Our Supported Care service helps young people develop the skills needed to live independently. Young people in the service live with a Supportive Carer who provides accommodation, emotional and practical support.
The young people living with a Supported Care could be from the Falkirk area, or from overseas and seeking asylum in the UK.
Young people from the local area
Young people aged 16-21 years who have been looked after, ie. spent time in foster care or residential care, can opt-in to the Supported Care service.
Like most young people they might not yet be ready to live by themselves, and so need a little more support and guidance on that next step to independence.
Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children and Young People
Young people who have come from overseas have no parents or family to care for them while they seek asylum in the UK. Unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people have risked their lives to escape their home country and travel to the UK. They are mainly aged 16-17 and have made the journey alone, without their parents or family.
There are many reasons why the child or young person might have left their home; they could be fleeing war, famine, poverty or abuse. They may have seen adults in their lives tortured or murdered, or they may have been forced to fight as a child soldier.
These young people could be from Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, or another country where they have had to flee to protect their lives. The journey to the UK is often dangerous for them. If they do manage to reach the UK, they are already extremely vulnerable.
When children and young people arrive in the UK, they go through a rigorous legal process before being given leave to remain.
Being without their family, these young people need a safe, nurturing and supportive home, to help them adapt to life in Falkirk.
What do Supportive Carers do?
The main role of a Supportive Carer is to support the young person and prepare them to live independently.
Supportive Carers provide the young person with their own bedroom, shared living space and access to laundry and cooking facilities.
The young person will need varying degrees of practical and emotional support, the extent of which will largely depend on the individual needs of the person in their care. They will be supportive to the young person’s heritage, culture, and religious beliefs.
They might support the young person to:
- Develop life skills such as cooking and budgeting
- Register with a doctor/dentist
- Seek out appropriate medical treatment
- Develop friendships and socialise with others
- Pursue leisure activities and hobbies
- Enrol in school, college or other education
Supportive Carers receive:
- Comprehensive training
- Ongoing support from the Family Placement Team
- Access to therapeutic services for the young person
- A weekly fee
