjoy the fun

Our Local Offer

Once you turn 16 you will be given a copy of Coventry's local offer [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/43362/throughcare-local-offer-booklet] and this will give you an overview of the support on offer to you - now you are near adulthood. You will also have a visit from a Personal Adviser - who will explain what their role is and what their support will look like when you turn 18.

Your Social Worker will work with you until you turn 18 and then you will be supported by your personal adviser (who will be allocated to you at 17). Their support is different to that of a social worker and we want you to make more decisions - you’re in the driving seat, we’re just here to keep you on the road!

We have created a new local offer video for you. This video will clearly explain your rights, entitlements and opportunities you can access as a Care Leaver. We want to ensure the local offer is clear to you and easy to understand, we would appreciate any feedback so let us know what you think!

 

Alongside the Coventry Local Offer, We have more specific local offers that may be tailored more to your needs: 

Turning 18

Becoming an adult can be a tricky time. Things like leaving school, finding a job, starting a relationship, setting up a home and becoming a parent don’t always happen in order.
For many young people, becoming an adult is a unique journey and people learn life skills differently. We know that it’s a big step and we want to make sure that you feel supported and know where and who to go to for advice and help.

A magnifying glass looking at a wooden model of a houseYour home

When you turn 18, your Personal Adviser will help you find the right home for you. You will be supported to explore all your different housing options and will be able to access your setting up home grant (£3000) - once you move into your own home. Whilst you are preparing to live independently, you will have the opportunity to spend time in the training flat and will have priority access to social housing - once you are ready for your own tenancy. You will not have to pay council tax until you are 21 if you are living in Coventry or if we placed you out of the city. You will also be able to access a 70% discount on your water bills if your home is covered by Severn Trent.

Your relationships

As well as support from a Personal Adviser, we want to ensure you have a wide and supportive network of people around you. We can complete a referral to our Lifelong Links [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/lifelong-links/lifelong-links-guide] service for you and they will support you to reconnect with significant people in your life. As well as this, If you have been a part of our House Project their support will not stop once you turn 18. You will also be able to access support from our Staying Close team if you have moved on from one of our residential homes. In addition to this, if you would like to have continued contact with your IRO you can access their post 18 offer. You may also be able to access some support to see your wider family and this is something you should explore with your Personal Adviser.

Female working on a laptop at a tableYour education and employment

We want you to succeed in your education, employment and training. We will support you in accessing and maintaining education, employment and training in various different ways. You will be supported to attend university open days, buy essential study equipment and access a higher education bursary of £2000. You will be encouraged to access carers' advice and can receive support from our apprenticeship team. We hold a regular panel for those not in education, employment or training and your personal adviser will share your wishes/feelings about your aspirations.

Your health and wellbeing

We will support you in getting the help you need for your physical and mental health. You will be given a 'health passport' when you turn 18 which will provide you with an overview of your health history. You and a guest can access free sports facilities across the city - including the Wave Gym. You will be supported to register at health services near you and you will be encouraged to access services in the local area. You will also have access to 'AskJan' which is a 24-hour service, that provides counselling amongst other support.

Your finances

We have a full financial support package available which is set out in Money Matters [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/43361/through-care-money-matters-booklet]. Prior to turning 18 you will be supported to open a bank account and to get your national insurance number. In addition to this, your personal adviser will support you to access any savings that have been put aside for you whilst you have been in care.

Stack of words diversity, inclusion, belonging, equity, identity, tolerance, acceptanceYour identity

We will make sure the service is a place where everyone can achieve their full potential free from prejudice, discrimination and harassment. We will support you to purchase religious items and will help you celebrate festivals that are important to you. We celebrate all of your differences and will share events/activities with you that recognise diversity. These include: Pride, Black History Month and Religious Festivals. We will also support you in accessing your care records if this is something that you would like to do.

Your voice

We want our young people to be active members of society. We want you to help shape and develop our service - so that it is right for you. You will be able to attend our corporate parenting board to speak directly to elected members.

We also hold our regular care leaver forum (The Empowerment Forum) where you can share your wishes and feelings about what the service could do better. This group meets on the first Thursday of every month. 

Keeping updated

We will contact you using the details we hold for you with our weekly text service and monthly newsletter which shares the latest job vacancies, events and activities, as well as lots of information and advice to make the most out of life. If you do not wish to receive these emails or text messages, please contact dutythroughcare@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:dutythroughcare@coventry.gov.uk].

If you are not already receiving these and you would like to, please: Fill out this form if you want to sign up to receive weekly texts and monthly emails from us. [https://forms.office.com/e/EB9h9Be8eE]

Through Care

Address: Council House
Earl Street, Coventry
CV1 5RR

Telephone: 024 7678 7808 [tel:02476787808]

Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children And Young (UASC)

As a service we are proud to support more than 200 young people - who have come to the UK as unaccompanied asylum seekers. We want to make sure that all of our unaccompanied young people feel welcome in Coventry and that they have the support to feel safe and happy here. As an unaccompanied young person, you will be entitled to the same support that is mentioned on the first page of our website - however, some of this may differ depending on your asylum status.

Our Local Offer

As an unaccompanied young person, once you become a looked after child you will be provided with a copy of our local offer and this will give you an overview of the support on offer to you. We have a specific Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Child local offer [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/file/43363/care-leaver-offer-for-uasc], which aims to be more specific to your needs. You can also access the Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children local offer in different languages. [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/8179/care-leaver-offers-for-uasc] 

Your home

You will be able to access your setting up home grant until the age of 21 - if you are granted asylum. If your asylum claim is delayed you will be able to access this and other entitlements up until your 25th birthday as long as it is agreed in your pathway plan. If you are claiming asylum or appealing a refusal we will fund the cost of your accommodation up until the age of 21. Once you have been granted asylum your Personal Adviser will work closely with you to support you into a home that is right for you.

Your relationships

We want to make sure that you have a wide support network now that you are living in the UK. We want to ensure that the people around you are helpful, supportive and safe. We can complete a referral to our Lifelong Links [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/lifelong-links/lifelong-links-guide] service for you and they will support you to reconnect with significant people in your life. We will also ensure that (with your consent) you are referred to the Family Tracing service to help locate your family members. As well as this, when and where possible we will support you to spend time with any family who are living in the UK.

The immigration and asylum process

We appreciate how difficult and complicated the asylum process may be and In light of this we want to make sure that you are well supported. As mentioned above, if you are claiming asylum or appealing a refusal we will fund the cost of your accommodation up until the age of 21. You may also be entitled to a weekly allowance whilst you await the outcome of your asylum application and have no recourse to public funds (again up until the age of 21). As well as this, you will also be supported by your Personal Adviser to attend your asylum interviews and other immigration appointment.

Calculator and moneyYour finances

Once you arrive in the UK you may be able to access a one-off clothing grant of £100. This is to ensure you have sufficient clothing that is appropriate for the weather. You will also be provided with a basic smartphone when you first come into care - to ensure that you can contact people who are important to you. In addition to this, you will be able to access your other care leaver entitlements once you are granted refugee status and may also be able to claim any savings that were kept for you whilst you were in care.

Person working on a laptop with a pen and paper nearbyYour education and employment

Upon coming into care, you will be supported to access education in your local area. We have lots of young people who are currently completing a variety of courses (including ESOL) with partner agencies such as Coventry College and the Refugee and Migrant Centre. Once you have been granted asylum your Personal Advisor will support you to explore employment and training opportunities and you may be referred to our employment panel. Once you turn 18 you will be able to access 6 months of free internet through the National Databank. You will also be supported to access any basic equipment for your education, employment and training.

Eid MubarakYour identity

We are committed to supporting you in exploring, sharing and celebrating your identity. We will support you in purchasing religious items and will help you celebrate festivals that are important to you. This could include prayer mats and religious texts. We hold regular events for you to take part in and want you to share more about your culture - all of our young people are invited to these and it includes (but is not limited to): Newroz celebrations, T

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