Care Leavers’ Learning Plan Call

Young people leaving care have called for Scottish Executive plans to offer guaranteed funding for education after the age of 16 to go further. The executive wants to encourage more of Scotland’s 12,000 youngsters in care to apply for college and university to help them into good jobs. But a small-scale study suggested the youngsters want more than just funding. The 16 to 21-year-olds asked for better careers and benefit advice and help to deal with problems at a younger age.

They said this could help prevent them from rejecting education. The executive’s proposals would involve them providing funding to cover fees and living expenses.

The report, commissioned by the executive, stated that many of the young people were juggling housing, health and other personal problems. They often disliked school and more than half were leaving with no qualifications.

It said: “Of the few young people who did know something about the current system of funding, views were mainly negative.

“There were concerns that levels of funding were too low; uptake would result in loss of benefits (particularly housing benefit); the system was overly complicated and bureaucratic; and that it was inequitable and unclear.”