CHILDREN (LEAVING CARE) BILL

EXPLANATORY AND FINANCIAL MEMORANDUM

INTRODUCTION

1. This Explanatory and Financial Memorandum relates to the Children (Leaving Care) Bill. It has been prepared by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in order to assist the reader of the Bill and to help inform debate on it. It does not form part of the Bill and has not been endorsed by the Assembly.

2. The Memorandum needs to be read in conjunction with the Bill. It is not, and is not meant to be, a comprehensive description of the Bill. So where a clause or part of a clause does not seem to require explanation or comment, none is given.

BACKGROUND AND POLICY OBJECTIVES

3. In October 2000, the Social Services Inspectorate of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety, published a report entitled "Promoting Independence: A Review of Leaving and After Care Services". The main finding of the review was that young people leaving care experience a range of disadvantages in terms of education, employment, housing and family support. The report concluded that there was a need for a better level of support from public sector agencies.

4. "Promoting Independence" noted that between 1996 and 1999, around 670 young people aged between 16 and 18 became care leavers. Approximately a quarter of these young people were only 16 when they left care. By contrast, the typical age for young people leaving their family home is 22.

5. Young care leavers are among the most vulnerable young people in society. Often they leave the care system without the educational attainments and the ongoing support necessary to underpin their successful inclusion within their community and the wider society. To make a difference these young people need to have access to staff and services capable of meeting their assessed needs. In particular they need help to redress some of the shortcomings associated with their early life experiences.

6. The Bill meets a commitment given in the Programme for Government to introduce legislation to help support young people leaving care. The Bill will form the basis for improved leaving and after care services and will build upon the existing statutory provisions contained in the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995.

THE NEW PROPOSALS

7. The main purpose of the Bill is to improve the life chances of young people who are looked after by HSS Trusts as they make the transition to independent living. To do this it amends the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 to place new and enhanced duties on HSS Trusts to assess and meet the care and support needs of young people until they are at least 21 years old. Its main aims are: to ensure that young people should not leave care until they are ready to do so; to improve the assessment, preparation and planning for leaving care; to provide better personal support for young people after leaving care; and to improve the financial arrangements for care leavers. The key features of the Bill are set out below.

8. The Bill places a new duty on HSS Trusts to assess and meet the needs of eligible 16 and 17 year olds who remain in care, or those who have left care. This duty will rest with the Trust which last looked after the young person wherever he or she currently lives. The Bill and supporting Regulations will determine who will and will not be eligible under the new arrangements.

9. The Bill places a new duty on HSS Trusts to keep in touch with young people who have left care in order to make sure that they receive the support to which they are entitled. The duty will run until the young person reaches 21, or later if he or she is still receiving help from a Trust with education or training.

10. The Bill requires HSS Trusts to provide a personal adviser and a pathway plan for all eligible young people. The pathway plan will map out a route to independence for these young people and will be reviewed regularly to take account of a young person's changing circumstances and ambitions. The personal adviser will provide a single point of contact for a young person. The adviser will be responsible for overseeing the pathway plan and ensuring that the young person receives the support to which he or she is entitled in a co-ordinated and easily accessible way.

11. The Bill simplifies the arrangements for the financial support of 16 and 17 year olds leaving care. At present, young people who leave care at 16 can claim welfare benefits. Depending on their circumstances these benefits might be Income Support, Housing Benefit or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance. The Bill places HSS Trusts under a statutory duty to support these care leavers and at the same time removes entitlement to these means-tested benefits from certain 16 and 17 year old care leavers. Under the new arrangements, HSS Trusts would become their primary source of income. This measure is intended to ensure that vulnerable young people receive the care and help they need to grow into independence. The resources currently deployed by the Department for Social Development in relation to means-tested benefits for 16-17 year old care leavers will be transferred to the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to help support these young people more effectively.

12. The Bill provides continuing support to care leavers when they enter the adult world at 18. It enables those young people who have qualified for the new arrangements when they were 16 or 17 to continue to have a personal adviser and a pathway plan. It also requires HSS Trusts to keep in touch with them until they are 21, or later if they are still being helped with education or training. On top of this, the Bill requires HSS Trusts to provide general assistance for these young people, in kind, or exceptionally in cash, until they are 21 and to assist them with the expenses associated with employment, education and training. HSS Trusts are required to provide vacation accommodation (or the funds to secure it) to care leavers they are assisting in full-time higher education or further education.

CONSULTATION

13. A consultation document, entitled "Proposals for a Children Leaving Care Bill" was issued to a wide range of interested parties in March 2001, with a closing date for comments of 1 June 2001. Over 50 responses were received but the number of individuals and organisations that took part in the consultation exercise was much greater. A number of respondents sought the views of young care leavers and included these in their replies. Responses to the consultation document indicated a broad welcome for the proposals, particularly since they would enhance the responsibilities of HSS Trusts to provide improved leaving and after care services.

14. A number of comments of a general nature were received during the consultation period. Amongst these were calls for the proposals to be set in the context of an overarching strategy for children's services. It is clear that many respondents were looking beyond the proposals to detailed implementation issues which will be addressed in regulations and guidance once the primary legislation is in place. Some comments were in effect seeking clarification, for example in relation to the role and function of personal advisers and what might be regarded as appropriate accommodation for young care leavers.

15. Other matters raised included the need for additional resources to be made available to implement the new legislation and the need for uniformity of approach across HSS Trusts with regard to needs assessments and the levels of financial support to be provided to care leavers.

16. Some concern was expressed about the proposal to simplify the present financial arrangements for 16 and 17 year old care leavers by making HSS Trusts their primary source of income and removing their entitlement to claim means-tested social security benefits. While many respondents were attracted by the idea of a single system of financial support for 16-17 year old care leavers, others did not support such an approach. In proceeding with this proposal it was considered important to ensure that the financial and other support for care leavers is co-ordinated through Trusts and that a young care leaver does not lose contact with the Trust after he or she has left care. In addition, the Minister for Social Development has agreed that the social security benefits system should be amended to support the new proposals as outlined in the consultation document. This agreement supports the long-standing principle of parity across the social security field.

OPTIONS CONSIDERED

17. Although most respondents to the consultation document clearly wished to see the legislation in place, a few argued that it should be deferred until such time as the equivalent legislation in England and Wales (the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000) had been in operation for some time. This Act came into operation on 1 October 2001. It was suggested that this would enable the Department to monitor the experiences of England and Wales so as to ensure that any future legislation here would have a positive impact on the outcomes for children leaving care. The option to "wait and see" was considered and rejected in favour of moving ahead to promote, at the earliest opportunity, legislation to help support young people leaving care by enhancing Trusts' duties to provide leaving and after care services.

OUTLINE OF THE EXISTING LAW

18. The Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 ("the Children Order") provides the current legal basis for the provision of leaving and after care services. All references to Articles in this section of the Memorandum are to the Children Order.

19. HSS Trusts have a duty to prepare young people they are looking after for the time when they will leave care. They are also given duties and powers to advise and assist young people over the age of 16 who were previously "looked after" by social services. A "looked after" child is a child who is provided with accommodation by an HSS Trust under voluntary arrangements, or who is in its care under a care order (Article 25(1)). For this purpose, a child means a person under the age of 18 (Article 2(2)).

20. The Children Order and, consequently, the Bill, use the term "authority" to refer to a Health and Social Services Board or Trust. The powers and duties under the Children Order are exercised by a Board, except where a function is exercisable by a Trust by virtue of an authorisation for the time being in operation under Article 3(1) of the Health and Personal Social Services (NI) Order 1994 (Article 2(2) and (3)). In practice, most powers and duties under the Children Order have been delegated to HSS Trusts.

21. Under the current Article 35, HSS Trusts are required to advise, assist and befriend young people they are looking after, with a view to promoting their welfare when they cease to be looked after. In other words, steps should be taken to prepare the young person for the time when he or she is no longer looked after. Similar duties are also placed on voluntary organisations and anyone operating private children's homes (Articles 76 and 92).

22. Alongside the duty to prepare young people for independence, HSS Trusts have after care duties towards formerly looked after young people and other "qualifying persons" aged 16 and over. HSS Trusts may (or in some cases must) advise and befriend these young people (Article 35(4)). If a Trust has a duty or power to advise and befriend a young person, it may also provide assistance (Article 35(6)). This assistance may be in kind, or in exceptional circumstances, in cash (Article 36(1)). Assistance may be given unconditionally or may be repayable in whole or in part (Article 36(4) and Article 18(7) to (9)). Before giving assistance or imposing conditions, the Trust must have regard to the means of the young person and each of his or her parents (Article 18(8)). A person is not required to repay while he or she is in receipt of certain social security benefits (Article 18(9)).

23. An HSS Trust may also give assistance to any young person under 21 who was looked after by a Trust after reaching the age of 16, by contributing to the expenses incurred by the young person in living near the place where he or she is, or will be, employed, or seeking employment or receiving education or training. A Trust may also make a grant to enable the young person meet expenses connected with his or her education or training (Article 36(2)). The grant or contribution may continue beyond the young person's 21st birthday where this is necessary to the completion of a course (Article 36(3)(a)). If the young person goes to live (or proposes to live) in the area of another Trust, the first Trust must inform the second. This is with a view to the latter taking over the after care duties (Article 37(3)).

OVERVIEW

24. The Bill has 9 clauses. Clauses 1 to 5 amend Part IV of the Children Order by inserting new Articles 34A to 34F and substituting Articles 35 to 37 of the Order with new Articles 35 to 35D. Clause 6 of the Bill provides for changes to social security legislation. Clauses 7 to 9 deal with supplementary matters including consequential amendments to the Children Order and arrangements for the commencement of the Bill.

COMMENTARY ON CLAUSES

Clause 1 - Further duties of authorities towards children whom they are looking after

Clause 1 inserts new Article 34A into the Children Order to impose further duties on authorities towards children whom they are looking after.

New Article 34A - Preparation for ceasing to be looked after

Paragraph (1) restates the duty currently found in Article 35(1) of the Children Order (before amendment by the Bill). This requires an authority looking after a child to advise, assist and befriend that child with a view to promoting his or her welfare when he or she ceases to be looked after.

Paragraph (2) places additional duties on an authority in relation to any child it is looking after who is also an eligible child.

Paragraph (3) defines an eligible child as one who has been looked after for a prescribed period after a prescribed age, and is aged 16 or 17. The prescribed period need not be continuous but could be aggregated from more than one episode of care. In order to avoid including young people who may have been looked after as infants and happen to return briefly to care after they are 16, regulations will specify the age above which episodes of care count towards the qualifying period.

Paragraph (4) gives the Department the power to make regulations to include or exclude particular groups from the definition of eligible child. For example, there are groups of young people for whom this package of care would not be appropriate. Some young people normally live at home with their families and are only looked after for short periods of respite care in order to give their carers a rest. These periods of respite care could amount to the prescribed period but the Department believes that these young people are the responsibility of their families and should not become subject to the new leaving care arrangements. Similarly, care leavers who successfully return to their families should become their families' responsibility and should not be brought within the new arrangements. Articles 35, 35A and 35B (see clause 4) will continue to apply to them.

Paragraph (5) requires an authority to carry out an assessment of the needs of each eligible child with a view to determining what advice, assistance and support it would be appropriate to provide while the young person is in care and after he or she has left care. It also requires the authority to prepare a pathway plan for each eligible child. Pathway plans are defined in the new Article 34F (see clause 3). Guidance and regulations will set out the areas to be covered in pathway plans.

Paragraph (6) requires pathway plans to be reviewed regularly. It is envisaged that this will mean at least every six months or more often if needed. These reviews will provide the opportunity to update and revise the pathway plan in order that it may develop in line with the young person's changing ambitions and circumstances.

Paragraph (7) provides that pathway plans may be reviewed at the same time as other statutory reviews under the provisions of the Children Order. This will allow for a streamlining of any reviews which fall due for a given child, so that they can all be carried out together.

Paragraph (8) enables the Department to make regulations about needs assessments for eligible children.

Paragraph (9) specifies particular matters which may be included in regulations made by the Department under paragraph (8). These include the power to make provision about who is to be consulted about an assessment, the way in which an assessment is to be carried out, who will perform the assessment and when, how the outcome of the assessment is to be recorded and the type of considerations an authority is to have regard to in carrying out an assessment.

Paragraph (10) requires an authority to arrange for each eligible child to have a personal adviser.

Clause 2 - Additional functions of authorities in respect of certain children

Clause 2 amends Article 25 of the Children Order and inserts new Articles 34B to 34D. These Articles impose new duties on authorities towards children formerly looked after by them.

Subsection (1) amends Article 25 of the Children Order to allow an authority to provide accommodation for a child who has left care, without the fact of their doing so classifying that child as still being looked after.

Subsection (2) amends the cross-heading before Article 35 of the Children Order as the new Articles being inserted by the Bill affect young people aged over 18 as well as children under 18.

Subsection (3) inserts new Articles 34B to 34D into the Children Order.

New Article 34B - The responsible authority and relevant children

This Article and new Article 34C make provision for those aged 16 and 17 who leave care. New Article 34B defines "relevant child" and the "responsible authority".

Paragraph (1) provides that in relation to a relevant child, the responsible authority (see paragraph (4) below) will have the functions set out in the new Article 34C.

Paragraph (2) defines a "relevant child" as a child aged 16 or 17 who has left care and before leaving care was an "eligible child".

Paragraph (3) makes parallel provision to that made in Article 34A(4) for eligible children.

Paragraph (4) defines the "responsible authority" as the authority which last looked after the child. That authority will remain responsible for the young person wherever that young person is currently living. This is to ensure continuity of care and to avoid any disputes amongst authorities concerning who should have responsibility for providing after care support for a young person who moves to live in the area of another authority.

Paragraph (5) gives the Department a regulation making power to make an authority responsible for any child who has been looked after by a Scottish, English or Welsh local authority, if they come to live here. If regulations are made under paragraph (3)(a) to make such children a new category of relevant child, the power in paragraph (5) is needed to ensure that they have a "responsible authority" under Northern Ireland legislation.

New Article 34C - Additional functions of the responsible authority in respect of relevant children

New Article 34C sets out the duties of the responsible authority towards "relevant children". Some of the duties towards relevant children will in practice be continuations of those already delivered to them as eligible children.

Paragraph (1) places a duty on the responsible authority to take reasonable steps to keep in touch with a relevant child, whether the young person lives within its area or not.

Paragraph (2) requires the authority to appoint a personal adviser for each relevant child, should it not already have done so.

Paragraph (3) requires the authority to carry out a needs assessment and to prepare a pathway plan for each relevant child if this has not already been carried out when the child was being looked after as an eligible child.

Paragraph (4) enables the authority to carry out an assessment of a young person's needs at the same time as his needs are being assessed under the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons (NI) Act 1978, the Disabled Persons (NI) Act 1989 or the Education (NI) Order 1996 or any other statutory provision. This allows for joint assessments of the needs of young people whenever this is practicable.

Paragraph (5) enables the Department to make regulations about needs assessments.

Paragraph (6) provides that the regulations made under paragraph (5) may cover the same matters as are specified in new Article 34A(9) in relation to needs assessments for eligible children.

Paragraph (7) requires the authority to keep a pathway plan under regular review.

Paragraph (8) imposes a duty on the responsible authority to safeguard and promote the welfare of a relevant child. The authority must provide the child with maintenance and suitable accommodation and such other support as may be prescribed in regulations. The Bill aims to ensure that children leaving care can expect to receive the same sort of support from their responsible authority as a child might expect from his or her parents. This might be moral support or practical support.

Paragraph (9) makes it clear that support for relevant children may be given in cash as well as in kind.

Paragraph (10) enables the Department to make regulations about the meaning of "suitable accommodation". The regulations may also make provision about the suitability of potential landlords or other providers in the light of the vulnerability of young care leavers.

Paragraph (11) places a duty on the responsible authority to take reasonable steps to keep in touch with a relevant child. Where contact is lost, the authority must immediately take reasonable steps to re-establish contact and to continue doing so until it succeeds in making contact. This duty applies until the child reaches his or her 18^th birthday and so ceases to be a relevant child.

Paragraph (12) applies Article 18(7) to (9) of the Children Order to assistance which may be given under this Article. Paragraphs (7) to (9) of Article 18 require an authority to have regard to the means of the child concerned and each of his or her parents, and permits the authority, depending on their means, to require some or all of this assistance to be repaid.

Paragraph (13) provides that paragraphs (2) and (3) of Article 26 of the Children Order apply to decisions taken under Article 34C. This means that the authority must, so far as is reasonably practicable, ascertain and give due consideration to the wishes and feelings of the child concerned, his or her parents and anyone else whom the authority considers to be relevant. The authority must also give due consideration to the child's religious persuasion, racial origin and cultural and linguistic background.

New Article 34D - Continuing functions in respect of former relevant children

New Article 34D sets out the duties of the responsible authority towards "former relevant children".

Paragraph (1) defines a "former relevant child" as one who qualified for the new support arrangements under the Bill either as an "eligible" or "relevant" child and who is now aged 18 or over.

Paragraph (2) places a duty on the responsible authority to take reasonable steps to keep in touch with a former relevant child wherever he or she might be living and to re-establish contact where this is lost.

Paragraph (3) requires the responsible authority to continue to provide the young person with a personal adviser and to regularly review his or her pathway plan.

Paragraph (4) imposes a duty on the responsible authority to provide assistance to a former relevant child with: (a) expenses associated with employment; (b) expenses associated with education and training; and (c) general assistance. In each case, the duty is to provide assistance to the extent that the young person's welfare (or, where relevant, his educational or training needs) requires it.

Paragraph (5) provides that the assistance provided under paragraph (4)(c) may be given in kind or, exceptionally in cash.

Paragraph (6) provides that the duties under this Article last until the young person reaches the age of 21.

Paragraph (7) provides that if a former relevant child is being assisted with education or training pursuant to his or her pathway plan, the duty to provide assistance will continue until the end of the agreed programme of education or training, even if this runs beyond the young person's 21^st birthday. The duties to keep in touch, to provide a personal adviser and to review the pathway plan also extend to the end of the programme.

Paragraph (8) requires the responsible authority to disregard any interruption in the young person's attendance on a course of education or training provided that he or she resumes it as soon as is reasonable.

Paragraph (9) requires the responsible authority to provide vacation accommodation, or funds to secure it, for a former relevant child whom the authority is assisting with full-time further or higher education, should this be necessary.

Paragraph (10) has the same effect as Article 34C(12).

Clause 3 - Personal advisers and pathway plans

Clause 3 inserts new Articles 34E and 34F into the Children Order which set out the detail of personal advisers and pathway plans.

New Article 34E - Personal advisers

Paragraph (1) enables the Department to make regulations to allow other individuals aged between 16 and 21 to have a personal adviser in addition to those children and young people who are entitled to a personal adviser by virtue of clauses 1 and 2 of the Bill.

Paragraph (2) gives the Department the power to make regulations about the functions of personal advisers appointed under the Bill.

New Article 34F - Pathway plans

New Article 34F deals with the content of pathway plans and provides for regulations to be made giving more detail about what they are to cover and how they are to be reviewed.

Paragraph (1) defines a "pathway plan" for the purposes of Part IV of the Children Order. It provides that in respect of an eligible child the plans should set out the advice, assistance and support which an authority intends to provide while the young person is in care and after he or she has left care. The plan should also indicate when the young person might leave care. In relation to a relevant child who does not already have a pathway plan, it provides that the plan should set out the advice, assistance and support which the authority intends to provide.

Paragraph (2) enables the Department to make regulations about what may be included in pathway plans and how they are to be reviewed.

Clause 4 - Advice and assistance for certain children and young persons aged 16 or over

Clause 4 restates Articles 35 and 36 of the Children Order and divides them into four (Articles 35, 35A, 35B and 35C) to make the provisions simpler to follow. They have also been amended to take account of the new concept of the responsible authority and to increase an authority's responsibilities to assist care leavers with further and higher education.

New Article 35 - Persons qualifying for advice and assistance

Paragraphs (1) to (3) restate the definition of "a person qualifying for advice and assistance" which is currently found in Article 35(2) and (3) of the Children Order. The term applies to any person who is under the age of 21 who was after reaching the age of 16, but whilst still under 18 years of age, looked after by an authority, accommodated in a voluntary or private children's home or privately fostered. The term also applies to such a person who was accommodated for a consecutive period of 3 months in certain other establishments. This applies even if the 3-month period began before the young person reached the age of 16.

Paragraph (4) provides that the authority which last looked a young person qualifying for advice and assistance is under a duty to keep in touch with him or her as it thinks appropriate. This duty is intended to apply to those young people who leave care but do not qualify for the full package of support under the provisions of the Bill.

Paragraph (5) defines which authority is to be responsible for providing services (the relevant authority) to a person qualifying for advice and assistance. Paragraph (5)(a) provides that the relevant authority for a care leaver is the authority which last looked after the young person. Paragraph (5)(b) provides that for any other young person qualifying for help under Article 35, the relevant authority is the one in whose area the young person is currently living.

New Article 35A - Advice and assistance

New Article 35A restates with amendments the powers and duties of authorities in respect of qualifying persons at present found in Articles 35(4) to (6) and 36(1) and (4) of the Children Order.

Paragraph (1) places a duty on the relevant authority to consider whether a qualifying person meets the conditions set out in paragraph (2).

Paragraph (2) sets out the conditions, which are: that the qualifying person needs help of a kind which the relevant authority can give him, and (if not qualifying by virtue of being a care leaver) the authority is satisfied that the person who was looking after the young person is not in a position to offer that help.

Paragraph (3) states that if the conditions in paragraph (2) are met the relevant authority must advise and befriend a young person who has been looked after by an authority or voluntary organisation and may advise and befriend other qualifying young people. This is a restatement of the provision made by the existing Article 35(4) of the Children Order.

Paragraph (4) provides that where an authority has a duty or a power to advise and befriend someone under this Article, it may also give him assistance.

Paragraph (5) enables an authority which gives assistance under paragraph (4) to provide such assistance in kind or, in exceptional circumstances, in cash.

Paragraph (6) applies existing Article 18(7) to (9) of the Children Order to any assistance which may be given under this Article or Article 35B. This requires an authority to take account of the means of the child concerned and his or her parents, and permits the authority, depending on their means, to require some or all of this assistance to be repaid.

New Article 35B - Employment, education and training

New Article 35B restates and amends the powers to provide assistance with employment, education and training at present found in Article 36(2) and (3) of the Children Order.

Paragraph (1) provides that a relevant authority may give assistance to a person under 21 who was looked after by the authority after reaching the age of 16, by contributing to expenses incurred by the young person in living near the place where he or she is, or is to be, employed.

Paragraphs (2) and (3) provide that a relevant authority may give assistance to a person under the age of 24 who was looked after by the authority after reaching age 16, by contributing to expenses incurred by the young person in living near the place where he or she is, or will be, receiving education or training. The authority may also make a grant to enable the young person to meet expenses in connection with his or her education or training.

Paragraph (4) enables an authority to disregard any interruption in a young person's attendance on a course connected with education or training if he or she resumes it as soon as is reasonably practicable.

Paragraph (5) places a duty on authorities to provide suitable vacation accommodation, or the funds to secure it, to young care leavers in full-time further or higher education should it be needed.

Paragraph (6) gives the Department the power to make regulations to define the terms "full-time", "further education", "higher education" and "vacation" for the purposes of this Article.

New Article 35C - Information

New Article 35C provides for the necessary communication and liaison between authorities in respect of care leavers who move from one authority area to another.

Paragraph (1) extends the existing notification obligations under Article 37(3) of the Children Order to all children with whom the authority is under a duty to keep in touch, including "eligible", "relevant" and "former relevant" children. In all cases, the relevant authority must inform another authority if a child or young person plans to live or is living in its area.

Paragraph (2) restates the provisions of existing Article 37(4) of the Children Order. It provides that if a young person ceases, after reaching the age of 16, to be accommodated by or on behalf of a voluntary organisation or in a private children's home or in accommodated mentioned in Article 35(2)(d) of the Children Order, then the person providing the accommodation must inform the authority in whose area the young person proposes to live.

Clause 5 - Representations

This clause inserts a new Article 35D into the Children Order. It requires each authority to establish arrangements for dealing with complaints about its services under Articles 34B and 34D, and Articles 35, 35A and 35B. New Article 35D restates and amends the provisions of existing Article 37(1) and (2) of the Children Order.

New Article 35D - Representations: Articles 34B to 35B

Paragraph (1) requires each authority to establish a procedure for hearing representations, including complaints, made by young people who qualify for the new support arrangements under the Bill about the way the authority is carrying out any of its functions under Part IV of the Children Order.

Paragraph (2) requires an authority to comply with any regulations made by the Department when considering any representations under paragraph (1).

Clause 6 - Exclusion from benefits

Clause 6 deals with changes to social security legislation and is the responsibility of the Department for Social Development. The clause removes entitlement to income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support and Housing Benefit from those young people who will be supported by authorities under the new arrangements made in this Bill until age 18.

Subsection (1) provides that no person to whom this clause applies will be entitled to income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Income Support or Housing Benefit.

Subsection (2) provides that, subject to subsection (3), this clause applies to eligible and relevant children. In both cases, the responsible authority will have a duty to meet their maintenance and accommodation needs until they reach the age of 18.

Subsection (3) gives the Department for Social Development the power to make regulations to provide for certain eligible or relevant children to be exempted from the provisions of this clause. It is envisaged that this provision will be used to ensure that Income Support and Jobseeker's Allowance will still be available to care leavers who would otherwise be relevant children but who are lone parents or disabled.

Subsection (4) enables the Department for Social Development to make regulations to make transitional, consequential and saving provisions in connection with the commencement of this clause.

Subsection (5) provides that section 171(3) to (5) of the Social Security Contributions and Benefits (Northern Ireland) Act 1992 applies to the regulation-making powers in this clause. As with other social security legislation, this makes it clear that regulations may make different provisions for different cases and for different purposes and provides powers for discretion to be exercised in dealing with various matters.

Subsection (6) provides that regulations made under this clause shall be subject to negative resolution procedure.

Clause 7 - Minor and consequential amendments and repeals

Clause 7 makes a number of consequential amendments to the Children Order.

Subsection (1) provides that the Children Order will have effect subject to the amendments and repeals set out in subsections (2) to (6) of this clause.

Subsection (2) amends Article 2(8) of the Children Order to ensure that the accommodation provided to care leavers under new Articles 34C and 35B is not regarded as accommodation used by authorities for the purposes of accommodating looked after children.

Subsection (3) updates the statutory references in Article 18(5)(a) of the Children Order by adding the new services in Articles 34C to 34E and 35A and 35B to the list of services which authorities are required to facilitate others to provide (particularly voluntary organisations).

Subsection (4) repeals Articles 36 and 37 of the Children Order.

Subsection (5) makes provision for authorities to recoup costs from each other in respect of services provided following a request for co-operation under existing Article 46(2) of the Children Order, for children who fall to each other's responsibility. The subsection amends Article 46 to take into account the new concept of responsible authority. It does this by amending paragraph (4) and inserting a new paragraph (4A). New paragraph (4A) provides that following a request under Article 46(2) of the Children Order, one authority may recover reasonable expenses from another in the case of relevant and former relevant children and those who, having been looked after, are being helped under Article 35 of the Order.

Subsection (6) amends paragraph 2(1)(a) of Schedule 2 to the Children Order by adding the new services in Articles 34C to 34E and 35A and 35B to the list of those services about which an authority is obliged to publish information. It also adds these new services to the list of services which Health and Social Services Boards are required to review and include in their Children's Services Plans.

Clause 8 - Interpretation

Clause 8 defines the term "the Children Order" which is used throughout the Bill.

Clause 9 - Short title and commencement

Subsection (1) sets out the title of the Bill.

Subsection (2) deals with the commencement of the Bill. It gives the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety the power to make a commencement order to bring clauses 1 to 5 and 7 of the Bill into operation on such day as it may decide.

Subsection (3) deals with the commencement of clause 6 of the Bill. It gives the Department for Social Development the power to make a commencement order to bring clause 6 into operation on such day as it may decide.

Subsection (4) permits commencement orders made under subsections (2) and (3) to include transitional, consequential or savings provisions of existing legislation as the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety or the Department for Social Development consider necessary.

FINANCIAL EFFECTS OF THE BILL

25. It is intended that implementation of the Bill will be funded by drawing together resources already deployed by HSS Trusts on leaving and after care services under the existing statutory arrangements; resources transferred from the Department for Social Development in relation to current expenditure by the Social Security Agency on Income Support, Housing Benefit and income-based Jobseekers Allowance in respect of 16 and 17 year old care leavers and additional resources secured to help underpin the implementation of the Bill.

26. Under the Executive Programme's Social Inclusion/ Community Regeneration Fund, the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has secured £400k per year over the period 2001/02 and 2003/04 for the purposes of establishing innovative leaving and after care pilot schemes, in each Health and Social Services Board area. The first instalment of these funds has been allocated to Boards and these will be used exclusively for enhancing leaving and after care services.

HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUES

27. No human rights issues are involved.

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT

28. The impact of the Bill on equality of opportunity as between those groups listed in section 75 of Northern Ireland Act 1998 has been considered, and no adverse or differential effects have been identified. Indeed the new arrangements will help promote equality between young care leavers and other young people who have not been in care.

SUMMARY OF THE REGULATORY APPRAISAL

29. The Bill has no impact on business.

LEGISLATIVE COMPETENCE

30. The Minister of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has made the following statement under section 9 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998:

"In my view the Children (Leaving Care) Bill would be within the legislative competence of the Northern Ireland Assembly."