Cash Help for 16 to 19 year olds and Their Parents

Care Leavers

A care leaver is someone that has been accommodated by the local authority for at least 13 weeks after his or her 14th birthday. (The 13 weeks do not need to be continuous.)
Any young person aged 16 or 17 in Scotland that leaves care from April 2004 is generally excluded from claiming benefits.

The local authority is obliged to provide them with accommodation and financial assistance unless they belong to one of the following categories:

• Young people in relevant education who are lone parents or disabled
• Lone parents/single foster parents
• Disabled or deaf students
• Disabled workers
• Blind people
• People incapable of work, or appealing certain decisions that they are incapable of work.

NB. ALL 16/17-year-old care leavers are excluded from claiming housing benefit. The local authority is expected to provide them with accommodation. 

Care leavers over the age of 18 come under normal benefit rules with the exception of those in ‘relevant education’ (full time non-advanced education). They are eligible to claim Income Support due to being a vulnerable group.