Cornerstone

Greenham Common Trust has acquired a property in Thatcham to enable Foster Care charity Children 1st West Berkshire to create the first home in the country to cater for 18 to 21-year-olds leaving care.

Children 1st West Berkshire are a charity which aims to benefit and support children and young people who are or who have been in care in the district.

Foster carers, John and Patsy Stone, of Thatcham, approached the Trust after discovering that there was no such place for young people to move to once they had left foster care.

Mrs Stone said that after the age of 18, there was no public funding available for services for young people who have been in foster care.
She said: "At 18, there are very few who are ready for the world so we are hopeful it’s going to give them that little bit longer that they need to be nurtured from a distance.

"We are hoping this is going to set them up and that they are going to be very confident for independent living.

"With many young people they say they are an adult but there’s a long way to go - we are hoping they will be very much more ready."

The Stones had been lobbying the Government to keep young people in foster care until the age of 21 but were not successful and decided to take action themselves.

The Cornerstone project also has a mentor living there who is a 25-year-old former university student in full employment.

Mrs Stone said: "She is there to set an example and to say it can be done."

The young people living there have to look after themselves but get help with skills such as budgeting, cooking and maintenance.

Mrs Stone said the three young people who currently live in the house would need to have aspirations to succeed in life such as further education or training and employment and would not accept future tenants who were dependent on the state.

Mr and Mrs Stone hope their idea could be rolled out across the country.

Stuart Tagg, chief executive of Greenham Common Trust, added: “It was brought to the Trust’s attention that there was an issue for young people coming out of the care system for the first time. The Children’s First project is one which aims to provide a safe transition for children coming to the end of their care arrangements. This means they can successfully integrate into mainstream society, become self sufficient and make a positive contribution to society as a whole. Children First are experts in this area and we are very pleased to be able to assist them in providing accommodation so they can provide this service. There is a clear need for this so we are happy to support them.”

Cornerstone was recently opened by the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire the Hon Mary Bayliss.