Key contact information:
Our Instagram page - To stay up to date with activities, participation opportunity, ask question and interact and communicate with the leaving care team and other care experienced young people, make sure to follow the care leavers Instagram page. @Leaving_care_mk
Finance policy - The finance policy details your entitlements to financial support.
Joint housing protocol - The care leaver joing housing protocol between children's services and housing.
ICASH – Sexual health support
Advocacy - Our advocacy service is reconstruct an advocate can support you to share your views and at important meetings
Raise your Voice / participation email - Raise Your Voice is our Children in Care Council
The Care Leaver Covenant is a national inclusion programme that supports care leavers aged 16-25 to live independently.
Ask Jan has been developed to assist care experienced people of all ages, to access comprehensive, practical advice and support and additional benefits.
Become is the national charity for children in care and care leavers.
The Care Leavers Association is a charity for improving lives of care leavers.
The Children’s Commissioner promotes and protects the rights of children.
The Rees Foundation provides small grants to care leavers aged 18 to 25.
Propel provides information about the available support for care leavers at college and university.
Shelter provides advice, guidance and support to people with housing issues or are homeless.
Citizens Advice provides information and advice about benefits, money, employment, and housing rights.
Coram Voice supports children and young people to hold to account the services that are responsible for their care.
The National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum is a forum of over 130 local authority leaving care teams working together to share good practice and improve services and support for care-experienced young people.
The National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) is the leading national provider of advocacy for young people in care.
Childline is a free, private and confidential service for anyone under 19 to talk to someone about any issues they are going through.
Money Helper offers free and impartial help with money and pensions.
Benefits
Visit GOV.UK for information about benefits you might be eligible for including:
Call the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 0800 169 0310 if you have an enquiry about existing benefits you receive.
Call HM Revenues & Customs (HMRC) on 0345 300 3900 if you have an enquiry about tax credits you receive.
Making a complaint or compliment
Complaints, comments or compliments all help us to improve the way we do things, you can tell us about a complaint, provide positive and constructive feedback or make a comment using our online form https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/your-council-and-elections/comments-compliments-and-complaints/complaints-and-compliments- this will immediately log your complaint or comment onto our system. You will receive confirmation and a unique reference number and password which will enable you to track the progress of your complaint or comment online. Alternatively, you can call our complaints line on 01908 253817.
Please do not worry that if you make a complaint, we will treat you unfavourably because of it, this will not happen. You have the right to tell us if something is wrong and we need to know.
Emergencies
In an emergency call 999 if you immediate assistance from the police or ambulance service. In life-threatening situations, you can also go to A&E at your nearest hospital.
In non-emergency situations, call the police on 101 and NHS on 111. Urgent treatment centres can help with many of the most common problems people go to A&E for.