Source Cascade 13th December 2022
The Welsh Government’s Basic Income Pilot gives young people leaving care the equivalent of the living wage, £1600 per month before tax, from their 18thbirthday for a two year period. The payments will be made to around 550 young people who have their 18th birthdays between July 1st 2022 and 30th June 2023. Limiting the payments to a one-year cohort only will allow the effectiveness of the policy to be evaluated before any decision to expand or discontinue the scheme.
Young people leaving foster, residential or kinship care are a diverse group but are more likely than their peers to experience poverty, homelessness and poor health and social outcomes. This can be due to a range of factors including early trauma, instability in the care system and lacking family networks, including a ‘bank of mum and dad,’ to act as a safety net. It is hoped that this financial boost will support their health and well-being and facilitate their ability to take up further education, training or employment.
Jen, a care-experienced adult who has advised CASCADE’s research since it was launched in 2014 said that the Basic Income Pilot is an important policy because:
“Care leavers face a lot of issues straight away that a lot of their peers wouldn’t face because they have to run a house and start living independently. They don’t have a back-up system where they could go to ask for help”.
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