Children in care in England will be able to stay with their foster families after they turn 18 following a £40 million funding boost and a new legal duty on councils to provide support.
Children and Families Minister Edward Timpson has announced that he is placing a new legal duty on local authorities to provide financial support for every young person who wants to stay with their foster parents until their 21st birthday - giving local authorities £40 million over the next three years to put the support arrangements in place.
Once legally adult, young people can no longer be children in care and can therefore not be fostered. The new clause to the Children and Families Bill, to be laid during third reading, will give young people in care the opportunity to remain with their former carers into legal adulthood, enabling them to move to greater independence when they are ready, rather than when they reach a pre-determined age limit.
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