Leaving Care in Northern Ireland: The GEM Scheme and What Happens at 18

One of the most important questions for anyone thinking about long-term fostering in Northern Ireland is what happens when the young person turns 18. In England, the answer is "Staying Put." In Northern Ireland, the equivalent scheme is called Going the Extra Mile (GEM) — and while it shares the same broad purpose, it works differently in ways that affect both young people and their foster carers.

Why Leaving Care Matters

For most young people, turning 18 means gradually stepping into adult life with family support still firmly in place. For young people in care, the risk has historically been that they face a sharp transition to independence at exactly the point when they are least equipped for it.

Northern Ireland's care leaver statistics reflect this challenge. Young people leaving care face disproportionately high rates of homelessness, unemployment, mental health difficulties, and involvement with the criminal justice system compared to their peers. The GEM scheme was designed to reduce this by allowing young people to remain in their foster placement beyond 18 — maintaining the stability and support of a family home into early adulthood.

What the GEM Scheme Is

The GEM (Going the Extra Mile) scheme allows a young person to remain living with their foster family until the age of 21 — or up to 25 if they are in higher education. It is the Northern Ireland equivalent of the Staying Put scheme in England, though there are meaningful differences in how it is funded and who qualifies.

The Adoption and Children Act (NI) 2022 placed the GEM scheme on a statutory footing for the first time. Before this, participation was effectively voluntary for Trusts — there was no legal duty to offer the arrangement, and practice varied significantly between Trusts and between social workers. The 2022 Act created a duty on Trusts to support GEM arrangements where both the young person and the foster carer are willing.

Who Is Eligible for GEM?

Currently, the GEM scheme requires that the young person is in education, employment, or training (EET) to qualify for full funding from the Trust. This is sometimes referred to as the "NEET gap" — young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) may find that full GEM funding is not available to them, even if they and their foster carer want the arrangement to continue.

This has been a significant point of political advocacy in Northern Ireland. The Fostering Network NI and NIFCA have argued that excluding NEET young people from GEM is counterproductive — often the young people most at risk of homelessness and crisis are precisely those who are not in education or employment. Expanding GEM to cover all care leavers regardless of EET status has been a stated reform goal.

For young people who do qualify (in EET), the Trust continues to fund the arrangement. The nature of the funding changes at 18:

How GEM Funding Works for Carers

When a young person turns 18 and the GEM arrangement begins:

• The fostering allowance (the maintenance payment) is replaced by a GEM allowance — usually at a similar level but structured differently, as the young person is now an adult rather than a looked-after child
• The young person may be expected to contribute to household costs from their own income — benefits, wages, or student loan — as they begin to take on adult financial responsibilities
• The skills-based fee component may continue, depending on the Trust and the young person's support needs

The practical implication is that the financial picture changes at 18. Some carers find the transition to GEM allowances involves a degree of financial negotiation between themselves, the young person, and the Trust. Being clear about this well before the young person's 18th birthday — ideally by the time they are 16 or 17 — makes the transition much smoother.

The Carer's Perspective

For long-term foster carers who have raised a child from a younger age, the transition to GEM is often the most natural thing in the world — the young person continues to live in what is genuinely their home. The administrative shift from a foster placement to a GEM arrangement changes the paperwork, not the relationship.

For carers who have provided shorter placements, the GEM decision is more of a conscious choice. You are agreeing to continue providing support to a young adult — someone who is legally independent but still needs the stability and guidance of a family. This is a different role from fostering a child, and it requires honest reflection on whether it is right for your household.

Many carers describe the GEM period as one of the most rewarding — watching a young person they have supported through difficult years navigate early adulthood with growing confidence. They also describe it as occasionally challenging: a young adult in your home has different dynamics from a child, including different expectations, social lives, and levels of independence.

What Happens to Young People Who Don't Have GEM

Not every care leaver in Northern Ireland stays with their foster family. Some young people want to move out at 18. Some foster families cannot continue for personal or practical reasons. When a young person leaves care at 18 without a GEM arrangement, the Trust has "Pathway Plan" responsibilities — a statutory duty to support the young person's transition to independence through leaving care workers, accommodation support, and financial assistance.

In practice, leaving care services in Northern Ireland have been under significant pressure, and the quality of support varies. VOYPIC (Voice of Young People in Care) — Northern Ireland's organisation for children and young people in care — has consistently reported that care leavers feel inadequately supported in the period immediately after leaving care.

For foster carers, understanding the leaving care system helps you advocate effectively for the young people you care for and helps you plan the GEM conversation at the right time.

If you are considering long-term fostering and want to understand how the GEM scheme affects your role and finances as a carer, the Northern Ireland Fostering Approval Guide covers this alongside the full fostering pathway. Get the full guide here.

See more United Kingdom guides →