Merthyr Care Leavers Scheme 

What matters most to young people

Llamau provide a personal advisor service as part of their Merthyr Care Leavers Scheme, beginning work with young people aged 15 ¾. They have captured the voices of these young people, and what matters to these care leavers the most.   

 “Help me find opportunities for meeting new people – it stops us feeling isolated.”  

 For example:  

• Socialising   
• Going out in the community and spending time with friends  
• Information about free activities locally  
• Information about how I can gain new skills   
• Information about culture and music events 

“Help us take part in things that make us feel happy and improve our emotional well-being.”

For example:  

• Key, trusting relationships  
• Pets   
• Food   
• Sleeping  
• Doing something they like  
• Free time  
• Exercise   
• Going out with friends and people  
• Someone to talk to when they need it most  
• Financial support – low income causes stress  
• Help with relationships – family problems  
• A drop-in centre for advice or a one-stop shop – emotional issues are not always present so young people may need to dip in and out as needed  
• More support and education on any services available to them – young people want to find out what is out there to help them   
• Support with education and training.  

“Support us well.”  

• Good support in education helps – good teachers and tutors who  
• The right information and advice  
• Motivation, drive and belief – you need to believe in them to help them succeed  
• Emotional support is important  
• Resources – using the internet, books and advice from people  
• Work experience and jobs  
• Having good foster carers and outside family support. Foster carers who keep in touch are really important  
•  Being supported by people who don’t judge who young people are (background and LGBT being important here)  
• Having mutual trust with someone like a mentor, teacher, support worker or friend  
• Independence  
• Having a good family and youth workers  
• Community support  
• Support with drugs and alcohol   
• Putting us in touch with specialist help when needed; benefits, employment, housing, emotional well-being.  

“Make us aware of the St David’s Day Fund, how we access it and how and why decisions are made, and what can be done if a decision is declined.”  

Young people feel that the St. David’s Day Fund could be used to support them in the following ways:  

• Education purposes  
• Things for courses in college like overalls  
• Equipment to study – laptop, iPad, computer etc.   
• Help with debts  
• Help with independent living – new bills  
• Passport  
• Driving lessons – car, motorbike and lorry license for work  
• Gym membership  
• To help start a business   
• Help with moving into your new place  
• Holidays – to help support young people to go on holidays when they leave care (help young people travel).  

“Help us realise our aspirations”  

For example, many care leavers do not take a holiday and would like to have this experience.   

Young People feel that they need the following financial support then moving into independence/independent living:   

• Make sure that they know and know how to challenge when we are declined financial support   
• Money management  
• Young people are not always aware of the benefit system  
• ‘Don’t know what I need to pay’  
• Minimum payment entitlement can pay for essentials but won’t enable young people to save  
• Social workers to be made more aware of the benefits system.  

Young People feel that the following skills will help with their independence:  

• Cooking  
• Cleaning  
• Money management  
• Having a job  
• Budgeting  
• Financial  
• Problem-solving – knowing what to do if something goes wrong  
• Practical things  
• How to take care of  themselves – wash, be tidy, have a clean home  
• Being able to wallpaper, put up curtains, paint and decorate.