Following the announcement from the Department for Education about further investment of £10 million in Staying Put – the scheme which allows care experienced young people in England to remain living with their former foster carers after they turn 18 – Kevin Williams, chief executive of The Fostering Network, said: ‘Staying Put has the potential to change the lives of generations of young people leaving care in England for the better. Almost exactly a year ago, The Fostering Network released our Staying Put: An Unfulfilled Promise report in which we identified a number of issues which were preventing young people from remaining with their former foster carers and benefiting from the continued relationships, stability and support they need when turning 18. One of the major issues was funding and we are therefore very pleased that the Government has listened to our calls and is providing significant additional funding for Staying Put in 2020/21. We hope that by enabling more young people to stay put this funding will also help create a culture where it is the norm for young people to remain living with their foster family after 18. 

‘While this additional funding is very welcome, we continue to call on the Government to monitor the implementation of Staying Put and to ensure that the scheme is properly costed and resourced in the multi-year spending review carried out  in 2020, including introducing a Staying Put minimum allowance which covers the cost of looking after a young person.’