GOVERNMENT should pay for care leavers’ council tax, prescriptions, NHS dental treatment and optician costs until they are 25, the Local Government Association (LGA) has said.

A nationally government-funded exemption would ensure the more than 11,000 young people become care leavers each year are properly supported by councils, it said.

“Councils continue to face rising costs in children’s social care, which impacts their ability to provide vital support to children and young people and address rising need,” the LGA said.

“Councils are doing everything they can to support care leavers, however there is a need for changes on a wider, national level that councils alone cannot deliver.”

Some authorities have such reductions in place. 

The exemption would lessen the resulting postcode lottery for care leavers, including those who live outside their “home” council area, the LGA added.

Association chair and councillor Louise Gittins said: “Avoiding financial hardship is vital for care leavers to make the successful transition from care to independence.

“As part of National Care Leavers Week, we have set out a programme of change which we urge the government to consider, to guarantee a more consistent offer for care leavers across the country and continue promoting the best possible outcomes for our children leaving care.

“Providing a nationally government-funded exemption for council tax, prescriptions, NHS dental treatment and optician costs will ensure no care leaver goes without access to services they rely on to stay healthy and well.”

Care leavers are more financially vulnerable than their peers, with 83 per cent of care-experienced young people struggling to afford essentials, according to a survey by the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum.