Leaving Care Service
Scope of this chapter
This Policy and Procedural Document outlines the provision of leaving care services based on the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 and associated regulations. Including Care Planning, Placement and Case Review Regulations 2010 and Care Leavers (England) Regulations 2010.
These procedures apply to young people who are or have been in care and are entitled to support after their 16th birthday.
There are three categories of those leaving care all of whom are entitled to support after their 16th birthday. The categories are Eligible, Relevant, and Former Relevant.
These procedures also refer to Qualifying Young People who may receive support, advice and assistance after their 16th birthday.
NOTE: with effect from 1 April 2023, the leaving care allowance increased from £2,000 to £3,000.
Related guidance
- Financial Policy for Young People Receiving Leaving Care Services Procedure - currently being updated
- Protocol for Working with Former Relevant Young People Housing Assistance to Care Leavers Including Those Who May Present as Homeless
- Bolton Local Offer
- Children Act 1989 Guidance and Regulations - Volume 3: Planning Transition to Adulthood for Care Leavers
- Extending Personal Adviser Support to All Care Leavers to Age 25: Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities (DfE, February 2018)
- Applying Corporate Parenting Principles to Looked-after Children and Care Leavers - Statutory Guidance for Local Authorities (DfE, February 2018)
- Local Offer Guidance: Guidance for Local Authorities (DfE)
Amendment
This chapter was revised in November 2023 to include information from the revised Ofsted inspection framework.
To offer a comprehensive service to care leavers who are Eligible, Relevant, Former Relevant and Qualifying.
In light of current Regulations and Department Standards:
- To be responsible for the creation, implementation and review of Pathway Plans with young people;
- To maintain contact with these young people whilst they are eligible for services;
- To help young people access and maintain suitable accommodation;
- To help young people achieve appropriate education training and/or employment and to contribute to help them attain their Personal Education Plan objectives;
- To help young people make a positive transition from childhood to adulthood;
- To support young people to become integrated members of their community;
- To provide personal support and access to services that will help young people deal with personal and past issues and gain practical, financial and other skills;
- To develop partnerships with other staff, departments and organisations to better promote positive outcomes for these young people;
- To provide services that will help young people reach their potential, taking into account their own specific needs;
- In all of these objectives to work in line with Bolton's Valuing Diversity Policy recognising each person's strengths and uniqueness.
See also Appendix 1: Eligibility for Leaving Care Service.
Note: Any decision to cease looking after a child aged 16 or 17 who is Looked After other than by virtue of a Care Order, must be approved by the Director of Children's Services. The Director must be satisfied that:
- The young person's wishes and feelings have been ascertained and given due consideration;
- The young person's Independent Reviewing Officer has been consulted;
- The young person's relatives have been consulted, where appropriate.
There are four categories of Looked After young people and "care leavers" who are entitled to support after their 16th birthday until their 25th. It is important to establish initially which, if any, of these categories a young person falls into as the first stage of assessing their eligibility for leaving care services and financial assistance:
- Eligible child. This category defines those young people who will go on to become "care-leavers" when they cease to be Looked After. They will be aged 16 or 17 and currently Looked After, either on a Care Order or Accommodated. To be "Eligible", the young person must have been looked after for a period or periods totalling at least 13 weeks since their 14th birthday (this total should include at least one spell of over 4 weeks, but does not include respite care).
A child remains "Eligible" if, having been looked after for three months or more, they are then detained after their 16th birthday either in hospital, remand centre, young offenders' institution or secure training centre.
For details of financial support see PPD - Financial Arrangements for Eligible, Relevant and Former Relevant Young People; - Relevant child. This category defines young people who are "care-leavers" but who are not yet 18. They will be aged 16 or 17 and have left care, having previously been in the category of "Eligible child". If a person leaves care and returns home for a period of 6 months or more to be cared for by anybody with parental responsibility for them, they cease to be a "Relevant child" (this does not include young people on a Care Order who remain 'Eligible').
For details of financial support see PPD - Financial Arrangements for Eligible, Relevant and Former Relevant Young People - Former Relevant child - This category defines young people who are "care-leavers" and who are over 18. They will be aged 18-25, and have left care having been previously either "Eligible", "Relevant" or both. There is a duty to consider the need to assess financial support for these young people in terms of Higher Education and training.
For details of financial support see PPD - Financial Arrangements for Eligible, Relevant and Former Relevant Young People - Qualifying- this category defines young people who are over the age of 16, under the age of 21, have been looked after, privately fostered after reaching 16 or are the subject of a Special Guardianship Order and were Looked After immediately before the SGO was made but are not Eligible, Relevant or Former Relevant Young People. They qualify for support, advice and assistance. If in full-time further or higher education, this may include assistance in relation to securing vacation accommodation.
An additional category is:
- Former Relevant Young People whose case is closed to the Leaving Care Team, who later want to return to education after their 21st birthday. They can request an assessment of need - a letter will be given to the young person to explain this at the time of their case closure (see Appendix 4: Letter).
The guiding principle within these definitions is to identify those young people for whom the Local Authority should act in the place of a parent and to define the level of support to which they are entitled. As a "Corporate Parent", the Authority should act in the best interests of the young people for whom it has a responsibility and take on the full parental role.
Where young people are looked after or supported only briefly, or where they return successfully to their families for six months, it is expected that the families themselves resume responsibility for their welfare and support. This is in line with the overall ethos of the Children Act 1989, which the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 amends.
It is vital that case records are kept accurately and referred to when defining a young person's status, especially where individuals have complex care histories involving periods spent back at home.
Those not affected:
- The legislation is intended to help those young people who depend on the authority in place of family. The provisions are modelled on what good parents would normally expect to provide for their children. It does not apply to those young people who receive respite care, but remain the responsibility of their parents or other carers;
- The regulations also stipulate that young people who remain at home successfully should cease to be a relevant child. Young people who have been settled for a period of at least six months with a parent or a person with parental responsibility or a residence order in force prior to admission to care. The pathway plan review will determine that the return is successful.
- To work at all times to current Government Regulation and Departmental Policy;
- Provide stable placements, continuity of carers and the maintenance, wherever possible, of positive links whilst young people are 'looked after';
- Support young people until they are prepared and ready to live independently and have access to their own personal support networks;
- Promote and maintain relationships with carers and families, where possible, after young people leave care;
- Prepare young people gradually to be ready to leave care, paying attention to practical self-care needs - health, budgeting, domestic skill - and personal and relationship dimensions;
- Maximise the education, training and employment outcomes for young people leaving care;
- Promote choice for young people leaving care to access to a range of accommodation and the support skills to maintain themselves in their accommodation;
- Ensure that there is a contingency provision to support care leavers in the event of a crisis, including arrangements for respite care;
- Provide or enable on-going personal support. This may include specialist leaving care scheme support, support by carers and social workers, and support by youth workers, befrienders, mentors or volunteers. All young people who are Eligible Relevant and Former Relevant shall have a pathway plan. Visits and contact frequency will be defined in the Plan with a minimum as laid down by regulations;
- Where young people leaving care are entitled to claim welfare benefits, ensure that they receive their full entitlements;
- Facilitate the involvement of young people in all assessment, planning, review and decision making arrangements for leaving care;
- Inform young people leaving care of the available services - including the provision of accessible leaving care guides;
- Where necessary, act in accordance with the Protocol for Working with Former Relevant Young People Housing Assistance to Care Leavers Including Those Who May Present as Homeless;
- Monitor and evaluate the outcomes of 3.1-3.11.
The Children and Social Work Act 2017 introduced 3 provisions:
- A duty on local authorities which requires them to offer 'Personal Adviser' support to all care leavers towards whom the local authority had duties under Section 23C of the Children Act 1989, up to age 25 - irrespective of whether they are engaged in education or training. This includes care leavers who return to the local authority at any point after the age of 21 up to age 25 and request such support. (Under previous legislation, local authorities were required to only provide care leavers with support from a Personal Adviser until they reached age 21, with that support continuing up to age 25 if a care leaver was engaged in education or training. However, this support was not available to care leavers aged over 21 who were not in education, training or employment);
- A duty on local authorities to consult on and then publish their ‘Local Offer’ (see Bolton Local Offer) for care leavers, which sets out both care leavers’ legal entitlements and other services which may assist care leavers in, or preparing for, adulthood and independent living. The local offer should cover health and well-being; relationships; education and training; employment; accommodation; participation in society. the additional discretionary support that the local authority provides; and
- A duty on local authorities which requires them to have regard to seven ‘Corporate Parenting Principles’, that will guide the way in which the local authority provides its services to children in care and care leavers. The Children and Social Work Act 2017 set out seven principles for Corporate Parenting:
- To act in the best interests, and promote the physical and mental health and well-being, of those children and young people;
- To encourage those children and young people to express their views, wishes and feelings;
- To take into account the views, wishes and feelings of those children and young people;
- To help those children and young people gain access to, and make the best use of, services provided by the local authority and its relevant partners;
- To promote high aspirations, and seek to secure the best outcomes, for those children and young people;
- For those children and young people to be safe, and for stability in their home lives, relationships and education or work; and
- To prepare those children and young people for adulthood and independent living.
These are specific requirements in addition to the existing provisions relating to support for care leavers. The Children and Social Work Act does not extend all care leaver support to age 25.
The duty that extends Personal Adviser support (where requested) to all care leavers means that the local authority continues to exercise functions in respect of care leavers to age 25 and should therefore apply the corporate parenting principles when exercising those functions.
The ultimate aim of leaving care services is to support care leavers so that they can experience a smooth transition and go on to live successful independent lives. Each care leaver will reach that point at a different age and there should be no assumption that the duty means that all care leavers will require statutory support until the age of 25. Children are supported to prepare for their future and develop their independence in line with their individual needs, while protecting themselves from being in unsafe situations or with unsafe people.
The duty therefore means that local authorities do not necessarily need to provide the same level of support to care leavers aged 21 to 25 as it does for those aged 18-20. The duty does however enable local authorities to respond positively to requests for support from care leavers aged 21-25 who may be continuing to struggle with the transition to independence and adult life. Care leavers will receive the practical, emotional and financial support they need until they are at least 21 and, when necessary, until they are 25.
Care leavers should be aware of and understand the local offer, which should be ambitious, clear and accessible. It should take account of the corporate parenting principles as set out above, set out how the local authority is delivering on young people’s statutory entitlements and be clear about what further discretionary support the local authority offers. The local offer should be clear about the help provided to young people with specific needs, such as unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, young parents and young people who have had contact with the criminal justice system.
The local authority should consult care leavers effectively on the local offer, and monitor how effective the local offer is at providing good experiences for young people and helping them to make progress. The local authority should review and update the offer regularly to ensure that it continues to meet young people’s needs.
Children’s services should work closely with other local authority departments and local partners to develop a multi-agency offer for care leavers that supports their overall well-being. The corporate parenting board should take ownership of the offer and monitor its effectiveness.
Care leavers should leave care and move towards independence at a time and pace that is right for them. Young people are encouraged to remain in care until their 18th birthday, when this is in their best interests. After their 18th birthday, they are supported to live with or close to the people who are important to them, such as previous carers or their immediate or extended family. Positive and loving relationships and social networks established while they were in care should be helped to endure into adulthood.
Care leavers will be helped to develop the skills and confidence they need to become independent and successful adults, for example being able to manage their finances and parenting skills.
They will be provided with all the key documents they need to give them control over their lives as young adults, such as national insurance numbers, birth certificates and passports; and the resources and financial support they need to engage with education, employment and training and to connect with people who are important to them. For example, devices to get online, reliable and affordable internet access and affordable transportation.
The wishes and feelings of care leavers should be set out clearly in timely and authoritative assessments. Planning for leaving care should start sufficiently early to meet young people’s needs and build on existing care and personal education plans. Young people should be actively involved in creating plans for their future and their views are central to decisions about their lives.
Decisions about care leavers should consider any needs related to their specific circumstances, including whether they are an unaccompanied asylum seeker, a young parent or have had contact with the criminal justice system.
Care leavers should have positive, trusting and stable relationships with Personal Advisers, carers and other professionals. Professionals should be committed to protecting them, promoting their emotional health and well-being, acting in their best interests and helping them to understand what is happening in their lives; and be ambitious for young people’s futures and celebrate their achievements.
Care leavers should be supported to maintain relationships with people who are important to them (for example, family, friends, carers, former carers and professionals). They should have strong social networks that they can rely on when they need support, and that keep them from experiencing loneliness and isolation. These relationships and social networks should endure into adulthood.
Care leavers should have access to a range of social and recreational opportunities that help them to create and maintain supportive and positive relationships with people that are important to them and to feel a part of their community.
Professionals should create a culture where young people want to keep in touch. Social workers and/or Personal Advisers should be proactive in creating opportunities to engage with care leavers, including those who are not currently in regular contact with the local authority. The level of engagement with individual young people should reflect their known needs and preferences.
Care leavers should be helped to understand their rights, entitlements and responsibilities, including their right to independent advocacy that meets their needs. See Advocacy and Independent Visitors Procedure.
They should know how to give feedback or complain and understand what has happened as a result. Their complaints will be treated seriously and be responded to clearly, and urgent action taken and services improved when necessary. See Statutory Complaints and Representation Procedures.
The local authority consults widely with care leavers and involves them in designing services. See Children’s Consultation and Participation Procedure.
Care leavers should be in good physical and mental health or be being helped to improve their health though access to services that meet their needs. Practitioners should understand young people’s emotional well-being and mental health needs, including the potential impact of trauma and adverse life experiences. The local authority should work effectively with partners in the health sector to ensure that care leavers can access good physical and mental health services, including adult mental health services, when these are needed.
Care leavers should have access to and understand their full health history.
Care leavers should be protected and helped to keep themselves safe from all forms of bullying, discrimination and harassment, such as homophobic behaviour, racism and stigma that they may encounter because they are care experienced.
Care leavers should feel safe. The local authority works effectively with its partners to respond to risks associated with young people offending, misusing drugs or alcohol, going missing or being sexually or criminally exploited. Young people should receive help to reduce the risk of harm or actual harm and be helped to understand how they can keep themselves safe.
Prior to transfer to the Leaving Care Team, (usually when young person is about fifteen years 6mths) a leaving care worker will be allocated to undertake an assessment and write a Pathway Plan. This process will identify areas of strength and need and define where help and support are most needed. Areas such as accommodation, education, training, employment and self care skills etc. will be covered. The young person will be highly involved in this process but where they are reluctant to participate every effort will be made to encourage them to do so. The assessment and plan should also incorporate the views of interested people, for example, family members, carers, other professionals.
When carrying out an assessment of needs, the local authority must determine whether it would be appropriate to provide advice, assistance and support to facilitate a Staying Put arrangement. Where they determine that it would be appropriate, and where the child and the foster parent wish to make a Staying Put arrangement, then the local authority must provide such advice, assistance and support to facilitate a Staying Put arrangement.
The assessment and plan should reflect the viewpoints, interests and priorities of the young person but will also include detailed conclusions about the young person's readiness for transition into independence. This plan will form the basis for aiding the young person through the transition into adulthood at a pace most appropriate for him/her.
The Pathway assessment and plan will be updated on a six monthly basis by the named worker on the Leaving Care Team, involving the young person and any other appropriate interested people.
The Pathway Plan will be reviewed at least 6 monthly and more frequently if required. Reviews will continue until the young person is 21 or up until 25 if the young person is in higher education, and if they remain beyond 21 to help maintain education, training or employment. Reviews will be chaired by an Independent Reviewing Officer until the young person reaches the age of 18. For Eligible young people the Pathway Plan review will be combined with the Looked After Child Review. The chair will write up the review minutes and copies will be given to attendees and any other people by agreement with the young person. For young People over 18 Pathway Plan reviews may not always be face to face reviews.
Pathway Plan reviews should be attended by the young person and people the young person wants at the review. This may include family members, friends, current carers, advocates and other professionals.
Where a young person moves out of Bolton the receiving authority will be informed by letter in line with Climbie procedures. Bolton will remain the Responsible authority but when necessary, for example if distance precludes our customary service being offered, a request will be made for the receiving authority to undertake leaving care duties on our behalf. When the young person remains within the North West this will be done via the North West Aftercare agreement. Bolton will retain responsibility for reviewing the plan.
The Pathway Plan must address in particular:
- The young person's health and development building on the information included in the young person's Health Care Plan;
- Education, training and employment. The Personal Education Plan (PEP) should continue to be maintained while the young person continues to receive full or part-time education (up to the age of 18). Information within the PEP will feed directly into the Pathway Plan. Pathway Plans must have an explicit focus on career planning, taking into account the young person's aspirations, skills, and educational potential;
- Contact with the young person's parents, wider family including siblings and friends and the capacity of this network to encourage the young person and enable them to make a positive transition to adulthood;
- The young person's financial capabilities and money management capacity, along with strategies to develop the young person's skills in this area;
- Where relevant, immigration status should be included as a separate section on Pathway Plans. This will help to ensure that young people who have been granted Pre Settled Status under the EU Settlement Scheme apply to convert this to Settled Status at the appropriate time. Each young person’s personal deadline for converting Pre Settled into Settled Status is unique to them and contained in a digital format – it is important therefore that this is recorded and monitored by the local authority. Plans should contain clear information about what action needs to be taken by whom and when.
Note: Information from the Pathway Plan should not be shared with other agencies or individuals without the young person’s consent.
Where agencies are contributing to the delivery of an individual young person’s Pathway Plan they should be provided with a copy of the relevant extract from the Plan relating to their contribution.
The local authority is required to offer all care leavers a Personal Adviser up to the age 25 and apply the corporate parenting principles when continuing support is agreed or requested.
However, the duty at this stage of a young adult’s life is seen as different from the age 18 - 20 in that it enables the local authority to offer support to some individuals who may need continuing support in the transition process. The level of support and intervention will vary considerably; many at this stage of their lives will not require, or want, ongoing help and will not have a Pathway Plan. However, for others:
- There may be multiple issues which will require a Pathway Plan being fully completed and regular contacts, planning/co-ordinating meetings with partner agencies, etc.
- Care leavers may have single or specific issues where they require support and guidance, e.g.:
- Pregnancy or becoming a parent;
- Release from custody;
- Mental health issues;
- Risk of homelessness;
- Debt, including rent arrears;
- For advice or guidance on commencing education or training;
- For advice or support following experience of domestic or sexual violence/abuse.
Where care leavers require support with single or specific issues, the Pathway Plan should be completed only in the relevant part that reflects the issues being dealt with.
Where a Relevant or Former Relevant Young Person enters custody, pathway planning must continue. The young person must be visited on a regular basis and it is good practice for the first visit to take place within ten working days. The role must not be fulfilled by a YOT worker. The Local Authority must liaise with the YOT or Probation Providers to support the young person emotionally, practically and financially while in custody. A review of the Pathway Plan should be carried out at least a month before the young person's release to give sufficient time to plan for their resettlement, including identifying suitable accommodation where the young person's placement had to be given up or has been lost and identifying who will collect the young person and the sources of support after their release.
- In the event of a Relevant or Former Relevant Young Person breaking off contact and/or not engaging with the agreed support and advice being offered, a review of the Pathway Plan may take place by telephone, e-mail or letter, if agreed in advance by the Chairperson and the Personal Adviser. In these circumstances the Personal Adviser will attempt to negotiate a revised plan that is acceptable to all parties;
Where contact is lost, the emphasis of the Pathway Plan Review will switch to record how attempts will be made to re-establish contact and these efforts will be reviewed within the established system.
For those aged 21 and up to 25 the frequency of contact between Personal Advisers and care leavers will vary depending on the nature of each individual’s circumstances.
Where a Pathway Plan is amended as a result of a review, the Personal Adviser will amend the Plan. Any necessary approval to the amended financial arrangements will be sought from the Designated Manager (Leaving Care). Once the changes are approved, the Personal Adviser will send a copy of the amended Plan to the young person, the Chairperson and the Designated Manager.
Care leavers should have enough time to develop a trusting relationship with their Personal Adviser before they leave care. Personal Advisers should know young people well and be well-informed about young people’s plans for the future, their progress and their well-being.
Personal advisers should help young people to access services that meet their needs.
Effective organisational support is provided for the training and professional development of Personal Advisers.
The local authority should support care leavers to be ambitious and aspirational about their education and employment choices. Young people should know what assistance is available to help them find education and employment, and they should receive good careers advice that helps them to make decisions about their future. Young people should be encouraged and supported to continue their education and training, or to return to education and training at a time that is right for them.
Care leavers should make progress in employment, education or training that they enjoy, which meets their needs and interests and helps them achieve their potential.
The local authority should work closely with partners, education providers, the virtual school and local businesses to secure a range of employment, education and training opportunities for care leavers, including work experience, apprenticeships and further and higher education.
Care leavers must be provided with access to high quality information, advice and guidance to inform their plans in order to progress into continuing education, training or employment. How this will be met should be included in the Pathway Plan. They should be offered work experience and other opportunities to allow them to test their career aspirations and needs. Career planning tools should be used to inform Pathway Plans.
Placement arrangements for young people considering attending university, from their 18th birthday to the point they commence higher education courses, must be addressed and agreed well in advance of their 18th birthday. Plans need to be made for the vacation breaks. The local authority should not move a young person participating in a course of education during the academic year after their 18th birthday.
Where young people are continuing with an education or training course beyond their 21st birthday, the practical and financial support being provided must continue to be set out in their Pathway Plan.
Pathway Plans must set out accommodation arrangements, including financial arrangements during term time, short vacations and the long summer vacation.
The 16-19 Bursary Fund helps 16-19 year olds continue in further education, where they might face financial barriers to participation such as the cost of transport, food or equipment. Young people in the defined group include those in care and care leavers. See Education and Skills Funding Agency: 16 to 19 education: financial support for student.
The Higher Education Bursary is for care leavers in higher education.
Young people previously eligible for leaving care services resuming programmes of education or training after the age of 21 are entitled to continuing support from a Personal Adviser.
The definition of a programme of education or training must be interpreted broadly. For example, this might include options such as: completion of a basic skills course, so that the young person has the numeracy and literacy skills needed to compete in the jobs market; take up of a course of further education; take up of a university place; support to enable the young person to complete a recognised postgraduate qualification; or participation in vocational training and apprenticeships.
Where a care leaver requests this support, an assessment should be made to assess the appropriateness of the education or training course and how it will help them to achieve their ambitions. The leaving care team should meet with the young person and, based on the assessment of their needs and the suitability of the course, assign a Personal Adviser to participate in the preparation of a Pathway Plan. The plan should reflect the agreed educational outcomes for the young person and the type of support the young person will require. This assessment should draw on the information about the young person's skills and capabilities which will have been set out in Pathway Plans up to age 21. The extent of practical and financial assistance provided will depend on the assessment of the young person's needs and will reflect the type of course, whether it is full or part time and the young person's existing income.
All care leavers (including those who live out of authority) should be made aware of their entitlement to a Personal Adviser up to age 25 if they wish to return to education and training, including by the provision of information (e.g. a letter or leaflet) on how to get in touch in the future together with details on accessing Bolton’s Local Offer. It should be explained to them that they will be supported to overcome difficulties so that they can return to education or training up to age 25 if this is their wish. In particular, all young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) should be encouraged to take up this offer of support.
This entitlement to resume the pathway planning process and a support relationship with a Personal Adviser starts from the time the young person informs the local authority of their intention to resume their education or training and ends with the completion of the course. This may include the need for continuing assistance where young people seek support to complete a series of education/training opportunities. Young people do not need to have decided what education or training they would like to pursue. In such cases, the Personal Adviser should help the young person identify the options best suited to them.
Care leavers will need support and guidance to help them think about and plan their return to education or training, consider all aspects such as financial support and impact on housing or benefits. The re-instated Pathway Plan must have a specific focus on the support that the care leaver will need to be able to meet the education or training goals agreed.
It is the responsibility for all concerned to help a young person become ready for independence. Preparation for independence should be regarded as an integral part of the care process; with stable care relationships being an important basis on which to plan preparation for leaving care and utilising the Bolton preparation for adulthood pack.
This preparation covers three broad aspects:
- Enabling young people to build and maintain relationships with others, (both general and sexual relationships);
- Enabling young people to develop their self-esteem;
- Teaching practical and financial skills and knowledge.
Family members and carers have a particular contribution to make. This is notably so in ensuring that the learning of skills important for living independently, such as budgeting, shopping, cooking, handling money are part of the young person's day to day life. It is important that carers involve young people in the practical details of their lives to help them prepare for future independent living.
To help young people develop socially and culturally, carers must be prepared to provide an emotionally safe environment in which young people can experiment with new relationships or challenge old ones. Carers will play a significant role in supporting young people through breakdowns in these relationships, e.g. with family members, boyfriends or girlfriends.
Services should be appropriate to reflect the gradual transition of a young person from childhood to adulthood and be supportive in the way a good parent might.
Preparation should help develop a young person's capacity to make satisfactory relationships, develop self-esteem and enable them to acquire the necessary practical skills for independent living.
Preparation for independence and provision of leaving care support must take account of religious persuasion, racial origin, cultural and linguistic background and any other needs of the young person.
Preparation for independence and the provision of leaving care support must be planned in conjunction with all other interested agencies. These agencies should be invited to contribute to a young person's continuing care plan and, on reaching 16, his or her pathway plan.
NOTE: from September 2021, looked after children under 16 years of age cannot be accommodated in supported accommodation/semi-independent placements.
Any young person 17 years and over where there is a proposal that it will be in their best interest to move into supported accommodation needs IRO and HOS agreement.
Additional reviews should be held when a young person moves supported accommodation. Changes in accommodation would also trigger increased contact:
- If a Relevant young person moves to new accommodation, they must be visited at that accommodation within 7 days, Subsequently before the Pathway Plan is reviewed and then at 2 monthly intervals;
- If a Relevant young person moves into supported accommodation a Pathway Plan review must take place as soon as possible after 28 days and then at intervals not exceeding 3 months.
See also Schedule 6, Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010.
Care leavers should have somewhere secure and stable to live that best meets their needs, where they feel safe and where they can develop their independence skills.
Risks of tenancy breakdown or homelessness should be identified and addressed early; alternative plans and support should be put in place promptly when necessary and reasonable efforts made to avoid young people being deemed intentionally homeless.
Houses in multiple occupation should only be used when it is a young person’s choice and it is in their best interests.
The Leaving Care Social Worker or Support Worker will take primary responsibility for writing, monitoring and updating the Pathway Plan, ensuring their part is carried out and co-ordinating other people's contributions. Prior to allocation of case responsibility it may be that a different worker undertakes the assessment and prepares the plan.
Leaving Care Support Workers have a caseload which in the main will consist of Relevant and Former Relevant young people although occasionally will include Eligible young people.
Specific services will be offered such as group work run by staff with the appropriate experience, knowledge and skill.
Members of the Leaving Care Team will work alongside and in partnership with young people offering them appropriate services and co-ordinating services with other agencies. Typically leaving care workers will have skills in working with young people who have difficulty in engaging with and taking up services. Part of the leaving care role is to act as an advocate for the young person in negotiating, accessing and taking up services.
The Leaving Care Service provides additional services: supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking young people aged 16-21 (or until their asylum claim fails if before), this work is based on supporting them as care leavers and also through their asylum claim while maintaining a sensitivity to cultural needs; undertaking joint assessments with other agencies (mainly YOT) of young people either already on our caseload or previously unknown to the department who exhibit sexually harmful behaviours. Additionally the team has access to an Emotional Health Practitioner who provides a service for young people from the LCT caseload. This role allows workers to consult about areas of concern; the early assessment of the emotional needs of young people; the provision of support to colleagues in developing suitable work strategies with young people; direct individual work with young people; or the links to other mental health services as appropriate.
See also:
- SCP Guidance on Young People who display Sexually abusive behaviour;
- SCP guidance on Young people at risk of Sexual Exploitation.
Services for young people leaving care are provided by a variety of agencies including Career Connect, Education, Youth Services, Colleges, Health Service, YOT, 360, Housing agencies and other voluntary agencies offering support, mentoring and counselling.
A multi-agency approach has been developed for services offered to young people through joint planning, strategies and co-ordinated delivery. Examples include joint work on the development of housing services and accommodation.
Specific arrangements for CYPMHS involvement:
- Through consultation at specialist CYPMHS services and referral if appropriate.
Under the Care Leavers (England) Regulations 2010 and Transition into Adulthood for Care Leavers Guidance, the Leaving Care team will explore "Staying Put" options for young people in foster and/or residential care.
Regular meetings are held with colleagues from Adult Services to discuss young people who are identified as having additional and complex needs, which may require services from Adult Social Care. This may result in a period of joint working, provision of a care package from adults or transfer to Adult Services. If Adult Services role ends prior to a young person's 21st birthday, Leaving Care team will resume case responsibility until that time.
Care leavers who live away from their ‘home’ local authority should have access to education and health services that meet their needs as soon as they move outside of their ‘home’ area.
Arrangements for young people to stay connected to their ‘home’ local authority should address any relevant safeguarding risks.
Employees should understand the importance of assessing Health & Safety risks to themselves, colleagues, service users and the wider community. All relevant risk assessments must be completed, monitored and reviewed as necessary.
Employees must be aware of their legal obligation to follow safe systems of work and the possible consequences of departing from agreed procedures.
Generic risk assessments of the main activities of the service and place of work are in place and must be reviewed by the Team Manager (Leaving Care).
A service user risk assessment (SURA) must be undertaken and maintained on each eligible, relevant or former relevant service user of Leaving Care or any young person receiving ongoing support as and allocated case. The assessment must be shared with the young person and, where possible, agreed and signed by them. If the young person does not agree, and this is not resolvable, a note must be made on file.
The SURA PPD states that where a service user is seen or visited once, all risks should be adequately covered in a general risk assessment. If a Single Assessment identifies risks a full SURA must be completed. Where a service is provided or regular work done a SURA must be carried out. Use of SURA should be considered in all cases.
Care leavers should be aware that they are entitled to see their records, be able to access their case records quickly and easily and be supported to do this. Their records should be clear and provide a comprehensive record of important life events. The local authority should help young people to understand their histories and experiences, including why they were in care, and to have a clear sense of who they are.
For information on access to records by care leavers, see Access to Records / Subject Access Requests Procedure, Applications by Care Leavers.
Allocation
Leaving Care Team (LCT) managers to email the transferring team managers with names of allocated social workers from LCT (This will happen approximately 5 months before the young person is 16 years of age. LAC managers to keep LCT managers informed about young people reaching 15 1/2.)
LCT worker to contact transferring worker within a week of allocation.
Meeting (to discuss case) between LCT worker and transferring worker to take place within one month of allocation. Joint visit also to be completed, it would be helpful if this was done at the same time as the meeting if possible but should take place within 2 months of allocation at the most.
Pathway Plan Assessment
The LCT worker will read the files and inform the transferring worker of what needs to be updated prior to transfer. Please see attached form which identifies which paperwork needs to be completed and up to date.
Between the meeting with social workers and the handover to the LCT team, the LCT social worker to attend meetings about the young person including PEPs and LAC reviews etc.
During the period when pathway plan assessment is on-going, the transferring social workers to e-mail LCT social workers for contribution to current Care Plan.
Within one month prior to transfer of case the transferring social worker and LCT social workers to meet to provide a complete handover update for the case. It is probably preferable to have this meeting closer to the actual time of handover so that the information is complete. At this meeting the social workers will agree a date for the transfer of the case.
Transfer
The transferring team managers to audit the file prior to its transfer.
The transferring social worker to inform their relevant business support of the agreed date for transfer and LCT social worker to inform LCT admin and managers. If for some reason the case cannot be transferred on the agreed date the social workers to negotiate another date and inform the relevant people of the change of date.
On the agreed date business support will transfer the case into the LCT manager's work tray.
Pathway Plan Part One is to be completed in time for the transfer of a young person to the Leaving Care Team in all but exceptional cases. Pathway Plan Part Two to be completed within two weeks of the young person's transfer.
LCT managers will allocate the case to LCT social worker's work tray.
Click here to view Planning the Transition from LAC Team to Leaving Care Team
This will be completed by the transferring social worker prior to transfer and it will be done with ICS case notes as follows:
- Type of Contact - General Note;
- Reason for Contact - Case Transfer Summary;
- Case Note - body of Case Transfer Summary.
We agreed the following items should be documented:
- Reason for young person coming into care and brief care history;
- Contact with family/friends etc. including quality of relationships;
- Education/employment/training plan;
- Health issues and needs including emotional wellbeing, alcohol or substance misuse etc.
- Current placement stability;
- Any particular concerns held by current social worker about the case;
- Financial contributions currently made by the LA to the young person or their family, carers etc.
Last Updated: December 12, 2023
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