Local Offer for care leavers

Central Bedfordshire has made care experience a protected characteristic.

All care leavers have priority on our housing register, through band 1 housing nomination.

All our care leavers co-produce the local offer and have written the Transition to Adulthood Guide.

All care leavers have a guaranteed right to interview for a job with us for roles up to grade 14, if they meet the minimum criteria for the role.

View or download Financial Support for Care Experienced Young People (PDF)

Care leaver covenant

We've signed up to the national care leaver covenant, My Covenant. The covenant is a promise made to provide support for care experienced young people aged 16 to 25 to help them to:

live independently
have the opportunities in their young adult life
realise their aspirations

This is a platform that provides help, support and advise nationally to care-experienced young people. This also provides local discounts and offers from lots of different businesses and services nationally.

We're in the process of developing our own Central Bedfordshire Care Leavers Covenant to provide more local support to care-experienced young people. We are working with our elected councillors to find ways we can make our offer even better.

In 2024, we made care experience a protected characteristic which already gives care leavers an automatic right to interview for a job with us if they meet the shortlisting criteria. In 2025 we want to develop a local promise from us and local businesses to the care-experienced community that will provide you with more help and support.

As part of our care-experienced community, we want to hear what you think about the services we provide you with. You can do this by being part of the Children in Care Council (CICC) and the Care Leavers Forum (CEF). The CEF is for care-experienced young people over 18. The groups meet regularly to discuss issues related to children in care and leaving care services, supporting with our Corporate Parenting Board and other events and trips.

We're working to create mentorship opportunities for care leavers. Please let us know what you think about this:

Email: youth.services@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk
Telephone: 0300 300 8352