Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care and Disabilities introduced a report on the proposal to pilot a scheme to assist the Borough’s care leavers to find suitable, long-term private-rented accommodation by offering a Rent Guarantor Scheme to young people in care over school leaving age who wished to be fully independent. 

In its role as corporate parent, the Council was committed to supporting its young people in care and already had in place a scheme whereby care leavers could qualify for a rent deposit and one month’s rent in advance to secure social housing.  The Cabinet Member explained that the proposed new scheme would open up the private-rented market in a similar way, with the Council acting as a guarantor for the rent and certain other aspects for a period of 12 months or until the individual turned 25, whichever was sooner. 

The Cabinet Member confirmed that the initial pilot scheme would run for one year commencing August 2022 and be open to up to 10 care leavers who met specific criteria, such as being in work or full-time education.  The scheme was first implemented by Kent County Council in 2018 and had proved extremely successful with no negative financial implications for the Council and, should Barking and Dagenham’s scheme prove equally successful, the intention was to implement a permanent scheme as part of the Council’s Local Offer for Care Leavers.

Cabinet resolved to agree the proposal to pilot the Rent Guarantor Scheme for a period of 12 months beginning 1 August 2022, with a view to informing a wider policy change to the Council’s Local Offer for Care Leavers, in accordance with the strategy set out in the report.