The Welsh Government has announced a scheme that will see some young people being given £1,600 every month for two years. The trial scheme is set to start in Wales in two days and, known as a Basic Income Pilot, is designed to help those who have been brought up in care transition to adult life. You can read about the scheme in full here.
Those eligible can get £1,600 per calendar month (£1,280 after tax) with no restrictions on what the money can be spent on. The scheme will cost £20m and an evaluation will be carried out, with the Welsh Government saying that it will be classed as a success if there have been positive improvements in areas like mental health, wellbeing, employment or education.
The scheme is available to care leavers who reach their 18th birthday between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023 and will run for three years. Participants can choose whether to receive this payment either monthly or two times a month. It will be paid to them by an external provider.
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There are three groups of people are eligible for the scheme:
- A person leaving care turning 18 years of age between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023
- Someone who has been looked after by a council for a period of 13 weeks, or periods amounting in total to 13 weeks, which began after he or she reached 14 and ended after he or she reached 16
- A person leaving care who is resident in Wales, or who is placed outside of Wales but is supported by a Welsh local authority’s social services department.
Participation in the pilot is voluntary and if they are eligible, they are already known to their local council who will be working with them to help with any application
However, people across Wales have been split in their reaction to the scheme. While some have called the scheme "brilliant" others have said that it has "disaster written all over it." Some readers responded to the article on social media, praising the scheme.
"This has been very successful in other countries, who have trialled it. They don't have a home, a loving family to fall back on. In the past they were often dumped in hostels with people who had been in prison," Facebook user Debbie Jane wrote.
"Why shouldn't they go to university, have a home to go to at the end of the working day or any of other things an 18 year old from a loving home has. Good luck to them. They deserve as much help as we can give them to build solid foundations for the future."
Other readers of the article agreed that help should be provided to care leavers. Francis Lillis, for instance, wrote: "This is exactly the vulnerable group that needs help. They leave care with minimal support. They only get into care having suffered the most terrible things.
"Currently they fall through the cracks and are hugely over represented in mental hospitals, social service caseloads and prisons so there is both a humanitarian and a future cost to the public purse case saying we really need to help this group out."
Claire Cooper, another Facebook user responding to the article, said that a "helping hand" for care leavers was a "good thing", writing: "These kids have nothing of their own. They've been dealt a really horrible hand in life and been through god knows what.
"All to often as soon as they reach adult age they are suddenly all on their own and left trying to navigate life and society. A helping hand for them is a good thing. Why anyone wants to put the boot in to vulnerable young people when the odds are already stacked against them is beyond me."
Andrea Patterson called the scheme "brilliant", adding: "Let's hope it gives them a chance in life." However, some readers questioned the £1,600 figure. In response to the article, Jessica May Squire wrote: "I totally understand the scheme but do not understand where they have the figure from? If you are a full time worker on minimum wage your lucky to take home £1,200 a month. Surely this would have been mote realistic?"
After tax, the figure those eligible will receive is £1,280, with no restrictions on what the money can be spent on.
Michelle Evans added: "Unless they’ve been taught budgeting and life skills this has disaster written all over it!" Emma Jones also wrote: "I think it’s great they are going to receive help but if the correct support isn’t put into place alongside it this is going to be young adults who haven’t had much in life all of a sudden having a fair amount of money in their hand. If some of them decide not to work, that money stops after two years and they’ll get a hell of a lot less on benefits. It could turn into a disaster."
Some readers also called for additional support for care leavers. Joan Berry wrote: "Children in care have had it tough. As ex- residential social worker, I've seen it. They need support, guidance, boundaries and the often forgotten practical living skills.
"Just giving money isn't the answer as many will not have budgeting advice & just spend it on unnecessary stuff, leaving them without enough for rent, food, transport etc. Actual practical support to help them adjust to living in a real world & work is or even more important."
Others questioned what would happen to the young people participating in the scheme after two years, with Janine Davison writing: "Not sure about this. At the end of the two years, will they be in a position to earn that money and if not, will they cope having been used to having that money? Will there be investment in training and education as well?"
Some readers called for more financial education to be provided in schools. Mark Wakeford wrote: "It should start in schools things like cost of living… bills, rent, mortgage, living on a budget.. how incidental spending mounts up over the month… should be taught in schools from year 7 at least… it should not just be touched on but a lesson on the time table… things learnt at a young age will have a big affect on their lives in later years."
You can read the full details of the pilot scheme here. What do you think of the scheme? Let us know in the comments below.
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