I’m gobsmacked … thank goodness only 500 Welsh 16 year olds will be able to apply.
They will receive 1,600 a month for 2 years whilst under no pressure whatsoever to find work.
What the heck? This is madness and why? Just why? Do you think they might help 7s oldies? Nope I don’t think so either 
Our Welsh government have some crazy ideas but this must be the craziest of the lot. and it’s costing us Welsh 20 million pounds
This is not for all 16 year olds, it is for kids leaving care, I presume most of them will not have loving families to give them help, support or security. I have always thought the way youngsters are treated when they leave care needed looking at, maybe it is worth trying.
3 Likes
@Maver-rik , Good point, but wouldn’t it be better to place them
in some sort oftraining scheme or even pay for a university
course for them ?
Donkeyman! 
1 Like
Well, that’s Labour for you - profligate with money. Don’t worry, Drakeford will be expecting the rest of the UK to bail him out when funds run low.
Yes, I agree. Leaving the care system can be very traumatic and difficult for young people and they are at risk of homelessness and being exploited
Most youngsters who have family have a bit of a safety net and support from their family as they find their way in the adult world. It must be a very scary and insecure time for those who don’t
It doesn’t say if it’s just the cash or if they are going to get other support as well, because that might be just as important
But if a short time of this get them launched in life, maybe get them settled in some decent rented accommodation with the bills covered while they look for work and decide what to do with their life, then I’m OK with it.
But I do think it needs to be combined with other support
I tend to feel sorry for all other 16 year olds who can’t get a job or a university place.
Or any unemployed person come to that.
It sheer wastefulness and cossetting.
1 Like
Well, yes, I feel sorry for them too. But hopefully a lot, not all, of them have a bit of family to give love and support and they’re not all expected to be independent at 16
Leaving care at 16 without that support must be tough so I think they warrant a little extra help, I wouldn’t call it cosseting, but I’m not sure this is the best way, it’s not just about money
But I thought this was a good point, made by an anti exploitation organisation
“Care leavers are often required to become independent at a younger age than their peers, with many leaving care when they are 16-18 years old. They may be expected to become responsible for finding housing, employment and study opportunities without the support networks available to many other young adults. This transition can be challenging and stressful, difficulties increased by past childhood trauma. Employment, housing and financial difficulties and feelings of isolation and exclusion can make care leavers particularly vulnerable to exploitation”
But … why then just put £1,600 a month into their bank account?
I’d have thought a strong support network with good advice and experienced professionals to help them would be worth more than money in the bank, which, lets face it, at that age will just get blown away.
I’d also question that 16 year olds living with mum and dad fare better financially.
I suspect not many parents could bank roll their 16 year old child to the tune of 19k a year whilst they ‘found their feet’ in the big bad world.
I know it might make me sound uncaring or selfish but I truly believe it is OTT and will be spent on rubbish by kids that age.
And equally interesting … what happens after 2 years when the ‘income’ of 19k per annum stops ?
What happens if they haven’t made their way in the world and put the money to good use? They won’t be best pleased at their sudden reduction in income.
Yes, I’m not convinced about the money either but I’m no expert on young people leaving care and it’s only a pilot so it will be interesting to see if it works
I think most, not all, 16 year olds with a family can also have a home with them if they want it and aren’t expected to live independently, even if their family can’t help them financially
So I’m thinking the purpose of this money is to help these young people find rented accommodation, cover their bills etc and get settled in a job or further education
So that at the end of the two years, when they’ll still only be 18, they’ll be established. After all, a lot of young people live with their parents until they are 18 and older and those who head off for Uni are usually 18
But rather than just handing them the money, I think it should be given out in a more controlled way and supervised. Money for a deposit on a flat and to pay the rent an bills until they find a job
Or to pay their living costs on the condition they do further education. I don’t think it’s right that children leaving care shouldn’t get a chance of 16-18 education just because they aren’t living in a family home.
It’s a bit much to just expect them to be turfed out at sixteen and expect them to find a job and be totally independent. Is that what happens? I hope not.
If that is the way it works, wouldn’t a lot of them end up on benefits anyway? Would that come to a lot less than this payment?
Edited to say that I just noticed these payments are taxable so they’d end up with about £1400 a month. I don’t expect that helps!
I agree wholeheartedly. Give them the means to improve their life chances would be a better way of spending that money IMHO.
@Morticia, l thought that was what student loans were for?
Plus most of them can rely on the bank of mum and dad and
don’t have to pay for their keep?
I think kids leaving the ‘care system’ are a special case and need
more support untill they can finish any training and obtain a
decent job ?
Donkeyman! 
Aint they just! The full basic State Pension is £137.60 per week for us oldies, but these children will receive £400 each week! I hope the fair pensions lot pick up on this.
1 Like
@LongDriver , Yeah, your right ! I also picked up on that!
But apparently there are only about 600 such kids in Wales and
I don’t think they will get the cash in hand as such ?
They should be considered a special case untill they complete
their training and have obtained their first job ?
Donkeyman!
1 Like
Excerpt from the article…
I still think it’s a stupid idea and a disgraceful waste of money …
No, but not many 16 year olds, other than those in the care system, where some children have thier care orders end at 16. HAVE to find a flat & pay everything that goes with that, because they are in reality being thrown out of their childhood home as a result of that care order ending & thus the funding for that placement also ending.
Many young people leaving care get great support, but that does not mean they find it easy to change from a foster family, or care home to living on their own. Far from it.
I used to work as a residential social worker in a children’s home & we gave a lot of support, regardless of if the care order ended at 16 or 18. But these children generally have little or no family support & often come from a very damaged background. Making them vulnerable.
£1,600 may sound like a lot, but maybe it will give some vulnerable young people options. Give them a chance to avoid poor decisions forced onto them by a lack of financial support.
Imagine being 16, you have no family support & only an assigned social worker who, due to government funding, has four times the number of clients they should have. Imagine moving out of your foster home, with maybe only 2 or 3 changes of clothes, no bedding, no kitchen utensils, no money but Universal Credit or a job which pays national minimum wage & at 16 that is under £5 per hour., or under £200 per week. You have to sort out things like rent, electricity, water, council rates etc etc & all on your own as your social worker can only see you once a month, as they have 30 or more other clients & all of whom have immediate needs & risks, which means if your social worker sees you every week & one of their other clients dies or seriously self harms, they will be publicly pilloried in the local or national media.
I am not saying this, £1600 is a good idea. Less over worked social workers who have time to support young people properly would be better. As would a more intelligently set systems & budgets, with time to help young people transition from care to society gently & effectively.
A review by lord Lamming found that 1% of the population has been within the care system, but that 50% of children in custody have been in care. And figures published by the National Audit Office in 2015 showed that services supporting young people leaving care had deteriorated for seven consecutive years due to financial cuts and poor management. I cannot image that has improved under the dishonourable Boris.
2 Likes
@Morticia , Yep,nyou are right, if your link is correct then it will
be a waste of money, you have changed my mind !
Just shows it pays to read the small print don’t it ?
Donkeyman!
Why does care have to end at sixteen? Surely the money would be better spent looking after them in some sort of older care unit where they could be encouraged to find work and or further education and given advice on life and financial matters. All the kids I know usually meet a partner while attending university and make plans to fly the coup and build a life of their own, so its not like they would rely on help for ever.
It does seem a bit harsh to chuck kids in care out on the street at sixteen.
1 Like