Support for Care Leavers

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:04 pm on 8 May 2018.

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Photo of Carwyn Jones Carwyn Jones Labour 2:04, 8 May 2018

I think our carers, and our foster carers particularly, do an incredible job. I've met people who have fostered many, many children and they've fostered children who have come to them in the most difficult of circumstances, sometimes more than once. I've seen foster carers who foster children at a very young age who then, of course, see them go for adoption when they're 18 months or two years old. It's very, very emotionally difficult for people, and I really take my hat off to them.

She asked what we have done as a Government. Well, we have established the £1 million St David's Day fund. That supports care leavers to access opportunities in education, training and employment. There's £625,000 for the local authorities to develop apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities within the local authority, acting as good corporate parents, and £1 million has been provided to local authorities so that personal adviser support can be provided for all care leavers up to the age of 25. Those are just some examples of what we have done as a Government in order to provide the sorts of funds that are required to give our care leavers a better start in life.