Renfrewshire Council

What supported care is

The supported carer scheme is one of a range of accommodation and support options for young people in Renfrewshire.

Who supported care is for

Young people who need supported carer placements are aged between 16 and 21 years and will include those who have been living away from home in a children's unit, residential school, with foster carers or in another resource.

Young people may not want a new 'family' but may not be ready to live independently.  Supported carer placements are used as a 'stepping stone' to independence through helping the young person to develop the necessary skills to move on to independent living e.g. cooking, budgeting and social skills.

Young people can be in supported care for a variable period of time depending on a number of circumstances including their readiness to move on.

The objective of providing supported care

The objective is that the young person will be as independent as possible by the time they move on to other accommodation.  The aim is for young people receiving support from the Throughcare and Aftercare team to move on before the age of 21 as this is when their Throughcare support generally ends (unless they are in full-time education, in which case they may receive support until they are 24).

Supported carer placements can vary from living in a room in a home, with access to support, to being part of a caring family or household.  This range provides a wide variety of placements to meet the differing and individual needs of young people.

Information for young people, supported carer and converting to a supported carer from an independent agency can be downloaded from the related documents section.

If you are interested in becoming a supported carer then contact the service on 0141 618 4531.