1. Will the Minister provide an update on measures to help young care leavers access affordable housing? OAQ(5)0052(CC)

I thank the Member for his question. I am committed to doing all I can to meet the housing needs of young care leavers. Later this month I will launch a new accommodation framework for care leavers, which has been developed in partnership with Barnardo’s and Shelter Cymru to promote best practice.

Thank you, Minister. Last June, the Public Policy Institute for Wales warned that many young care leavers face a lack of affordable housing and an earlier cliff edge to independent living than most young people. Their report called for a national framework for accommodation and support to improve consistency of provision across Wales. Could the Minister update us on how their report is being addressed?

I thank the Member for his important supplementary question. The report from the Public Policy Institute for Wales has action we are taking, not only for care leavers, but on youth homelessness more generally—action already taken in line with the report’s recommendations, for example: the development of a care leavers accommodation framework, as I said, which I’ll be launching on 19 October, and continuing our drive to action to eradicate the use of bed and breakfasts for young people through strengthened guidance, joint working, and new voluntary arrangements, which will be the evidence and the improvements that are needed.

Cabinet Secretary, both you and I attended yesterday a young people’s forum organised by the children’s commissioner for 15 to 24-year-olds with experience of care, and not only was there a clear message coming from that forum that care leavers need help to access affordable housing, but they also need help to retain their housing. In a recent report by the Children’s Society, they called for care leavers to be exempted from paying council tax until they were 25. Now, although that focused on England, I’m sure we can see what the potential advantages would be here in Wales. Certainly, it would bolster the pathway plans required to prepare care leavers for the rest of their lives, really. So, is that something that the Cabinet Secretary will be willing to consider?

Well, I’ve got a working group looking at children in care settings and looked-after children. I will ask them to give me further advice on these issues. I do think that we are not doing what we can do for these young people, and we should join up the groups that are involved in the intervention programmes to give people a better start in life. These are very vulnerable young people and we need to step up to the plate.

Minister, the Children’s Society report also referred to the fact that there’s very poor financial education and that many young people find it difficult to maintain their tenancies once they leave care. And, again, at the forum yesterday, it was quite clear that there was a call for support workers to be allowed to work alongside care leavers right up until the age of 25. That’s not something that is available at the moment here in Wales. What consideration have you given to extending the provision for support workers to work with young care leavers up to the age of 25, and is this something that could perhaps be added to the accommodation framework that you’ve referred to?

Yes, the care leavers accommodation framework will help organisations to work together to help children leaving care, to prepare them for independent living and ensure they find a suitable home. I am interested in the support mechanism following that. Through Supporting People we also provide £124 million to help vulnerable people access accommodation, including £13.7 million of that for care leavers and young people.

Question 2 [OAQ(5)0039(CC)] has been transferred for written answer by the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure.