"Expect more from young care leavers"

Mary-anne Hodd reveals how a set-back when she was 21 became the inspiration for a scheme she hopes will help thousands of care leavers across the country.

“Despite growing up in care, I never believed my future should be different to anybody else’s,” says Mary-anne Hodd.

“I worked hard at school, and got good grades. I was the first in my family to go to university, graduating from Bristol with a 2:1 in psychology.

“By the time I moved back home to Devon from uni, I was 21 and excited for the next independent phase of my life. I made a plan to move into a house with four friends while I was studying for my PGCE qualification to become a teacher.”

Mary-anne Hodd

But Mary-anne’s plans were derailed when the application process flagged up a problem she hadn’t anticipated. She had no one to act at a guarantor for her rent.

“I honestly hadn’t considered it; so many of my peers from uni were doing the same thing and, in my naivety, I just assumed I could too.

“When this hurdle reared its head, I started contacting long-lost family members and family friends to try to find someone who could act as my guarantor.

“At first I was embarrassed, and then I started to get frustrated with the system.

“I was told my only options were supported housing with other young care leavers, or to go on the list for a council house.

“Worst of all, while I was waiting for one of those options to become available, I’d have to go to a hostel - it just didn’t make sense.

“By then, I was angry. I'd worked hard, and done everything that was ever asked of me.

“I was determined to break my family cycle - going to uni, getting a good job, and buying my own home. The next logical step on my path was private renting. I had a support network, independent living skills, and a good plan, but it felt like no matter what I did to move away from it, the system was determined to pull me back in.

“I don’t want to diminish those options, as I know they’re necessary for some, but I don’t think local offers should be one-size-fits-all. The care-experienced community is so varied, and we need different options that represent that.”

In the end, it was a passing comment from a local MP that set Mary-anne on the road to changing the system which was holding her back.

“I was volunteering on the corporate parenting board at the time, and one of the MPs explained to me that, as my corporate parents, the council had a responsibility to do anything for me that my parents should be doing, but weren’t in a position to.

“It was a lightbulb moment.” Mary-anne began to outline her proposal for a Guarantor’s Scheme. She created a risk assessment form, designed to help the council verify that the applicant was prepared for independent living - that they had the necessary skills, support network, and income - and presented her case to a Full Council meeting.

“Devon agreed the scheme was logical, and signed it off," grins Mary-anne.

“I got my guarantor, and was able to move in with my friends.” Five years later, Mary-anne came across another care leaver on Facebook having the same problem.

“You could read the despair in his message, and I was instantly thrown back into my own feelings from five years earlier,” Mary-anne says, shaking her head.

“That’s when I began to think, if Devon can do this, so can other local authorities. In terms of finances, the Guarantor Scheme actually saves local authorities money, because a lot of the young people they’re helping have the same options I did, and hostels and supported accommodation cost much more.”

In lockdown, Mary-anne put her free time to good use, emailing every Director of Children’s Services across the country, explaining to them how her scheme works and how it could benefit young people in their areas. So far, six have signed off on the Guarantor Scheme, and Mary-anne is determined not to stop until every care leaver in the country has the same opportunity.

“This isn’t a revolutionary idea, it’s logical,” says Mary-anne.

“Sometimes it takes somebody in the middle of a situation to see the problems with it.

“The risk assessment form has done its job too, and there have been only one or two defaulted payments, during the pandemic.

“I believe that if local authorities want to improve outcomes for young people, they have to offer more and expect more.”