Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026

8 Local offer for care leavers

(1) Section 2 of the Children and Social Work Act 2017 (local offer for care leavers in England) is amended as follows.

(2) In subsection (1), after paragraph (b) insert—

“(c) the arrangements that the local authority has in place for the purpose of supporting and assisting care leavers in their transition to adulthood and independent living.”

(3) In subsection (2), after paragraph (f) insert—

“(g) financial literacy.”

(4) After subsection (2) insert—

“(2A) Information required to be published by a local authority under subsection (1)(c) includes information about the authority’s arrangements for—

(a) enabling it to anticipate the future needs of care leavers in respect of accommodation and services of a kind mentioned in subsection (2);

(b) co-operating with local housing authorities in its area in assisting former relevant children aged under 25 to find and keep suitable accommodation;

(c) providing assistance to find and keep suitable accommodation to former relevant children aged under 25—

(i) who are at risk of homelessness, or

(ii) in the case of former relevant children detained in prison, a young offender institution or a secure training centre, on their release from detention;

(d) providing financial support for care leavers;

(e) assisting former relevant children aged under 25 to access services of a kind mentioned in subsection (2).

(2B) Information published for the purposes of subsection (2A)(c)(i) must include information about the authority’s arrangements for early intervention to prevent former relevant children aged under 25 from becoming homeless.”

(5) In subsection (7)—

(a) in the definition of “care leavers”, for paragraph (c) substitute—

“(c) former relevant children aged under 25;”;

(b) after that definition insert—

• ““former relevant child” has the meaning given by section 23C(1) of the Children Act 1989;”.