Overview

Contents

  1. Overview
  2. How to access the help available
  3. Eligibility and knowing your rights
  4. Access to records
  5. Register to vote
  6. Staying Close, Staying Connected
  7. Improving our local offer for care leavers

Overview

If you are leaving care in South Tyneside, we will give you support until you are 25.

These pages tell you about the support and services you are entitled to.

This is known as our Local Offer for Care Leavers.

You can also read the , which has help and advice for young people leaving care in South Tyneside.

We want to support you, so that you have opportunities both now and in the future.

How to access the help available

We will provide you with a personal adviser shortly after your 16th birthday.

They will support you to make sure you have access to the different levels of support at a time that is right for you.

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Drop-in sessions

We hold fortnightly drop-in session at the MarketPlace, offering specialist housing advice for emergency housing and longer-term plans for adulthood.

[googlemap location="MarketPlace, South Shields NE33 1JF, UK" expand title="MarketPlace"]

Eligibility and knowing your rights

To get the support and services explained in these pages (known as our 'local offer' for care leavers), you must have been in care for at least 13 weeks since you reached age 14, including some time after you turn 16.

We will:

  • Provide you with a personal adviser shortly after you turn 16
  • Give you the support of a personal adviser, until you are age 25, unless you tell us otherwise
  • 兔子先生 you up to age 25
  • Review your Pathway Plan and support you to plan for the future
  • Help you with money for your work, education or training
  • Provide or pay for accommodation during college or university holidays if you are studying away from home
  • Contribute towards living expenses near to your job, education or training
  • Provide you with financial support if you are in higher education
  • Provide you with other financial support where needed
  • Keep in touch with you
  • Visit you regularly

Access to records

You have the right to see the information we hold about you.

It's free, and your personal adviser can provide support to help you do this.

For more information, see accessing information we hold about you.

Register to vote

It's now UK law that you have to show photo ID when voting at a polling station in some elections.

You can register to vote at .

For more information, visit the  or phone their helpline 0800 328 0280.

Staying Close, Staying Connected

The Staying Close, Staying Connected project offers extra support to you upon leaving care

For more information, see Staying Close, Staying Connected.

Improving our local offer for care leavers

We promise to develop and improve our offer to you, and we want your help to decide what to include.

Tell us what you think - this is your Local Offer and we want it to include the things that are most important to you.

To get involved and have your say, contact Mark Benson on mark.benson@southtyneside.gov.uk or 0191 424 7757.