A new care centre for young adults will be up and running later this year, the social development minister has promised.

Tinée Furbert said that the new centre would ensure that children under the care of the Department of Child and Family Services would have an easier transition into adulthood.

She added: “The ministry in conjunction with the Department of Child and Family Services will continue to advance the independent-living transition programme that has been developed to ensure that children ageing out of care receive adequate levels of support while they transition.”

Ms Furbert made the announcement during her Budget presentation on Monday.

Ms Furbert said: “This programme is the first of its kind in Bermuda. It will provide ongoing assistance to in-care leavers with such matters as housing, continuing education, career guidance, access to physical and mental healthcare life skills counselling and opportunities intended to assist them in becoming self-sufficient and productive citizens of Bermuda.

“I am pleased to inform this honourable house that a programming and procedural manual and related programming documents have been developed.

“A suitable location has been identified for this programme and operations are expected to commence within the next two months.”

Ms Furbert said that ten children reached adulthood while under care last year.

The Ministry of Social Development has been given an estimated budget of almost $24.6 million for the year — an increase of $858,000 on last year.

Child and family services will get the largest share of the cash — $17.6 million — and $6.9 million will be targeted towards seniors.

Ms Furbert said that, despite financial constraints, the ministry had a duty to support “the most vulnerable” — children, the disabled, seniors, and the homeless.

She added that the ministry would hand out $1.34 million to senior rest homes, $600,000 to the Summerhaven facility for the disabled and $550,000 to the Salvation Army Shelter for the homeless.