Click here for a related interview with Janet Rich of Bryn Melyn about National Care Leavers' Week.

Question: Which of the proposals in the forthcoming Children in Care Bill do you think will make the biggest difference to children leaving care?

Kevin Brennan: I don't think the state has been a particularly good parent in the past, and I believe there are lots of things in the Children in Care Bill that will make a big difference to children leaving care.

We want local authorities to be as ambitious for children in care as they are for their own children – and key to this, will be listening to young people, giving them a voice and the stability they so often crave.

For example, the Right2BCared4 pilots, which safeguard children's right to stay in their placements until they’re 18, and from April 2008, the pilots for young people to remain with their foster carers beyond age 18 are two good examples.

These will identify the barriers that prevent young people staying on with their carers into young adulthood, and what financial arrangements work best for carers and care leavers.

 We want to create an environment where funding is not a major barrier to care leavers maintaining close contact with their carers.

Question: Government has recognised the need to see leaving care as a transition over many years, not a one-off event. Will the new proposals allow care leavers the flexibility to make mistakes - for example, if they choose to move into a flat at 16, will they be able to return to foster care if they decide they are not ready to live alone?

Kevin Brennan: The Right2BCared4 pilots will look at allowing young people to opt back into their foster placement if having their own place does not work out, and also give them the option to remain in care until they’re 21.

As you know, all care leavers must have a pathway plan, so as part of this it should be possible to explore the possibility of returning to foster carers if a young person's accommodation has broken down.

We intend to develop good practice from these pilots that can be embedded nationally, so that all local authorities will be flexible enough to meet the individual needs of young people in care, so that they only move placements when they are properly ready.

Question: Sourcing and sustaining suitable housing is an ongoing problem for care leavers and care leavers can get into problems with rent arrears. Do you think that councils should be able to evict children from care from their tenancies, solely on the basis of rent arrears?

Kevin Brennan: Everyone needs to pay their rent, whether directly or with housing benefit, but care leavers should be given support from their local authority to make sure they don't get into arrears unnecessarily through bureaucracy or lack of money management skills.

A good parent would support a child if they were having problems like this, and we want to all local authorities to be good corporate parents.

When a situation arises as described in your question, we would expect the Leaving Care Service to liaise with the relevant housing provider to resolve the situation. We are already planning to provide good practice guidance on housing and children’s services and will provide this to [local authorities] as soon as it is ready.

Question: There is little in the white paper about emotional support and mental health needs of children leaving care. How do you intend to ensure that these young people can access the levels of support they need as care leavers? 

Kevin Brennan: We recognise that it is common for children and young people in care to need support with their emotional wellbeing and mental health.

That is why we want to use statutory guidance to make sure Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services prioritise children in care. Its very important that planning services assess health needs, including any mental health support and how that may be met.

With regard to remaining in suitable residential care beyond age 18, the fostering beyond age 18 pilots will look to see if there is demand by young people to stay in children's homes beyond age 18. We will then consider what approaches could work in those circumstances.  

Question: University bursaries could help create a fair standard across the country for the financial support of care leaver students who enter higher education. Do you think enough consideration has been given to supporting apprenticeships and FE level courses for care leavers seeking to continue their studies?

Kevin Brennan: We have pledged to provide personal advisors for young people leaving care, up to the age of 25.

We hope they will encourage young people to take up their free learning opportunities or to consider university, if they think it would suit them. We want to ensure that the further education system is flexible enough to support young people, so we want to explore the possibility of flexible starting dates for young people who want to pursue diplomas and other qualifications in an further education setting.

The leaving care professional adviser will play a key role in sign-posting the route most suited to the individual young person.

Question: The Children ( Leaving Care) Act 2000 brought great hopes followed by widespread disappointment in the lack of powers and resources to back it up. As a new piece of legislation begins its passage through Parliament, what message would you give to care leavers during National Care Leavers' Week?

Kevin Brennan: I want to assure care leavers that I will always listen to what you are telling me and do all I can to make sure you have a greater say in decisions that affect you.

The government will learn from that listening and improve the system to give greater opportunities to all young people in care.