Kent County Council under fire over care leavers plan

Former care leaver Dale Corley said the proposed policy could force people to return to situations where they were abused

A proposal to stop providing accommodation for care leavers after the age of 19 could put young people at risk of homelessness, abuse and exploitation, critics have warned.

Kent County Council (KCC) said the plan would allow savings amid budget pressures.

KCC added it would also help young people achieve independence earlier.

But it comes as a care-leavers charity said homelessness among care leavers aged 18 to 20 was up 33% since 2018.

Katharine Sacks-Jones, of Become, said: "No young person should have to leave care before they are ready."

Currently, KCC provides adult care leavers with housing up to the age of 21.

It said it did this with "no statutory requirement to do so".

The authority explained: "The council is tasked with finding savings of £43.7m this year to balance the budget and it is expected that this proposal will provide savings of approximately £500k."

'Failing people'

But Ms Sacks-Jones said: "We should be supporting young people to leave care when they are ready but instead young people are expected to become independent overnight.

"One in three young people who leave care will become homeless within two years. We are failing far too many young people."

Former care leaver Dale Corley said the change could force people to return to situations that were "abusing you or neglecting you to start with".

Meanwhile, Canterbury City Council has raised fears the cost could be pushed its way as it had a legal duty to prevent homelessness.

Labour Councillor Charlotte Cornell warned young people without a stable home were at risk of grooming and exploitation

Charlotte Cornell, a labour member on the city council, said: "We might not even be able to house people in the district. The pressure on our temporary accommodation is huge."

She warned young people would be "more exposed to grooming, sexual abuses, county lines, drug trafficking and other horrors that all authorities want to help avoid".

However, KCC said its current policy was "not helping our young adults to achieve independence before the age of 19" and limited opportunities for other young people to live in their local communities.

It said young people would continue to have support through the Care Leavers Service until they were 25.

The final decision is yet to be made.

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