A one-off payment of £2,000 will help every young person leaving
care or continuing care from next month as they move towards
adulthood.
The payment will benefit around 1,300 young people who leave care
every year in Scotland. It was co-designed with input from young
people with care experience to help support them as they move on
from care and into adulthood and independent living, with some
suggesting during consultation that it could help them with
driving lessons or a new laptop to assist with studies.
The Care Leaver Payment forms part of the Scottish Government's
work to Keep ‘the Promise' to Scotland's care experienced young
people by 2030. The Scottish Government is fully funding the
payment, and has worked in partnership with COSLA to ensure it
will be delivered automatically to young people as they leave
care by local authorities.
Natalie Don-Innes, Minister for The Promise, met young people
with care experience who stand to receive the payment at Falkirk
Champs, a group led by care experienced young people working to
drive positive change for their peers.
Ms Don-Innes said:
“We know that care experienced people do not necessarily have the
same informal support network that other young people have during
transition points in their lives, and how crucial support during
their transition to adulthood can be.
“Through close-working with young people we have designed a
payment that will help young people leaving care with additional
financial security during this important period.
“This is yet another strand of our work to keep the Promise,
alongside wider work including the transformative supports now
underpinned by the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services
Planning) Bill recently passed by Parliament.”
Joseph, 13, is a care-experienced champion at Falkirk Champs who
lives in kinship care with his family. He will receive the
payment when he leaves care. Joseph said:
“I think the Care Leaver's Payment is good, and I will probably
use it towards driving lessons or to give me a chance to travel.
I would also like to be a chef, and it could help me buy tools
and equipment that would help me in my career.”
Sarah Stow, Champions Board Coordinator at Falkirk Champs, said:
“The Care leavers payment is one of the many small but vital
things that need to happen to help Scotland keep its promise to
the Care Community. These young people are ours and we need to
invest in their futures – I think about this payment as the nest
egg a grandparent or parent might save for their loved one.
“A wee step up for our children at a time when they are ready to
move forward.”
Background
The Care Leaver Payment (Scotland) Regulations 2026 are now law
and entitle young people who are looked after on or after their
16th birthday, where this falls on or after 1 April 2026, to a
£2,000 payment as they leave care or continuing care.
The Scottish Government has committed to provide local
authorities with £4 million annually to fund the Care Leaver
Payment from 1 April 2026. Councils will work with young people
leaving care or in continuing care to ensure that they receive
the payment automatically as they leave care.
A care leaver is a young person who ceased to be looked after on,
or at any time after, their 16thbirthday. Continuing
care is where a young person looked after in foster, kinship, or
residential care remains in their placement after turning 16 up
until they turn 21.
Responses to the Scottish
Government's consultation on proposals for a Care Leaver
Payment. Independent research on
piloting similar cash transfers to support care leavers has shown
that recipients are more likely to be happier, have stronger
relationships, and be in stable housing following receipt of
payments.
The Children (Care, Care Experience,
and Services Planning) (Scotland) Bill 2025 includes
measures to enhance care and support for children in the care
system, or who have left it. It forms a key part of the Scottish
Government's work to implement the recommendations of the
Independent Care Review, known as The Promise. Delivery of
the Bill's provisions will be taken forward in the next
Parliament, subject to decisions of the Scottish
Government formed after the 7 May election.
Future funding decisions will be set out in the usual
way through
the Scottish Budget process.
