Use this page to learn about the money and finance support you can get as a care-experienced young person.
Learning to budget and manage money and to ‘live within your means’ is an important skill to learn.
As a care-experienced young person, you are entitled to financial support from us as a council. It is also important that you are aware of what financial support options are available to you and you are getting what you are entitled to.
| Type | Description | Offer |
|---|---|---|
| Birthday money | We will give you birthday money on your birthday up to and including your 21st birthday. | £50 each birthday. |
| Festival money | This is a financial gift at the time you celebrate important times in the year, such as Christmas, Eid, or Hanukah. We provide this gift up to your 21st birthday. You can talk to your Personal Advisor about when you would like to receive this. | £50 annually. |
| Clothing | You have access to an annual clothing allowance up until your 21st birthday, which your Personal Advisor will ensure you access (such as ordering online, going shopping, or reimbursed for clothes you had already purchased). | £200 between age 18 and 19 £150 between age 19 and 20. £100 between 20 and 21. |
| Universal Credit / other benefits |
At 18 the DWP (Job centre – where there is a Care leaver Lead) will need to support you financially and they are responsible for giving you your living allowance and your rent – this is called Universal Credit. We can support you to apply for Universal Credit and attend meetings at the job centre. You may be entitled to other benefits, such as Child Benefit, PIP and enhanced payments. |
We can give you the equivalent of Universal Credit for 4-6 weeks until you get your first payment as long as you have submitted your claim. If you do not have the right to claim benefits ('no recourse to public funds') we will continue to pay you the equivalent of Universal Credit. |
| Mobile phone | We pledge that you will have access to a mobile phone once you turn 18. | We can buy you a basic smartphone and work with you on budgeting to pay for an ongoing contract/Pay As You Go sim. |
| Emergency payments | This could be with food vouchers, a one-off payment to pay for a bill, or transport in those times of urgency. | One-off payment, which you can discuss with your Personal Advisor first. |
| Winter fuel allowance | To help with cost of living and increased costs for gas and electricity. | A total of £150 available to help with bills if you manage your own tenancy – speak to your Personal Advisor if you need to use some of this. |
| Driving tests | We would like to support you to travel independently, such as via car or motorbike, if you would like. | We fund the cost of applying for your provisional license. We pay for your first theory test and first practical test. |
| Public transport | We want you to be connected and confident to get around. We will help you access free public transport/discounts. |
WestPASS offer free transport across the south west – we can help you apply for a bus pass (up to March 2025 (available up to your 22nd birthday). We will pay for your first young person’s Railcard for you. |