Tag: care leavers

Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Bishop of Manchester highlights impact on care leavers and faith communities

The Bishop of Manchester spoke at the second reading of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill on 1st May 2025, highlighting the potential impact of the bill on care leavers and faith communities:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, I begin by expressing my thanks to all noble Lords who have reached out to me following the announcement that I will be taking up the role of Convenor of the Lords Spiritual next month. I look forward to working with all noble Lords. I also look forward to hearing today the maiden speeches from the noble Lords, Lord Mohammed of Tinsley and Lord Biggar, the latter a fellow clergyman and a theological mind of some high repute.

Debate during the recent passage of my own Private Member’s Bill through this House highlighted the severe disadvantages faced by many care leavers. Research by Barnardo’s showed that 39% of care leavers aged 19 to 21 are not in education, employment or training, compared with 13% of young people in general. We are failing almost two in five of those who have care experience. Moreover, care leavers I met through the charity Become highlighted how much depends on the whim of their particular local authority. Young people who move away for work or further education are especially prone to losing support. We need a universal offer for young people leaving care that local authorities are obliged to meet.

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Universal Credit (Standard Allowance Entitlement of Care Leavers) Bill: Bishop of Manchester passes private members bill in the Lords

On 14th March 2025, the Bishop of Manchester’s private member’s bill, the Universal Credit (Standard Allowance Entitlement of Care Leavers) Bill, had its third reading and passed through the House of Lords:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, as this will be my last opportunity to address your Lordships’ House on this Bill, I crave your indulgence for a couple of minutes. There are something like 92,000 care leavers in the 18 to 25 age bracket at any one time. While it is hard to be precise about how much this Bill would cost, the best estimate is that it would probably add something like £25 million a year to the total costs on the Government. That would enable a young care leaver who is in receipt of universal credit to get an extra £80 a month, which is 25% more than they currently get. It would be life-changing for them. It would make, I would argue, very little difference to the state of the nation’s finances.

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Universal Credit (Standard Allowance Entitlement of Care Leavers) Bill: Bishop of Derby stresses need to listen to care leavers concerns

The Bishop of Derby spoke in support of the Bishop of Manchester’s private member’s bill on 17th January 2025, stressing the need to listen to care leavers and to take their concerns seriously:

The Lord Bishop of Derby: My Lords, I congratulate my right reverend friend the Bishop of Manchester on bringing this Private Member’s Bill. I declare my interest as chair of the Children’s Society—a charity rooted in the Church of England and a key partner in the Church’s work to support care-experienced children and young people. I therefore welcome this Bill for the difference that it would make to care leavers.

As mentioned, last week we were privileged to hear directly from care leavers. I pay tribute to their resilience and I know that they are listening closely today. Their testimony reinforces my support for the Bill.

Three recurring themes emerge from our conversation: vulnerability, inconsistency and disempowerment. First, too many young people are made profoundly vulnerable as they leave care without a sufficient safety net around them. A recent survey by the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum found that 82% of care leavers struggled to afford food some or all the time.

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Universal Credit (Standard Allowance Entitlement of Care Leavers) Bill: Bishop of Manchester introduces private member’s bill

The Bishop of Manchester’s private members bill, the Universal Credit (Standard Allowance Entitlement of Care Leavers) Bill, had its second reading on 17th January 2025:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, care leavers under the age of 25 who are claiming universal credit receive the same rate as their peers, who are far more likely to be able to access support from their parents. That means that young people under 25 receive £81.77 less in universal credit per month compared to those over 25—a 21% reduction. This Bill would complement proposals by providing increased financial support for care leavers currently living on the lowest incomes. It would mean that care leavers claiming universal credit would see their monthly payment increase to a total of £393.45. That monthly figure is not dissimilar to the daily allowance that Members of your Lordships’ House can claim; it is not a huge sum to live on.

I thank those who have made time to participate in this debate on a Friday—not least the Minister and shadow Minister, with whom we had constructive conversations in advance—and the group of care-experienced young people, facilitated by the charity Become, who were very generous with their time and shared some extremely perceptive insights with me and my right reverend friend the Bishop of Derby about the differences that this policy change would make to their lives. They have agreed that we can name them in our speeches today.

There are over 92,000 care leavers in England under the age of 25. This cohort of young adults is in particular need of further support, including through the social security system. This Bill would equalise the standard allowance for universal credit for care leavers under the age of 25, but that is just one of a number of steps that could be made to ensure that young care leavers receive the support they need to flourish. I hope that, in this debate, there will be an opportunity for noble Lords to explore those, and perhaps other, steps and for us to commit ourselves to supporting young adults leaving care.

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Bishop of Manchester asks about data on universal credit for care leavers

The Bishop of Manchester received the following written answer on 2nd September 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester asked His Majesty’s Government whether they plan to publish the data, routinely collected since February 2022, on care leavers claiming Universal Credit.

Baroness Sherlock (Lab, DWP): We have no plans to publish data on care leavers claiming Universal Credit.

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Bishop of Manchester asks about uprating universal credit for care leavers

The Bishop of Manchester tabled a question on the potential benefits of bringing the rate of Universal Credit for care leavers under 25 in line with the rate for over-25s on 13th May 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: To ask His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential benefits of bringing the rate of Universal Credit for care leavers under 25 in line with the rate for over-25s.

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Bishop of Manchester asks about strategies for care leavers in the prison and probation service

The Bishop of Manchester received the following written answer on 25th January 2024:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester asked His Majesty’s Government whether they will provide a timetable for updating the HM Prisons and Probation Service Strategy for Care-Experienced People; and whether this will include a specific focus on race.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about programmes of support for care leavers in the UK

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 4th September 2023:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what programmes exist to support 18 year olds leaving the care system.

Baroness Barran (Con, Department for Education): As set out in the Children Act 1989, local authorities have the primary responsibility for supporting care leavers. The 2017 Children and Social Work Act imposed a new duty on local authorities to consult on and publish their ‘local offer’ for care leavers, setting out their legal entitlements and any further discretionary support that the local authority provides, such as Council Tax exemptions.

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Bishop of Durham asks about EU settlement scheme

The Bishop of Durham received the following written answers on 13th July 2021:

The Lord Bishop of Durham asked Her Majesty’s Government whether European Economic Area nationals who apply late to the EU Settlement Scheme will be permitted to have the right to work and rent while their applications are pending.

Baroness Williams of Trafford (Con, Home Office): From 1 July, right to work and right to rent checks will change and EEA citizens will be required to demonstrate eligibility through evidence of their immigration status, rather than their nationality.

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Bishop of Gloucester highlights needs of vulnerable young people moving into adulthood

On 29th June 2017 the Bishop of Gloucester, Rt Revd Rachel Treweek, spoke during the final day’s debate on the Queen’s Speech. She highlighted the situation of vulnerable young people moving into adulthood, as care leavers, carers, refugees, those with disabilities and those in prison.

The Lord Bishop of Gloucester: My Lords, I will highlight something that I believe needs careful consideration as we think about education, health and welfare. It is the matter of vulnerable young people making the transition to adulthood. I am grateful for the aspirations I have heard to support families and give children the best start in life. As we strive for the fairness and flourishing of all, I am concerned that we have yet to see any emphasis on our most vulnerable young people as they move into adulthood. I would particularly like to draw the Government’s attention to five specific groups who need help as they transition to adult life: young people leaving care; young people who are carers themselves; young people with severe disability; young people who are refugees and asylum seekers; and young women at risk of offending and being imprisoned. Continue reading “Bishop of Gloucester highlights needs of vulnerable young people moving into adulthood”