\u2018Staying Put\u2019 has helped thousands of care leavers to transition more smoothly from care to living independently. It provides continuity of relationships and care arrangements, enabling care leavers to benefit from a stable and secure family setting, and to prepare for independence at a more gradual pace, rather than facing a \u2018cliff-edge\u2019 at age 18.<\/p>
The government keeps the Staying Put policy under constant review, including through monitoring data from local authorities on take-up by young people, engagement with the sector, and reviewing information from Ofsted inspections of local authorities. Staying Put was also considered as part of the independent fostering review undertaken by Sir Martin Narey and Mark Owers, published in February 2018.<\/p>
The latest data show that increasing numbers of care leavers are living in Staying Put arrangements. In the year ending March 2018, 55% of 18-year-olds chose to Stay Put, which is an increase of 4% on 2017. Furthermore, the data show that 31% of 19-year-olds, and 26% of 20-year-olds were still living with their former foster carers, which represent increases on the previous year.<\/p>
In 2018 to 2019 the government provided £23.3 million to local authorities to implement Staying Put, with a further £23.77 million committed for 2019 to 2020. Decisions on funding beyond March 2020 will be subject to the outcome of the next Spending Review.<\/p>
The government does not believe that introducing a national minimum allowance for Staying Put carers is the right way forward. Unlike children in foster care, young people in Staying Put arrangements are adults, and may be in work or claiming benefits. These financial sources can be used to contribute to the cost of providing the Staying Put arrangement, in a similar way that young people who are still living at home with their parents may contribute to the costs of running the household.<\/p>
The government does not believe a foster carer\u2019s approval should automatically lapse after 12 months if they are a Staying Put carer. We will communicate this message to the sector.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4113", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Stratford-on-Avon"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Nadhim Zahawi"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-01-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-01-14T17:48:00.757Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-01-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Foster Care: Care Leavers"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of implications for his policies of the recommendation in the Staying put: an unfulfilled promise, published by the Fostering Network in November 2018.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1436", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Paul Farrelly"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Newcastle-under-Lyme"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Paul Farrelly"} ], "uin" : "205212"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1035009", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Ministry of Justice"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1035009/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Ministry of Justice does not hold the requested data. Family court statistics are published on a quarterly basis in the Family Court Statistics Quarterly, which is publicly available on gov.uk. However, this data does not distinguish between fact-finding hearings and the number of hearings overall.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4517", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lucy Frazer"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "South East Cambridgeshire"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Lucy Frazer"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-01-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-01-14T14:38:02.97Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "54"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Justice"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-01-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Family Courts: Domestic Abuse"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many fact-finding hearings where domestic abuse is alleged have been conducted since the revised Practice Direction PD12J \u2013 Domestic Abuse was introduced on 2 October 2017.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4480", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Carolyn Harris"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Swansea East"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Carolyn Harris"} ], "uin" : "205332"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1035012", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1035012/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
There have been no discussions on these specific topics between the Foreign Secretary and Home Secretary. Officials in both departments regularly communicate about the UK's visa system, including on occasions raising individual cases.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/343", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Sir Alan Duncan"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Rutland and Melton"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Sir Alan Duncan"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-01-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-01-14T16:44:45.9Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "16"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Foreign and Commonwealth Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-01-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Politicians: Visas"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on (a) delays to, (b) cancellations of and (c) refusals of visas to foreign Parliamentarians intending to visit the UK in recent years.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1583", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "West Ham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lyn Brown"} ], "uin" : "205232"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1035013", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1035013/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases. All applications for a visa to travel to the UK are considered on their individual merits, in accordance with the Immigration Rules.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4048", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Caroline Nokes"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Romsey and Southampton North"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Caroline Nokes"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-01-14", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-01-14T15:52:26.847Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-01-04", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Fadia Kiwan and Intisar al-Jabouri"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reason the visas of (a) Intisar al-Jabouri, member of the Council of Representatives of Iraq, and (b) Dr Fadia Kiwan, Director General of the Arab Women Organization, were delayed in advance of their attendance at an event in Parliament on the 5 December 2018.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1583", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Ms Lyn Brown"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "West Ham"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lyn Brown"} ], "uin" : "205233"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1035015", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1035015/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The UK engages with bilateral partners on a wide range of issues including any concerns which they may raise.<\/p>
Foreign government Ministers visiting the UK on official visits are exempt from immigration control (including the visa requirement). In addition, all diplomats posted to the UK are exempt from the visa requirement.<\/p>