ARU Final Report

20 Care leavers’ experiences of support during the Covid-19 pandemic Graph 2: How worried were you about your finances before the pandemic? Number and percent of care leavers Very worried - 5 4 3 2 Not worried at all - 1 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 9 (9.7%) 12 (12.9%) 30 (32.3%) 24 (25.8%) 18 (19.4%) Graph 3: How worried were you about your finances during the pandemic? Number and percent of care leavers Very worried - 5 4 3 2 Not worried at all - 1 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 19 (20.4%) 24 (25.8%) 22 (23.7%) 18 (19.4%) 10 (10.8%) In the focus group discussions, care leavers shared their experiences of the negative impact the pandemic has had on their finances, generally due to job loss or job insecurity with zero-hour contracts and not enough shifts. They talked about difficulties with the furlough scheme, for example receiving 80% of average pay was not always enough for agency workers when some months were much quieter than others. The inadequacy of the universal credit system was also discussed. For example, one young person spoke about losing her job due to the pandemic and could only apply for benefits when she turned 18, but then had to wait for five weeks until she received financial support: “Living on £200 for five weeks is hard when you have rent and bills and food and everything to pay for.” (FG: Female, 18) This resonates with the report from Become (2020), a national charity for children in care and care leavers, that proclaims that the demand for universal credit is causing problems for those who need urgent financial support and that although the increase in the standard allowance is beneficial, the five week wait is unnecessary. Other young people talked about how their financial situation has been changing throughout the pandemic, which brought much uncertainty. Though most have been able to manage, often with support from social services, local charities, and family, additional support would have been appreciated: “There was a patch where I really struggled and thankfully where we live we have a charity that helped me immensely with gas and electric and with food banks… I would say I’m in a pretty stable situation now… where I don’t really have to worry that much.” (FG: Male, 22) “When I was working, I knew what I was being paid etc. With being furloughed obviously it changes month to month because they work it out on a monthly average. January for us is normally quiet so if they’re calculating 80% of what we normally work. Everything that comes in goes out… A freeze on the rent, something like