What happens to me when I leave care?
When you are 16 specialist services have to appoint a "personal
advisor" for you who will keep in touch with you and make sure you
have the help you will need. What help you will have will depend on
what your own wishes are for the future and how much has been
planned with you in your review and other meetings. You should have
had lots of discussions with your social worker, your support
worker, and your teachers and also your parents if they are still
involved in your life, so that plans can be made with you well
ahead of your sixteenth birthday.
Pathway plan
You and your social worker will prepare a pathway plan
which will take over when your care plan ends. Your pathway plan
will cover things like your accommodation, education (school or
collage), financial support etc. If you are 16 now, your social
worker must start preparing your pathway plan if they haven't
already prepared it. It must be completed within three months of
your 16th birthday at the latest.
Who does this apply to?
They apply to four different categories of young people:
eligible children, relevant children, former relevant children and
qualifying young people. To find out what you are entitled to
receive, you need to figure out which category you belong to.
Are you eligible?
Eligible children are:
- aged between 16 and 17
- between your 14th birthday and after your 16th birthday, you
were looked after for at least 13 weeks, or periods adding up to 13
weeks unless this was planned respite care
- still in care
Relevant children are:
- aged 16 or 17
- you have left care
- but before leaving care you were an eligible child (see
above)
- also includes you if you are detained in the criminal justice
system, or in hospital
- also includes you if you returned home but that has broken down
and you return to the local authority for help before your 18th
birthday
Former relevant children:
- aged 18 to 21
- been a relevant child (see above) or you were looked after when
you became 18 and before that you were an eligible child (see
above)
- if at the age of 21 you are still getting help with education
or training, you remain a former relevant child
- to the end of your education/training programme even if that is
past the age of 21
- Qualifying children and young people over 16 aged 16 to 21 (or
24 if in education/training)
- you were looked after at the age of 16 but you are no longer
looked after or accommodated;includes you if you leave care after
october 2001 but you do not qualify as an eligible child
- includes you if you left care before october 2001
- If you are subject to a special guardianship order and
immediately before the Order was made you were looked after by
specialist services
If you are not sure which category applies to you, ask your social
worker or carer to help you work it out.
What help will I get?
In theory your care plan should already be an assessment of your
needs which will form the basis of the assessment required under
the new law. Your social worker must prepare a written statement
setting out how the assessment will be carried out and give a copy
to you. You should be consulted and all 'reasonable steps' should
be taken to enable you to attend and take part in meetings. The
assessment must be completed within no more than 3 months after
your 16th birthday and will cover health, education, financial
needs, family or other support, skills for independent living,
accommodation and care.
A Pathway Plan will be part of your Care Plan. It must
be in writing and a copy must be given to you. It will cover the
plans to your 21st birthday and cover all the areas set out above
including plans if things go wrong. Your personal advisor is a very
important part of your plan and has a central linking role. The
plan can be reviewed or changed if you want, or if your personal
advisor thinks it needs to be, but anyway the plan should be looked
at every 6 months. The idea is that the plan will change as you get
older and make decisions about your future.
A Personal Advisor will be someone 'committed to your well being
and development on a long term basis'. Their job is to advise you,
to take part in the assessment and preparation of the pathway plan,
to take part in reviews, to make sure your plan is put into
practice, to co-ordinate services and make sure you use them, to
keep informed of your progress and well-being and to keep written
records of their contact with you.