Children and Young Persons Bill [HL]

Now that I understand what the noble Baroness is saying, perhaps I could reflect on it further and come back to her. On Amendment No. 66, which seeks to extend the period of appointment for independent visitors until the young person reaches the age of 25, while we appreciate that the intention is to help looked-after children to make the transition to young adulthood by building on our proposals in the Bill, the effect of the amendment is much wider than that: it would require the local authority to continue the appointment of an independent visitor for any child leaving care in whatever circumstances—children who are reunited with their parents, children who are adopted from care, children who cease to be looked after before they reach their teenage years and ““care leavers”” in the sense that that expression is commonly understood. That potentially intrusive and costly service would have to be provided, regardless of whether there was any continuing need for it, well into adulthood. We are therefore not sympathetic to the amendment. On Amendment No. 82, we appreciate the concern that disabled young people should not miss out on the enhanced entitlement to continuing personal adviser support for care leavers up to the age of 25 who wish to continue in or resume a programme of education or training. In response, I stress that the entitlement to a personal adviser is open to every former relevant child who requests help from his leaving care services to persist with or to resume education and training, including former relevant children with disabilities. In respect of transition planning, Clause 19(5) specifies that the local authority’s assessment of the need for continuing leaving care support may take place in conjunction with a range of other assessments concerned with care leavers’ entitlement to wider services, including services provided to disabled young people by local authority adult social care services. We believe that this will in practice achieve largely the same effect as the amendment as tabled. However, in making the necessary revisions to regulations and guidance under the Bill, we recognise that it will be important that we take the needs of disabled young care leavers into account so that between the ages of 21 to 25 they have access to the same benefits under this clause as all other care leavers. In addition, my department, with the Department of Health, will be taking forward the Transition Support Programme to embed joint team working across agencies and with adult services to provide a holistic approach and choice and control for all disabled young people. Underpinned by £19 million of additional resources, the change programme will initially focus on the 13 to 19 phase so that we instil a cultural shift in the way all services work together for successful transition planning for adulthood. So I believe that we are doing a good deal to meet the objectives set out in this amendment.