17 yr olds in care?

[Josyjo]

If a 17-yr olds' mother was in hospital for a couple of weeks, would the teenager be placed into 'care'?

[Kleiber]

I don't think so - from what I can remember, kids get thrown out of "care" when they reach 17. It's an age when you're i bit in limbo - you're not technically an adult yet, but because you're over 16, you don't need your parents present for certain things, e.g. if you get arrested.

[daffy654]

I was in care from age 3 months until I was 16. At age 16 I was more or less thrown out of the homes.I was completely independent at that age. Kids homes won't take a 17 year old to my knowledge.

[shivvy]

Hi Josyjo. The maturity of the child should be taken into account re whether they would be able to manage alone for 2 weeks. Even if it was deemed that the young person was too immature to live independantly for the duration that the mum was in hospital, it would always be preferable to have other family members look after them as opposed to taking them into care.
Is this any use to you?

[Ethel]

Unless the 17 year old is 'vulnerable' due to mental health or other problems, certainly not.

16 year olds can leave home and live independently from the family.

[Josyjo]

Thanks for all your answers, guys an' dolls..... Pretty much confirmed what I thought. I'm getting fed a sob story by a youngster - and it ain't really adding up... I couldn't see how it could be legal to marry at 16, but yet a normal 17 yr old would be in 'foster' care....
*sigh* But thank you all for your views... :-)

[amonty1144]

A 17 year old could technically be in foster care until they are 18. The duty of the local authority now extends until 21 for young people who have been in care and then in further education.
After the age of 16, there is a tendency to turn foster care into supported living, but that doesn't mean they actually move out, I currently work with an 18 year old in that very same situation.
However it would be unlikely to be received into care at the age of 17, for the first time.
This is scotland I'm talking about, but I believe it is basicaly the same in England