There are a lot of different ways the Care Leavers' Service (CLS) are able to support you, if you want to know more please speak to your personal adviser (PA) who will be able to help you.
Page contents
- Moving out
- Universal credit
- Support if you are in education
- Support if you are in employment
- Public transport
- Council tax relief
- Driving lessons
- Helpful resources
Moving out
Moving into your own home for the first time can be stressful and confusing. You might have to think about a lot of things you haven't had to before, like rent, bills and other things. Getting the stuff that you need for your first home is often expensive. Some homes may come fully furnished, and others won't; so, getting the rights things you need will be different for each person.
Your PA will be able to support you with this, for financial support associated with moving into your own accommodation, you can see this on the accommodation page of the Care Leavers Local Offer.
Universal credit
When you reach 18 we would encourage you to be in some form of education, training or employment due to the greater opportunities this will create for you as you get older.
If you are unable to be in education, employment or training, you can be supported to make an application for Universal Credit (UC) before your 18th birthday with the application going live on your 18th birthday. The service will provide financial support to you for the first four weeks whilst you await your universal credit payment.
This is financial support you will receive from the government if you are on a low income or unemployed. You can apply online for UC on the GOV.UK website.
You might be able to claim UC if:
- you're currently out of work, in-between jobs or on a low income
- you're aged 18 or over, however depending on circumstances, young people aged 16 or 17 may still be able to claim
- you and your partner have less than £16,000 in savings.
There are some situations where you will be able to claim UC if you're 16 or 17-years-old as well as if you're studying. This all depends on your circumstances, please speak to your PA as they will be able to help you apply for UC.
Support if you are in education
Below is some of the financial support you as a care leaver may be entitled to if you are in full time further education, higher education or apprenticeship:
Further education
Further education is any study or training that takes place once you leave school, but before university.
- Laptop: your PA can help you with applying for a bursary or grant to help you with the cost of a laptop if you need one for your course. If you are not eligible for the bursary or grant, then you may be able to use a maximum of £300 from your Setting Up Home Allowance (SHA). You will need to show you have tried other means for support
- Educational trips: if the trip is an essential requirement for you complete of the course, the CLS will contribute a maximum of £100 per academic year
- Specialist equipment (including books): you can request up to £100 towards the cost if you cannot access through bursary / other funds
- Clothing: speak to your PA if you need specialist or essential clothing, we can support you with costs up to £130
- Internet: if you are in full time further or higher education, the CLS will provide a monthly payment of up to £20 towards your internet bill if needed. If you are receiving certain benefits, you may be able to access cheaper internet deals.
Higher education
Higher education is normally called university.
- Bursary: whilst you are studying on a higher education course only, the CLS will give you payments called a bursary. This will be a total of £2000 spread across a three-year course
- Independent Living Allowance: You will receive half of the Independent Living Allowance which is based on the current universal credit payment whilst you are attending university
- Educational trips: if the trip is an essential requirement for you complete of the course, the CLS will contribute a maximum of £100
- Specialist equipment (including books): you can request up to £100 towards the cost if you cannot access through bursary / other funds
- Accommodation: the CLS will not help pay towards the cost of your living accommodation (such as student halls, private renting or council housing) during term time of the course. The CLS will support with accommodation costs during the summer holidays
- Internet: if you are in full time further or higher education, the CLS will provide a monthly payment of up to £20 towards your internet bill if needed. If you are receiving certain benefits, you may be able to access cheaper internet deals.
Apprenticeships
- Laptop: your PA can help you with applying for a bursary or grant to help you with the cost of a laptop if you need one for your course. If you are not eligible for the bursary or grant, then you may be able to use a maximum of £300
- Travel: support with travel to your location of learning for the duration of your apprenticeship
- Child care costs: your PA can support you to apply for the Care to Learn scheme
- Find out more about apprenticeship support available to you.
Your PA can support you by applying to the Celebration Fund or the Community Foundation for Surrey for further help with additional educational costs.
Support if you are in employment
Below is some of the financial support you as a care leaver may be entitled to if you are in employment:
Employment travel - you will get support for the first four weeks, and your PA will help you to explore other schemes and options such a young person's 16 to 25 rail card which costs £30 a year, or £70 for three years and will save you a 1/3 on train fares.
Public transport
Surrey LINK card
The Surrey LINK card is free for people aged between 5 and 20 year old and gives you access to half price bus travel around Surrey.
Applicants are required to provide a recent passport sized colour photo and provide a relevant and up to date document for proof of age if above the age of 16, You can apply up to 28 days before your 21st birthday. Your PA can support you with applying for the LINK card.
Surrey care leavers living in London
Surrey care leavers who live in London boroughs, can evidence their London postal address and evidence they are a care leaver can get discounted travel with an 18-25 Care Leaver Oyster photocard.
This will give a 50% discount on bus and tram fares. Your PA can support you to provide the necessary documents as needed.
Council tax relief
Surrey County Council offer care leavers living in Surrey with 100% council tax exemption and a 75% discount for all care leavers living outside of Surrey aged 18 until the day before their twenty-fifth birthday.
Who is eligible?
All Surrey care leavers aged 18 and up to the day before their twenty-fifth birthday.
A care leaver is someone who has been looked after for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14, was in care on their sixteenth birthday and who Surrey County Council looked after up to the point they left care. Care leavers who are employed are also eligible for the discount, regardless of their salary.
Care leavers living in county are eligible for 100% discount and care leavers living out of county are eligible for a 75% discount. This is because we have worked with our borough council and police partners in Surrey to enable the 100% discount.
If there are other adults living with you but who are not care leavers then they will still have to pay (some) council tax at the property, this is different if you live in or out of Surrey, so please check the guidance for more information and speak with your personal adviser (PA).
This scheme became effective on 01 April 2020 and has been revised in 2023 to include care leavers who are currently not receiving a service. No backdated council tax applications can be made under this scheme.
How to apply for the discount?
Care leavers living in county will need to apply for the discount by completing a form obtained from their district or borough – which can also be found online. The form will ask for contact details of the PA or duty desk to be able to confirm those eligible. The districts and boroughs will then issue annual 'Nil' bills to you until you reach your 25th birthday. Care leavers living out of county should get a copy of their council tax bill and share this with the PA who will be able to submit an application.
This scheme became effective on 1 April 2020 and has been revised in 2023 to include care leavers who are currently not receiving a service but are under 25.
For any enquiries, please contact the Care Leavers' Service on duty.deskleavingcare@surreycc.gov.uk 9am to 5pm Mondays to Fridays excluding Bank Holidays.
Driving lessons
Care leavers can access support with funding for learning to drive. You will need to speak to your PA from the CLS for further information on how you can access this support. They will discuss with you what you will need to do, and how the service will support you.
What might be offered will include:
- The cost of one provisional driving licence (if you lose this, the CLS will not fund the cost of a replacement)
- The cost of one theory test (if you do not pass first time, you will need to pay for future tests)
- The cost of one driving test for a car or motorbike (if you do not pass first time, you will need to pay for future tests)
- The cost of five driving lessons. You will need to evidence that you have paid for five yourself. Your PA will need to see proof of these, so always ask your instructor for a receipt
AA's Driving Theory Test App for care leavers is free for care leavers to download. The App has a super user-friendly interface, is easy to navigate and has a database of information covering essential topics to guide you successfully through the DVLA Theory Test.
We would expect that all care leavers seeking to drive are taking part in some form of education, training or employment, or that if you are not, being able to pass your driving qualification will enable you to access education, training or employment
Helpful resources
Help with the cost of living
Help for Households is a government initiative to help people with the rising cost of living, check the link to see what help you may be eligible for. One off payments and other financial help is available for things like:
- Childcare costs
- Energy bills
- Discounts are available at some supermarket chains
Household support fund is funding allocated by the government to help those who are struggling financially in Surrey. Financial assistance will be available for:
- food
- fuel
- water
- and other essentials
The Welfare Support Hub is a Surrey based service for local residents, this website offers lots of help for people living in Surrey including:
- Financial support
- Help with your health and wellbeing
The Surrey Crisis Fund is a discretionary fund run by Surrey County Council. It provides financial help to Surrey residents in an emergency and may be able to assist with
- food and toiletries
- certain essential household items
- certain utilities
- emergency travel costs (hospital appointments, interviews for example)
Citizens Advice webpage has a lot of information about managing money and getting help with finance when you need it, including information on:
- Grants and benefits to help pay your bills
- Warm Home Discount Scheme
Surrey Family Information Service is a useful resource for care leavers living in Surrey, it contains lots of information and support on a number of topics:
- Childcare and what support you are entitled to
- Education and learning - training, tips and more
- Finance - how to apply to local/national government schemes for support and financial help
The Surrey Young People's Fund provides funding for young people (aged 16 to 25 inclusive) who live in Surrey. The funding helps young people to move towards an identified goal in education, training, apprenticeship, or employment.
Grants will typically be up to £300 and will fund items that will directly enhance young person's employability skills, such as;
- helping to obtain qualifications, certificates or licenses
- developing vocational or technical skills
- providing self-development opportunities that improve social skills, motivation and confidence
Capstone Care Leavers Trust
The Capstone Care Leavers Trust (CCLT) awards grants to people aged 17 to 25 years who have been in local authority care in England or Wales and are in need. The CCLT also offers advice and guidance to young people to help reduce experiences of social exclusion and enhance life chances. They can be also contacted on 0121 374 2601. The CCLT will consider awarding grants for:
- Further education courses
- Higher education courses
- Training courses
- Laptop
- Travel costs to place of study/training
- Driving lessons - subject to meeting criteria
- Practical driving test
- Household goods – Sofa, chairs, cooker, fridge, freezer, washing machine bed, wardrobe, drawers.
Open University Course: The MoneySavingExpert Academy of Money
The Open University (OU) has joined forces with MoneySavingExpert (MSE) to produce a new free course to give you the skills and knowledge to master your finances. The course was written by the OU, with MSE providing support and guidance.
Packed with videos, audios, quizzes and activities, the course covers all the key aspects of personal finance in six sessions of study that each take around two hours to complete. The course starts by looking at how to be savvy when spending money and the different pressures can influence what consumers buy. The course also looks at budgeting and the impact of tax on household finances.
To sign up to complete this free course, visit the Open University website. You will need to create an account before starting the course.
Barclays Life Skills
Barclays Life Skills are offering free online lessons to support you with finance and money management. These are a fantastic resource to help with budgeting, understanding bills, rent and other expenses as helpful information about financial fraud, scams and identify theft.
Guidance for leaving care - Barclays Life Skills
Young Enterprise Workshops
We also wanted to share with you resources created by Young Enterprise. This helpful information provides guidance on key money-making decisions young people might need to make when they start living independently.
