About the campaign
For young people in care, the move to living on their own is a really important time. With no family to support them, they can miss out on the opportunity to stay in education, training or employment. In 2010, 80% of those eligible for after-care services in Scotland were not in education, training or employment (NEET). This is not fair.
Equality of opportunity
Help with money is vital if care leavers are to have the same chances as other young people. Yet, on 1 January this year, the Child Trust Fund, which provided money for young people leaving care, was scrapped. That's why we launched ‘On our own two feet’; an urgent campaign for a savings scheme for looked after children.
Not only will this scheme make sure that care leavers have money to spend on things like text books, or to help towards a deposit on a flat, it shows them that, just like other young people, someone is there for them and cares what happens to them when they leave care.
Email campaign
We asked you to join us in putting pressure on the Government to help care leavers to stand on their own two feet. In just two weeks, over 1,200 of you emailed your MPs asking them to support our proposal, and that's exactly what they did.
A secure future
MPs from all parties joined together with our campaigners and
young care leavers to call upon the Government to include financial
support for children in care in the 2011 Budget. And in within just
a couple of weeks,we won! The Chancellor, George Osborne, announced
that the Government would create a new system of savings accounts
for children in care to help them plan for a brighter future.
We were involved throughout the planning process, and secured
over twice the funding originally committed to the scheme, which
will apply to over 55,000 young people right across the UK. For
more details about what this new junior ISA system will look like,
click here!
Our report
Find out more the system we proposed and the difference it will
now make to care leavers: download the report (PDF).
Rachel Rogers, Participation Worker at
Action for Children's Dorset Children's Rights Service:
"Leaving the care system can be very difficult for young
people. They have to fend for themselves for the first time and,
unlike their peers, they don't have family to call on for either
emotional or financial support. Having some savings to fall back on
will give them a sense of security and will open up new
opportunities as they plan an independent future. It will enable
them to buy household items as they set up their own home or it
will help with transport costs for college or work. These things
really will transform the lives of most vulnerable young people in
our society."