Staying put arrangements
A staying put arrangement is where a young person who has been living in foster care stays in the foster home after the age of 18.
Staying put allows more time for the young person to prepare for independence, until they are ready to move on to more independent accommodation.
Staying put should be discussed as an option when your foster child is 16 years old, as part of their pathway plan. It may not be appropriate for all young people or foster carers. A staying put arrangement won't go ahead unless both you and your foster child agree to it.
The staying put arrangement may continue until:
- The young person is 21 years old, or
- The young person completes an agreed programme of education or training that they started before they turned 21
Information for young people about staying put arrangements
Setting up a staying put arrangement
If you have both agreed to a staying put arrangement, there are some steps you and your foster child will need to complete before they turn 18.
You will both need to sign:
- A Staying Put Excluded Licence Agreement. This is a legal document that sets out:
- Your rights and responsibilities as a landlord, and
- Your former foster child's rights and responsibilities as a tenant
- A Staying Put Occupant Agreement - this sets out the house rules. Both you and the young person will need to be happy with the rules in this agreement
If the young person is unemployed, or is employed in low paid work, they will need to make a claim for Universal Credit. This will help them pay their rent.
Financial support for staying put arrangements
You will only get financial support for a staying put arrangement if:
- The arrangement is in line with Norfolk County Council's Staying Put Policy, and
- You have signed the Excluded Licence Agreement and Occupant Agreement
Financial support for a staying put arrangement will end when:
- The young person is 21 years old,
- The young person completes an agreed programme of education or training they started before they turned 21, or
- The young person and/or the staying put carer decide to end the staying put arrangement before the young person is 21 years old
How much financial support you will get
As a staying put carer, you will usually get a maximum of £250 per week. You may get more than £250 per week if the young person is assessed as having complex needs.
The funding you get will be a combination of:
- A staying put payment paid by the County Council
- Rent paid by the young person (from their housing benefit and/or salary)
- £10 per week contribution towards utility bills paid by the young person
Funding for a staying put arrangement will be agreed as part of the young person's pathway plan. The young person's social worker will produce a statement which shows the different funding sources and amounts which make up the carer's payment and how they will be paid.
Young person at university
If the young person goes away to university during the staying put arrangement, the amount you get paid as their staying put carer will change.
You will get:
- £100 per week per week during term time, when they are away from your home
- Up to £250 per week staying put payment outside of term time, when the young person is back in your home
Tax on staying put funding
As a staying put carer, you may qualify for care relief. This means you would not pay tax on some of the payments you get for providing staying put care.