Why?
Wandsworth have run the Bright Spots care leaver twice, reaching large numbers of young people (more than 50% response rate; over 350 young people in total) on both occasions. Young people shared their experiences and views and over a third of care leavers (36%) reported low well-being – associated with this was not having a good friend, high levels or anxiety and feeling lonely.
What?
Wandsworth were keen to focus on ways to improve well-being. In their Bright Spots survey findings, care leavers identified some of the things that stopped them from having fun, such as: not having enough money and poor mental health.
To help support this, Wandsworth introduced some additional financial support (for care leavers aged 18 up to 20):
- £20 per month well-being grant for costs towards hobbies, sports team or other activities
- £150 a year positive experience grant
These finance offers run alongside support from Personal Advisers and access to specialist workers (e.g. mental health PA and transition social worker).
Information on these well-being allowances is detailed in the local offer and finance policy.
What difference did it make?
Wandsworth supports over 330 care leavers aged 18 and over. Many make use of the monthly well-being grant. Some of the things that young people have chosen to spend the money on include yoga or gym classes or club membership fees.
Feedback from both young adults and Personal Advisers has been encouraging with people highlighting how they appreciate the autonomy to spend the extra money on what matters most to them. The extra income is also seen as one way to show the local authority cares.