Case study Stacey Halliday admits she would have been in grave difficulty if she had not had support from a local charity after leaving care at the age of 16.

Case study

Stacey Halliday admits she would have been in grave difficulty if she had not had support from a local charity after leaving care at the age of 16.

The 20-year-old has had the support of Barnardo's 16+ Glasgow which helps those in care move to independent living and cope with everything from budgeting, cooking and paying bills to finding employment or further education while improving confidence and social skills.

Having been in care since a baby, refusing to go to school and leaving foster care before going to the charity, she is now in her own house and is plotting a career in hairdressing.

"I wouldn't have coped on my own when I was 16," she said.

"I thought I was mature but I was immature. I needed the support. I wasn't emotionally ready then and I wasn't mentally ready. I know. I was like a 12-year-old, not a 16-year-old."

Foster carers did manage to teach the importance of an education and she was at school long enough to get a selection of Standard Grades before reaching 16.

She believes that help held her in good stead for what Barnardo's had to offer.

"I do have a brain up there, you know," she says.

Now she has tried courses in interior design and childcare before deciding hairdressing was the area of work she wanted to pursue.

"I don't think I would have done something like this without the help of Barnardo's," she said. "I wouldn't have had the guts to do it before.

"They are there for you if you want someone to talk to."

Jim Durning, deputy manager of the Glasgow operation, said he would advocate young people to stay in care settings till at least 18.

"The bad thing is that young people are leaving the care setting at 16.

"The fact is there doesn't seem to be anyone to sit down and say that it is not in their best interest from a social work point of view."