Children Leaving Care Act 2000
With the introduction of the Children [Leaving Care] Act 2000 new terms have been introduced which identify different categories of young people and highlight the requirements of the local authority.
Briefly the ones which have most significance will be:
Eligible Children These are children aged 16 and 17 years, who have been looked after for at least 13 weeks since they reached 14 years and are still being looked after. These will be the young people fostered, or in residential care and we will be required to assess and plan for their eventual independence. The plan is known as the Pathway Plan and it should be in place no later than 3 months after the young person’s 16th birthday.
Relevant children are aged 16 & 17 and have been looked after for 13 weeks since the age of 14 and have left care.
Former relevant children are aged 18 – 21 who have been either eligible or relevant children (or both). If at 21, the authority is helping the young person with education or training, he/she remains a former relevant child until the end of the agreed programme of education or training.
Qualifying children and young people over 16 are young people under the age of 21 (24 if in education or training) who cease to be looked after or accommodated in a variety of other settings, or privately fostered, after the age of 16.