Your Rights as a Care Leaver
Leaving care can feel like adulthood arrives all at once, without clear instructions.
Suddenly you are expected to manage housing, money, health, education and work - often without anyone properly explaining what support is still available to you. Many care-experienced young people are left feeling like they have to work everything out alone.
Here is the part that is often missed:
You do have rights, you are entitled to support and that support does not disappear just because you turn 18.
This guide explains those rights in plain, human language - so you can understand what you are entitled to and why it matters.
You do not need to memorise this.
You do not need to use everything at once.
This page is here so you can come back to it whenever you need to.
Where your rights come from
Your rights as a care leaver are protected by law.
In England, this includes legislation such as the Children Act 1989 and the Children and Social Work Act 2017. These laws say that Local Authorities must support care-experienced young people from age 16 until at least 21.
You do not need to understand legal language or quote these laws to get support.
They exist so you are not left to figure adulthood out alone.
Your rights are not based on goodwill, behaviour or how “easy” you are to support.
They exist because you matter.
Your support is a right, not a favour
Support for care leavers exists because of the law, not because someone is being kind or flexible.
Local Authorities have a legal duty to support you. This means you do not need to earn help, prove you deserve it, or feel guilty for asking.
You are not taking resources away from someone else.
You are using support that exists for you.
Click on the rights below for more information:
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Your Personal Advisor is there to support you as you move through adulthood.
They should help with housing, money, education or work, wellbeing, life skills, planning for the future, and dealing with problems or emergencies.
Even if you have not been in contact for a while, you can reconnect at any time.
If you do not know who your PA is, you can contact the leaving care team at your Local Authority and ask.You are not expected to manage adulthood on your own.
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A Pathway Plan is your personal support plan.
It should reflect your goals, your housing situation, education or work plans, health and wellbeing needs, finances, relationships and safety. Importantly, it must be created with you, not written about you without your input.
You can ask for it to be reviewed or updated whenever your situation changes.
Your life is allowed to change - your support should change with it. -
Your Local Authority has a responsibility to help you find and keep safe accommodation.
This can include help with moving, understanding tenancy agreements, budgeting for rent and bills, communicating with landlords, or stepping in if things start to feel unstable.
You should not be left homeless or unsafe.
If housing feels at risk, you are allowed to ask for urgent help.Safe housing is a right, not a reward.
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Item deFinancial support varies by council, but many care leavers are entitled to help such as a setting-up-home allowance, emergency financial support, council tax exemptions in some areas, education bursaries, travel support, or help with work-related costs.
Your local Care Leaver Offer explains what is available where you live.
Needing financial help is not a personal failure.
These funds exist to support your transition. -
Many care-experienced young people receive additional help with education, training or employment.
This can include bursaries, priority access to student support teams, help with applications, funding advice, apprenticeships, or workplace guidance.
If you choose to tell your college or university that you are care experienced, extra support is often put in place automatically.
You deserve opportunities that make things easier, not harder.
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You are entitled to support with both physical and mental health.
This can include help registering with a GP or dentist, accessing mental health services, understanding NHS letters or appointments, and receiving support during crisis moments.
You are not expected to navigate health systems alone.
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From age 18, you can request access to your care records.
This may include placement history, reports, school information and notes written during your time in care. This can be emotional, and you are allowed to ask for support to go through them - or to decide not to access them at all.
Your story belongs to you.
You choose how and when to engage with it. -
You are entitled to attend meetings about your life, ask questions, express your views, disagree with decisions and request advocacy support if needed.
You are not being difficult by speaking up.
You are participating in decisions that affect your future. -
If support is not working, you are allowed to raise concerns.
This might mean speaking to your PA, contacting a manager, asking for advocacy, or using the complaints process. These routes exist to protect fairness and safety.
You are not causing trouble by using them.
You are protecting your wellbeing.
Reflective moment
If reading about your rights feels overwhelming, that is understandable.
Many care-experienced young people are never clearly told what support exists. Feeling unsure does not mean you are behind or failing. It means the system was not explained properly.
You are allowed to ask questions more than once.
You are allowed to come back to this later.
Closing thoughts
Your rights are part of your foundation.
They are there to support your growth, protect your future and make adulthood feel safer and more manageable.
You are not alone, and you are not expected to carry everything by yourself.