The conference offered young people a chance to explore future career and education paths with the Marketplace featuring representatives from various industries and professions as well as colleges and universities. Representatives were keen to talk to young people about their fields and supply information to young people present.

The children and young people also enjoyed a range of workshops, including drumming, drama, poetry and insights into university life. Another popular feature of the day was the graffiti wall, where attendees could share messages about the advice they would give to their younger selves, what had helped them in their education and what they liked about the day. Comments around “Be yourself”, “Don’t hold back” and “Make your dreams come true” were prominent and they enjoyed the opportunity to listen to Ashley John-Baptist sharing his inspirational story.

Everyone had insightful questions around national offers of support, education and stigma, as well as long-term social work reforms. Minister Daby was approachable and reassuring, with promises to further research these concerns.

Following this discussion, the group was invited on a private tour of Parliament. This was certainly one of the highlights of the day and opened up a world of history.

The young people’s final thoughts were:

• “The Minister listened to my thoughts and took what I said on board.”
• “We were fortunate to not only be invited on such a wonderful day, but also to have our opinions truly valued and actioned for further debate…it shows a changing attitude towards social care.”
• “I feel really heard by being invited to Parliament to speak with the Minister and the general experience was super!”
• “It was very interesting and I’m happy I got to represent people in care and RBWM and meet the Minister.”
• “It was a great experience to be able to meet one of the many important ministers and we gained more knowledge about how they are going to help us!”

Georgie and Nathan, the VSK Participation Team (25/02/25)

During the workshop and subsequent evening and individual sessions, the young people looked at Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, and discussed the difference a worker who really listens can make, as well as what the professionals in their lives can do to make them feel listened to.

When combined, the presentation and film give a powerful message to the audience and effectively convey the wishes and views of Kent’s young people around what they need from their workers.

This 30 minute training and film were launched at the Corporate Parenting Panel Takeover Day in July by the young people themselves receiving positive feedback from KCC staff and Elected Members.

Since its initial launch and praise at Corporate Parenting Panel, Listen Up! has been rolled out as training to a variety of services.

Since its initial launch and praise at Corporate Parenting Panel, Listen Up! has been rolled out as training to a variety of services, including the 18+ Care Leavers Service, Kent’s Safeguarding, Professional Standards and Quality Assurance Service and Maidstone’s Children and Families Team. It even won a national Coram Award in October 2024! Although the apprentices of the Participation Team now deliver it, the core message has been left untouched and is still as important as ever. We are so proud of our council members who took part, and were so generous in giving up their time and sharing their experiences to improve services for all young people.

This includes access to housing, education, training, work experience and health services; whilst being here to support them to make the most of leaving care. Young people can also receive support in the form of practical advice, emotional support, encouragement, and financial advice to help them make the most of their journey through the care system and beyond.
The Local Offer is reviewed every three years to make sure it is up to date and reflects any changes that have happened. The new Local Offer was published in March 2024 and can be accessed here:

Local Offer for Care Leavers

We kicked off the Summer with our Corporate Parenting Event at the Malling school in Maidstone. This event celebrated the importance of Corporate Parenting and gave young people the opportunity to meet with some of their Corporate Parents, including the Chairman of Kent County Council and the Chair of Corporate Parenting Panel, as well as senior Directors, Assistant Directors, and Service Managers from within Integrated Children’s Services. We were also pleased to welcome representatives of the Children’s Commissioner at the event. Young People and their Corporate Parents had the chance to bake and decorate nature inspired cupcakes together and design and create bug hotels and bird feeders.  

Throughout the Summer, we held many activity days across the county. Young People enjoyed the rides at Diggerland in Strood, paddleboarding, kayaking and canoeing near Canterbury and bushcraft at Shorne Country Park near Gravesend. There were also lots of opportunities for animal spotting, with trips to Port Lympe and Wingham Wildlife Park and a day for disabled young people and their households at the Rare Breeds Centre in Ashford. Younger children enjoyed Teddy Bear Picnics with games and arts and crafts.

It was brilliant seeing so many familiar faces and meeting lots of new young people too and we’re already looking forward to the October School Holiday!

Adoption Picnic

On Friday 11th August, we held our Annual Summer picnic for our Adopted Families. The Young People had a chance to see Captain Fantastic do some magic tricks, balloon making and party entertaining! The families also got the opportunity to see and hold some reptiles including snakes, spiders and lizards.It was a lovely day for all families to get together and have some fun in the sun. As well as getting their crafts hands on at our arts and crafts stalls. The Young People made their own DIY suncatchers and for the little ones they decorated their own henry the hedgehog. It was a great day had by all!

This year, we decided to do things a little bit differently and hosted the event at Marleybrook House, a beautiful venue near Canterbury with its own funfair. Young people and their guests had the opportunity to play garden games, experience all the funfair had to offer and of course, receive their awards from senior staff and elected members, including KCC’s Chairman, Mr. Gary Cooke.

It was brilliant to be able to recognise all the young people’s hard work in their education and in the community and celebrate all of their achievements this year. Many of the young people’s stories were incredibly inspiring, showcasing their resilience, determination and perseverance to do their very best, often in the face of adversity. We are already looking forward to next year!

The new forum, called OCYPC MAGIC (which stands for ‘Our Children’s and Young People’s Council’) is designed especially for young people who have special educational needs and disabilities aged 11 – 18 and are in care, adopted and those who have a Social Worker. Meetings will take place during the school holidays, or on Saturday mornings. During meetings young people will be able to share their views and be listened to in a safe and friendly environment, as well as contribute to making changes to the way services are designed and delivered for young people. Topics will include things that affect them at school, in their education and around their wellbeing. They’ll use lots of resources, visual elements and interactive activities pitched to suit the needs of young people, and there will be a high staff to young person ratio, so everyone gets the support they need. Their views will be shared with senior leaders in Kent who are responsible for SEND support so everything they say will really make a difference! Young people can take part in a way that suits them either by attending the main meetings, in smaller groups or on an individual basis. If you know a young person who would be interested in joining this exciting new forum, please contact: VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk.

Tuesday also saw the first meeting of our new Council group for Young People with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, OCYPC Magic (Making a Great and Important Difference)! At this first meeting, we introduced the group to the young people and explained its purpose – to give young people with additional needs an opportunity to share their views and opinions about school and what helps them learn and support them to make positive changes. We asked them about their experiences at school; what makes them happy, what makes them feel safe and what helps them learn. Finally, the young people shared some ideas for the creation of a new Logo for OCYPC Magic.

Next up was our annual Countywide Event at Kingswood Activity Centre near Ashford. This was an occasion for the Children in Care Councils and the Children WHO Care Council to meet, work together and have fun. During the meeting, our Young People made suggestions about how the government could meet one of its key missions following the Independent Social Care Review, ‘Make care better for children in care and care leavers’. They also began helping us to create a competition entry for the Coram National Voice Awards, celebrating our Challenge Card process and Children in Care Councils.

On Thursday, young people tested their aim with archery, ability in climbing and high ropes and survival skills during an action packed day at Creed Outdoor Learning in Teynham.

And last but not least, we had two activities on Friday. It was really windy at Betteshanger Country Park near Deal, but despite the weather we had so much fun with our group of young people aged 16+. Everyone tested themselves on the obstacle course and learned new skills at the archery followed by a lovely picnic on the grass.

Finally, together with young people aged 7 – 15, we explored one of the oldest castles in the UK, Dover Castle, and had fun learning more about his history.

The Participation Team met with 7 young people, aged 16+ in Canterbury, to discuss the group and their aims. The young people explained that they wanted the space to be somewhere safe for them to be heard, and shared interests in sports and cooking. They explained some of the struggles they currently face with education and shared their goals for the future. The young people were very inspiring and we hope that this group will empower them to make a positive difference.  Our next meeting will be in June. If anyone would like some more information, please contact VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk.

On Thursday 6th April, we held a Circus Skills activity day for our Kent Disabled Young People. Throughout the day, young people took part in Easter arts and crafts as well as many other Easter themed games and activities. In the afternoon, Kinetic Circus joined us to teach the young people some amazing things such as juggling, box catching and how to throw diablos.

We also held two Pizza Making days at Pizza Express. The young people who attended all had a chance to make their own pizzas and enjoy them. They then did some food related activities after, such as making banana sushi and a blind taste test game. The young people all had fun and went home with lots of food. 

And last but not least, our two “Sublime Science” activity days.  The young people started the morning with engineering activities, including a paper airplane challenge, using different weights and designs, and a tower challenge to build the strongest and tallest tower out of straws. We were then joined by “Sublime Science” who showed the children some awesome activities and scientific experiments, and the children got the chance to make their own slime and sweets!

Young People’s Council Meetings 

This Easter, all of our Council Groups focused on the support Young People with Special Educational Needs receive. We asked the young people their views on how they would like information shared with them, as well as how they prefer to share their opinions about school and their education both individually and collectively with decision makers. Their ideas and feedback will be incorporated into the new Kent Local Area Communications and Engagement Strategy

The OCYPC, Super Council and OCYPC Extra meetings also focused on what young people think helps make their homes stable and secure, the support they think they need and how they know they are being listened to when they experience challenges. This feedback has already been shared with Kent’s Practice Development Team and practitioners in a training session. Finally, the groups took part in something creative to design a new logo for Kent’s Education Safeguarding Service.

At the Children WHO Care meeting we discussed the need to create a guide for schools to support Children whose families foster. All the feedback from young people is being collated and turned into a “Hints and Tips” document ready to be shared with schools.

Finally, at the Adoptables meeting we told members about the new head of RAA (Regional Adoption Agency), and we asked them what they’d like her to be like and what qualities she should have. Alongside, this the group discussed the support young people should receive when they return from school after a long absence to help them settle back into learning and their school community.

Monday also saw the first OCYPC Extra meeting of the year in Canterbury. OCYPC Extra is a meeting for young people who cannot attend the main OCYPC and Super Council meetings in Maidstone. At the meeting, young people discussed what it is like to change social worker and how this process can be made the best possible experience for them. Some members of the Young Life Foundation team also joined the meeting, introduced themselves and YLF to the young people and asked for feedback about their leaflets and website.

We also held our Children Who Care Council, for the sons and daughters of foster carers. Members provide feedback to the Performance Management Team about the look and design of the Annual Fostering Review forms.

On Valentine’s Day, we celebrated by making bath bombs, decoupage boxes, cards, cake jars and teddies at our Valentine’s Gift Making Workshop. All the attendees had lots of goodies to take home and share by the end of the day!

Wednesday was such a great day, filled with lots of important messages from young people for Kent’s Corporate Parents. Young People representing our three Children in Care Councils joined the Corporate Parenting Panel to discuss the importance of fostering and share their experiences of being in care with their corporate parents. We also premiered our film, ‘Never Stop Listening’, created in collaboration with some of the Young People attending the event about what being in care in Kent is really like and what can help to make it the most positive experience possible.

On the following day, at our Dinosaur and Reptile Activity Day, some very brave young people had the chance to hold real life reptiles and insects as well as join in with an interactive giant dinosaur workshop from the Travelling Natural History Museum.

We closed the week with our Adoptables meeting, as well as our main Super Council and OCYPC meetings in Maidstone. At OCYPC and Super Council, we again met with Young Lives Foundation staff to look at their leaflets and flyers and discussed young people’s experiences of changing social worker. Young people told us how important it is to have a good transition from one social worker to another with a proper goodbye and introduction to the new worker. We also played some group games and ended the meeting with some yummy pizza lunch!

The Adoptables members talked about their post 16 options, how they felt they were supported in school and who they could go to for information. We also made some well-being rainbows to support Children’s Mental Health Week.  

Young people from a variety of backgrounds, both in care and living with family, shared their positive and negative experiences of attending meetings with a range of professionals and produced a list of top tips for workers. These included advice for before, during and after meetings which they felt would help young people feel genuinely and meaningfully included in these and their own plans. Tips included involving young people in the planning and organisation of meetings, helping them to prepare for what was likely to be discussed and about the kind of language they would like to be used with them. They were keen for workers to really speak to them and listen to them during meetings and discussed how they would like to receive reports and plans. These tips have now been shared with a number of staff throughout Children’s Services to help them think about their own work with young people.

It was a really positive focus group with lots of insightful opinions shared by the young people!

Top Tips For Meetings

The project lasted a couple of months, the apprentices visited her every week and came up with creative ideas to bring this film together. With their support, the young person made a film that focused on the people who have helped her whilst she has been in care. She enjoyed using our animation software and telling us about her experiences.

After completing this project, she said that she wants this video to help other young people who have been in similar situations as her. This will be done by showing this film to other Children in Care. All her hard work has been noticed and greatly appreciated by professionals who have seen the film so far, but most importantly she was very happy with the end result. Seeing this young person’s confidence grow during each session has been very rewarding to us. We are enormously proud of her!

It was amazing to see so many children and their families coming together to take part in festive games and activities and enjoying the holiday season.

There were lots of activities planned which included arts and crafts like bauble decorating, biscuit decorating, making sensory bags and creating reindeer food. We also had stalls including, ‘Guess how many candy canes in the jar’, a photo booth, a snowball target game, ‘Guess the name of the teddy’, lucky dip, knock down the cans, and a Christmas coin drop game.

And, of course there was also a Santa’s Grotto! The children were able to go and meet Santa, tell him what they wanted for Christmas and receive a very special gift from him.

It was really a great day, and everyone left with a smile on their face and lots of great memories. Merry Christmas Everyone!

The ceremony was a little bit different this year with young people receiving their awards and prizes directly from the Corporate Parents in small groups throughout the day. There were plenty of opportunities for pictures though!

Once they had received their award, there was lots on site for young people to try out including a large selection of woodland themed games, such as a lucky dip, pin the tail on the bunny and name the woodland animal teddies. Young people could also have a go at mini golf and indoor climbing and try the leap of faith, the zipline or the 3G swing outside, which all proved very popular.

Alongside this, our special guests of snakes, lizards, and baby hedgehogs, which were available to hold, resulted in a large queue and many pictures!

We had a wide selection of freshly baked cakes with a range of drinks too for all attendees and staff!

A great day which resulted in smiling faces all around. Well done to all our fabulous award winners!

The children who care council is a group exclusively for the sons and daughters children of foster carers. It is a chance to meet and discuss issues they may face as part of a fostering family.  We work closely with Fostering, and feedback what the young people say.

The group meets every school holiday and it’s open to all children aged 7 to 16 years old. The Children WHO Care Council meetings are a chance to help make changes but also a chance to meet other young people in a fostering family and have fun!

The young people voice is so important for us to gather feedback and make a real change, and we encourage as many people as possible to join.

Participating in council is an amazing opportunity to have your voice heard to shape services in the future.

If you would like more information, please contact Amy at Amy.Wood2@kent.gov.uk or VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk

The Royal Holloway University of London and University of Siegen are doing research trying to better understand the experiences of young people in residential care in England and Germany.

We would like young people living in or who have lived in children’s homes or semi-independent accommodation to share their experience about what it is like in residential care and what opportunities young people have and would like to have to participate in decisions about their lives and those of others in care.

• How are you involved in making decisions in your children’s home/accommodation?
• What do you think about the rules of your children’s home? What happens if someone doesn’t play by the rules?
• How are your relationships with your carers and other young people living in your children’s home?

Take part in the survey and have a chance to win Beats headphones!

We are sorry but the survey is expired and no longer available.

If you have questions, please contact Arne Wohlfarth

This is an annual event where all the Children in Care Councils can work and collaborate together, have fun, and meet some of their Corporate Parents.

We sat down with young people and presented the History of the of the OCYPC, how it started, how it grew in membership, and how it ended up splitting off with two more groups; the Super Council and Young Adult Council.

We also discussed a new constitution for the meetings with all the young people, this determined what kind of rules and behaviours they expected, not only from each other but from the staff in attendance too. We’ll take away all the suggestions and use them to create the constitution.

Young people also looked at how they want to be asked questions during the various meetings they have throughout their time in care, and what is the best way to get feedback from children in care. They were asked specifically how best to answer the questions (paper, electronically), how they want it to look (form to fill, survey with multiple choices, ranking from favourite to least favourite on a list, using emojis etc) and whether it should vary for different age groups. Young people came up with their top ten tips for a successful meeting and added some ideas about how they wanted them presented. We are planning to take this away and work with the Kent County Council Communication Team to get the relevant documents designed.

To finish, we all enjoyed pizza in the garden for lunch, and in the afternoon fun team challenges were provided by the “Wise Up Team” making use of their fantastic equipment!

The study runs from January to July 2022, and they are looking for children and young people to complete an anonymous survey.

If you are aged 16-25 years, you can complete the survey directly at this link:  

Sorry, this survey is not currently active.

If you would like to have more information, you can visit the webpage: Click for more info on the Pets and Change study .

For young people who may be interested in applying, there will be two information sessions:

• Tuesday 9 August | 11.30am - 1.00pm
• Thursday 18 August | 4.30pm - 6.00pm

You can choose your preferred session to attend by filling the form at the link: Civil Service Care Leavers Internship Scheme Information Sessions for LA’s

• The Care Leavers Internship Scheme is a 12-month fixed term appointment at AO (Administrative officer) / EA (Executive Assistant) or EO (Executive Officer) grade for one to two years depending on the requirements of the role.
• These are AO/EA & EO roles that are paid at the same salary as any fixed term appointment in the government department that you are allocated to.
• In order to apply for the Care Leaver Internship Scheme you must have been eligible for a leaving care support package when you left care.
• In order to qualify for leaving care support, you must have been in care for a minimum of 13 weeks, some of which must have been after your 16th birthday.
• As these are ring-fenced opportunities, across government departments, these opportunities are only available to care leavers, who are aged 18-30 years.
• You must satisfy the Civil Service nationality rules.
• No qualifications are needed; however, you will need to provide good examples to demonstrate that you have the right skills and experience for the roles on offer.
• You will need to write a personal statement to demonstrate how you meet the essential criteria as outlined in the advert.
• The advert will go live on Civil Service Jobs

Recruitment timeline for 2022-2023

• 8th August- Advert goes live
• 5th September – Advert Closes
• 20th September – Successful candidates invited to interview
• 26th September– Interviews commence 
• 7th October – Interviews finish
• Mid November- Successful candidates informed and allocation of successful candidates to departments.

Should you have any further questions, please email leavers.care@education.gov.uk

During the May half term, two members of the Participation Team, Tom and Rob, along with a group of 10 young people set out on a four-day voyage from Southampton into the English Channel with the Ocean Youth Trust.

During the journey, Tom, Rob and the young people learnt many different skills; like how to tie knots, how to put the sails up, and how to work as a team to keep the boat sailing along.

They managed to see loads of different boats, lots of jellyfish, and the wonderful scenery of the Isle of Wight. They were given the opportunity to cook dinner for everyone, play games, and even man the helm of the boat!

In total, the journey consisted of 87 nautical miles (100.1 land miles) over a total of 2 and a half days. It was a fun packed four days, everyone was very tired at the end of it, and grateful at being given the opportunity to participate in this amazing experience!

Starting with Arts and Crafts, we had a couple of activity days for younger children at ‘The Activity Box’ in Herne Bay, where they had the chance to make their own pottery and do UV painting in the dark.

At the Canterbury Leisure, we all enjoyed a day full of fun with Crazy Golf, Laser Tag and Bowling.

For those interested in cooking (and eating!), we were back for a couple of activity days at ‘The Cookery Cabin’ in Gravesend.

Creativity and expressing ourselves were at the centre of our Wellbeing Interactive Drama Workshop, where children explored their emotions through different scenarios and tried positive thinking techniques.

Luckily, the sun was out during this Easter Holidays, and we could make the most out of our outdoor activity days! Curly’s Farm, with our disabled young people, and Yew Tree Farm.  We also hosted a filming activity day, where we interviewed our young people and children to listen to their stories and opinions about being in care. The interviews will be part of a film that we’re producing, with the aim to look at the past and compare it with the present to see how the services we offer have evolved over the years.

Our first speech was around pride of place, so we had to use the theme of what makes Kent special. We chose Dover welcoming refugees and how we work to support them. We also had to do a speech around a question set by the judges, and we chose “what would happen if animals could talk?” and wrote a humorous speech about Charmaine’s anti-social cat, his rights and his wishes to find a new home, which got lots of laughs. The final speech was on a topic of our own choosing. We decided to speak about equality for those with protected characteristics, particularly race, gender and LGBTQ+ rights, which left the crowd pondering this topic afterwards.

As apprentices we gained a great deal from the event. It led us to come out of our comfort zone, speaking in front of a large audience, as well as doing a lot of networking and meeting new people. We learnt about other parts of the UK and how their councils work and the diverse workforce amongst them. We also developed our own knowledge by listening to other people’s speeches about social media, women’s health and the impact of pets on the environment. These were really interesting, and made us think about our own point of view. We think it is so important to help young people get their voices heard, give them a chance to speak up and gain opportunities. We are really glad we got a chance to attend this competition and we really enjoyed ourselves.

By Charmaine Chapman and Shyanne Ali

The SEND co-production charter was created with the help of young people to allow for their voices to always be heard.

The main message focuses on everyone, no matter what their age is, coming together from the start, to work together as equal partners, communicating and listening in a respectful manner to achieve the best possible outcome for everybody.

Download or print the SEND co-production charter.

What is Nurture? 

Nurture is all about the people around you and how they help you to grow and become the best person you can be. Nurture is also about the environment that you are growing up in, this might be your school, your community or your friends. Together all of these can influence positive wellbeing and behaviour.

The National Nurturing School Programme features 6 principles. Everyone in Virtual School Kent is working hard to make sure we are following the principles in our work with young people, schools, other agencies, as well as our own staff.

The VSK apprentices have worked with young people to put the 6 key nurture principles into words for young people, by young people.

The 6 principles are:

• Whatever changes you face; we are here to guide you. 

Anyone may have changes in their lives which may be difficult to cope with or challenging. VSK are always here to support you and help you cope with these changes.

• No matter what age, everyone is at a different stage. 

Not everyone achieves things at the same time or the same age, VSK are here to help you achieve when you are ready.

• VSK can help you find your voice. 

Having your voice heard is important and VSK will help you to make sure your wishes and feelings are always heard.

• How you behave tells us how you feel. 

It’s not always easy to talk about how you are feeling but sometimes how you behave shows us instead. VSK is here to support you with how you are feeling.

• VSK can be your safe space. 

Although VSK isn’t a real-life school, we are always here for you.

• Nurture helps you feel happy and healthy. 

The VSK team are here to make sure you are getting everything you need to make sure you are happy, healthy and safe.

As well as working towards the Six Principles of Nurture, VSK has introduced a new tool to help your teachers support your wellbeing and learning.

The Boxall Profile is an assessment that helps your teachers and VSK staff understand your needs and make sure that you are supported in the right way. It’s not a test for you though! By looking at the way you play and socialise with your class mates and learn and behave in class, your teachers will be able to create targets for you and plan the extra support you might need. These will, hopefully, help you to feel happier and more settled at school and access your learning better. Your teachers will work with VSK staff to check these targets, for example at your PEP meeting, and develop new ones when you need them.

If you would like more information, you can look on the Nurture UK website; or email us at VSK_Participation@kent.gov.uk. You can also watch Tony Doran, VSK’s Headteacher, explain more about Nurture and the Six Principles.

To support you with your education, we want to let you know that KCC has now opened 12 libraries for bookshelf browsing and borrowing, pre-bookable computers and WiFi sessions.

To be able to access these services you will need to register for a Kent County Council library card and account, if you don’t already have one.

Here’s how to Register for a library card online:

• Joining online will provide you with a basic library membership that will enable you to use the library for  booking computers, Wi-Fi use, as well as use our online resources, such as e-books, e-audio books, e-magazines and e-newspapers.
• Online memberships will expire after 3 months, you will then need to confirm your membership in one of the libraries to borrow items from them. To upgrade to a full library membership, you will need to show one piece of identification with your name and address on.
• Visit one of the libraries with any official identification showing your current address and you can become a full member. You will be given a library card and PIN number.

To join online visit: 

The Kent County Council Libraries website here

You can also visit one of the open libraries to register in person with ID.

All Colleges and Universities offer the opportunity to go and view the campus and facilities by organising open days. These are a great way to familiarise yourself with your new potential surroundings. Often current students will offer tours where you can be shown all the areas of the college or university that you will use the most so that when you start it isn’t unfamiliar. Open days are a great way to get more information that will help you make the all-important decision. You will have the opportunity to ask students and tutors about your chosen courses and what life at the college/university is really like.

Top Tips!

• Make sure you are booked in for a tour of the campus/site if necessary, not all Open Days allow you to walk straight in.
• Be prepared, make sure you have a clear idea of the information you want to gain from attending the Open Day, perhaps make a list of questions.
• Picture yourself there, going to college and university is a big commitment and you need to be sure it is suited to you.
• Check out the other facilities. Where is the gym? Are there any clubs you can join? Where’s the restaurant/café?
• Get to know the surrounding area, Open Days give you the chance to explore the surrounding areas so you can work out the easiest way to get home.

College and university Open Days are taking place throughout November and December.  You can find College Open Day dates here. Click to find out more information about visiting The University of Kent, The University for the Creative Arts or Canterbury Christ Church University here.  Don’t worry if you miss an Open Day.  You can often arrange to visit informally – just give the college or university a ring to find out more.

Don’t forget there are also advisers in Virtual School Kent and the Care Leavers 18+ Service who can help you too.  Talk to your Social Worker or PA who can put you in touch with the right person.

Accommodation Types

You might have registered with Kent Homechoice and be hoping for an offer of Council or Housing Association accommodation. Unfortunately, there are many more people on the waiting list than there are homes, so you might not be offered anything. However, there are other options.

Private renting is a popular choice. Many landlords and letting agencies advertise their properties online. It might be more affordable to rent a room in a shared house, rather than renting a flat or house by yourself.    

Spareroom is a popular website, which also gives advice and information for people who are looking for a flatshare. Many letting agencies also have shared houses to let. In shared accommodation, the cost of gas, electricity, water, TV Licence, Council Tax, maybe even Wifi is shared with the other tenants, and you pay less rent because you share.

What to think about

When looking for accommodation, think about what you would like to live near to: your workplace or college/university? Do you need to attend regular medical appointments? Perhaps you have friends and family who you would like to live near to? It is important to find out how much you should expect to pay for rent in the area you plan to live in. Rents can be high in Kent (although not as high as in most areas of London).

If the rent is too high, is there somewhere nearby that is cheaper? Maybe even a short bus journey or drive away? Whether you will be paying your rent out of your wages, or by claiming Housing Benefit/Universal Credit, you need to be sure that you can afford it before you sign the tenancy agreement.

Kent

In Kent, the Local Housing Allowance (LHA) doesn’t cover the full monthly rent for most rental properties. This means that you will need to have some way of paying whatever is owed to your landlord after you have paid your Housing Benefit to them (“the shortfall”). As a care leaver, you are entitled to a higher rate of Housing Benefit up to the age of 22. This is helpful when you are looking for somewhere to live, but you will need to think about how you will pay your rent after the age of 22, when your benefit is reduced to Single Room Rate. There is a lot to think about, but your PA can advise you on issues around rent benefits and tenancy agreements, to help you decide what is best for you.

Guarantor

Many lettings agents ask for a guarantor. A guarantor is a person you know – usually a family member - who will be responsible for paying your rent, if you can’t (or don’t). A guarantor is usually a home owner, in employment, earning over a certain amount of money. Not everybody knows someone who they can ask to be their guarantor. Kent County Council has recognised this difficulty and has introduced a rent guarantor scheme. In certain circumstances, Kent County Council can act as a rent guarantor on behalf of a young person aged over 18, where there is no family member willing/able to do so. Your PA can give you information on the guarantor scheme.

Setting Up Home

Setting up a home is expensive, but Kent County Council can offer a Setting Up Home Allowance up to the value of £2,000.00, to buy essential items when you move into your own home. From 1st October 2018, additional financial support can be provided to you, to cover your first month’s rent, deposit, and letting agent fees, when moving into private rented accommodation. This is in addition to the £2,000.00 Setting Up Home Allowance. The Council also provides an option to put some or all the Setting Up Home Allowance into an adult ISA or Help to Buy scheme, to help promote your financial security, financial independence, and savings for future accommodation. This is something else that your PA can speak to you about.

Organised Open Days are one way to find out about college or university life and get a sense of what studying at different institutions is really like.  You can discover more about your chosen courses and explore the college or university site at your own pace.  They are a unique opportunity to find out exactly what you will study and how, explore the facilities and gain further information directly from the teachers, tutors and students already there!

Top Tips for attending Open Days

• Check if you can just turn up or whether you need to register or book on to a site/campus tour by visiting the college or university website before the Open Day.
• Go with a list of questions and things you want to find out.  Open Days are a fantastic opportunity to actually speak to real people including students studying courses you are interested in!
• Try to picture yourself studying there – different colleges/universities suit different people.  You need to find the right one for you.
• Don’t forget to check out the other facilities.  What’s the café or restaurant like? Is there a gym or clubs you can join?
• Open days are also a good way to get to know the local area, find where the college is and work out how easy it is to get to it from home.

College and university Open Days are taking place throughout November and December.   Don’t worry if you miss an Open Day.  You can often arrange to visit informally – just give the college or university a ring or visit their website to find out more.

Don’t forget there are also advisers in Virtual School Kent and the Care Leavers 18+ Service who can help you too.  Talk to your Social Worker or PA who can put you in touch with the right person.