Apprenticeships care leavers' bursary
The apprenticeships care leavers' bursary is a payment for an eligible apprentice who is a care leaver, to help remove barriers to accessing the apprenticeship.
Payment of the bursary
The bursary is paid by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) to an apprenticeship training provider, where the apprentice remains on the apprenticeship for at least 60 days. The provider passes it on to the apprentice in a single payment within 30 days of receiving it, unless ESFA provide confirmation in writing that a longer period is acceptable.
The care leavers' bursary is a single payment of £1,000, and an individual care leaver can only receive it once.
Eligible apprentices
For an apprentice to be eligible for the care leavers' bursary, they must be either:
- an eligible child - a young person who is 16 or 17 and who has been looked after by a UK local authority or health and social care trust for at least a period of 13 weeks since the age of 14 and who is still looked after
- a relevant child - a young person who is 16 or 17 who has left care within the UK after their 16th birthday and before leaving care was an eligible child
- a former relevant child - a young person who is aged between 18 and 21 (up to their 25th birthday if they are in education or training) who, before turning 18, was either an eligible or a relevant child
- They must have begun their apprenticeship on or after 1 August 2018, and must not have received the care leavers' bursary before.
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