Agenda item

With an amendment to minute number 9 to clarify that the comment made by Mason related to his concerns for care leavers who find themselves stuck in the benefit trap, when they would prefer to be in education, employment or training and the impact that can have on their health and wellbeing, the minutes of the meeting held on Friday 17 January 2025 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Chair recalled that, at the previous meeting, the Strategic Manager for Progression and Learning asked members to consider what more could be done to increase the number of ringfenced apprenticeships for care leavers. Members were reminded to provide suggestions to the Senior Policy and Partnerships Officer.

The Chair referred to the question posed by Mason at the previous meeting regarding the number of care leavers receiving benefits. Martyn Stenton, Head of Early Help, Inclusion and Vulnerable Children explained that the most up to date information from the Department for Work and Pensions was from 2023 when approximately 40% of care leavers aged 19-21 were claiming Universal Credit and this figure did not include other young people who may have been claiming other types of benefit. This highlighted that a significant number of young people transitioning from care accessed financial support.  Statistics relating to care leavers over the age of 21 claiming Universal Credit were not readily available.