Care leavers aged over 25

Once you reach 25 years old, your official care leaver status ends, but that doesn't mean we want to stop hearing from you. We still love to hear what you're doing, celebrate your success stories and share good news. We're also still here to offer support and advice when you need it.

Some things we can help you with

Letters of support

If you need a letter to prove that you have been classed as a care leaver, for things like Universal Credit applications, benefits, accommodation, passports etc then we can supply those for you.

Advice and support

If we can't help you directly, then we will work out who can and point you in the right direction, so that you can get the best support and advice for what you need.

Even though you no longer have a dedicated Young Person's Adviser (YPA), if you would like to speak to one, we can still link you up, and we can also arrange for you to come and spend some time at the Care Leavers Connect Hub in Stanley. For either of these please call 03000 262 271 or email us on careleavers@durham.gov.uk and we will arrange a time with you.

Ways you can help us

You've been there, done that and got the t-shirt - and you can use that experience to help other young care leavers. So from time to time, we might invite you to come along to some of our events and share your experiences and give other people advice. These events might be things like Connect Sessions at our Stanley Hub or Young Parent groups.

You can also do this in a more formal way, by becoming a peer mentor. See our Peer Mentors - using your care experience to help young people page for more information.

Contact Young People's Service