Money advice

Learning to manage your money is an important life skill.

From 16-years-old your Pathway Plan will include assessments of how much you need to live on, how you manage that money and advice on applying for support after you turn 18.

16-17 years old

Your Pathway Plan will include:

  • an assessment of what money you need to live on
  • how good you are at handling money
  • an assessment of your understanding about saving money
  • whether you have a bank account

Your Personal Advisor will then work with us to make sure that you receive a weekly allowance to cover the cost of:

  • accommodation
  • food and domestic bills
  • pocket money
  • transport costs for education and training
  • clothing
  • childcare costs

18 or over

Financial support for children in care stops at 18.

Your Pathway Plan sets out what other financial support you can claim and how to get it.

Leaving Care Grant

The Leaving and After Care service has a duty to provide eligible young people with a Setting Up Home Grant. This grant is available when you leave care and move into independent or semi-independent accommodation. It can help you buy household items and equipment and set up a safe, secure and stable home.

The grant amount is based on your assessed needs. We look at what you already have and what is included in your accommodation to decide how much money you get. The maximum amount is £2,000. 

You can help choose the items you get from the grant. You can use it to buy furniture such as a bed, sofa and wardrobe, or furnishings like bedding, towels and curtains. You could use it to buy kitchen appliances, carpets or flooring, kitchen equipment, a television and cleaning or decorating products. You might also want to use the grant to pay for things like contents insurance, a television licence or removal costs.

The grant is administered by the your social worker. Contact Essex County Council on 0345 743 0430 to find out more.

Claiming benefits

You may be able to claim benefits which include:

Information on managing debt

Our top tips:

  • know how much you have to spend every week and month
  • know what you have to pay for every month
  • avoid ‘payday’ loans
  • check that you are getting all the support you are entitled to

Other useful information:

  • some gas and electric companies offer help if you owe large amounts of money - call and see if they can help
  • speak to your social worker or a worker where you live who may be able to offer support to get help
  • you can use budget planning tools from the Debt Advice Foundation

You can also speak to:

Related pages

Useful links