3.12.1 Leaving Care |
SCOPE OF THIS CHAPTER
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 Young People, Relevant Young People, and Former Relevant Young People.
These Procedures also refer to Qualifying Young People who may receive support, advice and assistance after their 16th birthday.
RELEVANT CHAPTERS
Post Eighteen Fostering Policy
Assessing Housing Need: Care Leavers Procedure
AMENDMENT
This chapter was slightly updated in December 2011, to include links to the Needs Assessment and Pathway Care Plan.
Contents
- Leaving Care Assessment of Need
- Pathway Planning
- Reviews of Pathway Plans
- Personal Advisers
- Qualifying Young People
- Where Care Leavers Live or Move to a Different Local Authority Area
- Complaints
Definitions
Normally the definitions relating to Keywords are found by accessing the Keywords Appendix, but a number of the terms used in this procedure are specific to it; therefore they have also been summarised below;
- Eligible Young People
They are aged 16 or 17, have been Looked After for a period or periods totalling at least 13 weeks starting after their 14th birthday and are still in care. (This total does not include a series of pre-planned short-term placements of up to four weeks where the child has returned to the parent.) There is a duty to support these young people up to the age of 18, wherever they are living. - Relevant Young People
They are aged 16 or 17 and are no longer Looked After, having previously been in the category of Eligible Young Person when in care. However, if after leaving care, a young person returns home for a period of six months or more to be cared for by a parent and the return home has been formally agreed as successful, he or she will no longer be a 'Relevant Young Person'.
A young person is also 'Relevant' if, having been in care for three months or more, he or she is then detained after their 16th birthday either in a hospital, remand centre, young offenders' institution or secure training centre. There is a duty to support Relevant Young People up to the age of 18, wherever they are living. - Former Relevant Young People
They are aged 18 to 21 (or up until their 25th birthday if in full-time further or higher education), and have left care having been previously either 'Eligible', 'Relevant' or both. There is a duty to consider the need to support these young people wherever they are living. - Qualifying Young People
They are over the age of 16 and under the age of 21, (or up until their 25th birthday if in full-time further or higher education), and have been Looked After or, if disabled, have been Privately Fostered after reaching 16, but do not qualify as Eligible, Relevant or Former Relevant. They may receive support, advice and assistance wherever they are living. They may also qualify if they are the subject of a Special Guardianship Order (SGO) and were Looked After immediately before the SGO was made. Unaccompanied asylum seeking children who have become LAC between the ages of 16 and 17 years who qualify under Section 24 can be included as Qualifying Young People. - Personal Adviser
A Personal Adviser is the person appointed to work with every Looked After young person, on the young person's 16th birthday, and will occupy a key role in providing support to the young person after he or she leaves care. Where the young person is an Eligible Young Person, the personal advisor will always be a qualified social worker. Where the young person is either a Relevant Young Person or a Former Relevant Young Person, the personal advisor role can be undertaken by the primary worker (who may or may not be a qualified social worker).
The Personal Adviser will hold a pivotal role in the planning and review of services as set out in the Pathway Plan, and will co-ordinate with other agencies as necessary.
The extent to which the Personal Adviser becomes the main source of advice and support to the young person will vary according to individual circumstances.
See Section 4, Personal Advisers for the Role of the Personal Adviser. - Pathway Plan
The Pathway Plan sets out the route to the future for young people leaving care and will state how their needs will be met in their path to independence. The plan will continue to be implemented and reviewed after they leave care at least until they are 21; and up to their 25th birthday if in education. Where a young person had previously left education but wishes to re-engage with education, a new Pathway Plan must be developed to reflect their changing needs.
1. Leaving Care Assessment of Need
All Eligible, Relevant or Former Relevant Young People must receive a multi-agency assessment of their needs as to the advice, assistance and support they will need when leaving care.
The young person's allocated social worker will be responsible for coordinating the needs assessment and actively involving the young person in the assessment, The social worker will record the assessment information, any conclusions as well as the outcome of any meetings held using the DoH Needs Assessment form. DoH needs assessment .The young person's social worker is also responsible for completing the pathway plan using the following form - Pathway Care Plan (Review).
The needs assessment can be initiated three months before the young person's 16th birthday but must be completed no more than three months after their 16th birthday. Where the young person becomes an Eligible or Relevant Young Person after they have become 16 years old then the assessment must be completed as soon as possible. The timetable must take account of any forthcoming exams and avoid disrupting the young person's preparation for them.
The needs assessment must take account of the views of the following:
- The young person;
- The parents;
- The current carer;
- The school/college and the education service;
- Any Independent Visitor;
- Any person providing health care or treatment for the young person;
- The Personal Adviser;
- Any other relevant person including, in the case of a young person with special needs, a representative from Adult Services.
A decision not to include significant people must be recorded in the young person's file.
Young people with particular language or communication needs should be provided throughout the process with appropriate interpretation, translation or advocacy support. The Transitions Team can assist with future needs planning for disabled children aged 14-25 years.
Where the young person refuses to engage in the assessment process, this should be recorded, together with any actions taken to ascertain the young person's views.
All parties, including the social worker's manager, should sign the completed Needs Assessment Record. The young person should be provided with a copy in a format that is accessible to him or her within two weeks. The social worker is responsible for ensuring that the outcome of the assessment is explained to the young person.
The Needs Assessment will inform the development of a Pathway Plan which complements and forms part of the young person's Care Plan.
Where the young person continues to be Looked After, the Placement Information Record should describe what arrangements have been made within the placement to support the Pathway Plan.
2. Pathway Planning
All young people must have a Pathway Plan in place within three months of becoming Eligible Young People and, wherever possible, a Pathway Plan will be in place by the young person's 16th birthday.
The Pathway Plan will replace a young person's Care Plan and any Personal Education Plan or Connexions Plan will inform and complement the Pathway Plan.
Each young person will be central to drawing up their own Pathway Plan setting the goals and identifying how the local authority will help meet them. Young people with particular language or communication needs should be provided throughout the process with appropriate interpretation, translation or advocacy support.
Where young people have more complex and significant needs, a Future Needs Plan will be made by the Transitions Team.
The Pathway Plan must clearly identify the roles of each person who has a part to play in supporting the care leaver.
The Pathway Plan must identify contingency arrangements that will come into effect to support the young person if, for whatever reason, the planned arrangements are not realised.
A Financial Summary should be attached to the Plan, at the latest from the point where the young person leaves care.
Where a transfer from Children's to Adult Services will be required, the Plan should specify who has responsibility for giving notice to Adult Services and liaising with them to ensure a smooth transition.
The allocated social worker's team manager must approve and sign the Pathway Plan.
On completion and approval of the Pathway Plan, all parties involved including the young person should sign it.
The young person will be provided with a copy of the most up to date Pathway Plan and the contents must be explained.
The young person will have a say about with whom the Pathway Plan will be shared when they leave care. If information is to be shared with a person or agency that the young person has not consented to, s/he must be informed of this, with reasons, and be given the opportunity to challenge this decision and to be present when the information is shared.
Those who have a role in implementing the plan must have a copy of the Pathway Plan, at least, of the part relating to their contribution.
3. Reviews of Pathway Plans
The Pathway Plan must be reviewed at least every six months.
Reviews should take place more often if requested by the young person or the Personal Adviser or where there has been a significant change in the young person's circumstances. For example a change in accommodation where the young person has moved from a regulated placement to an unregulated placement requiring a review within 28 days of the placement change. Other significant changes which may trigger a review can be found at Looked After Reviews Procedure - Section 6, The Review of the Social Worker.
The purpose of the review is to check that the goals and milestones are still appropriate and that they are being met. All levels of support should be reviewed to ensure that they are adequate and delivered according to plan.
For an Eligible Young Person, the date for the first review of the Pathway Plan will be set to coincide with the young person's next Looked After Review after the Pathway Plan has been drawn up. The Pathway Plan Review will take place between the young person and their Personal Advisor and may include the following:
- Allocated social worker;
- Education provider;
- Connexions;
- Housing support worker;
- Health professional;
- Carer(s);
- Parent(s) and Connected Person(s).
The outcome of the Pathway Plan Review will be formally discussed at the young persons Looked After Review with the IRO unless their has been a significant change in the young person's circumstances as discussed above that triggers an earlier Looked After Review. Whilst the young person is Eligible his or her IRO will chair reviews or support the young person to chair.
For a Relevant Young Person, the date for the first review will, if possible, be set at the final Looked After Review before the young person ceases to be looked after and in any case within six months of becoming a relevant young person. For a Former Relevant Young Person, the date for the first review will take place within six months of the young person's 18th birthday. The Pathway Plan Review will be signed off by the personal advisor team manager as part of the supervision process. There is no IRO involvement in the reviewing process unless their has been an unplanned move by the young person from regulated accommodation into unregulated accommodation before their 18th birthday.
4. Personal Advisers
The personal adviser acts as the young person's principal source of contact in any matter relating to the Pathway Plan and is accountable for the effective implementation of the Plan.
The personal adviser will ensure the co-ordination of other agencies and individuals identified in the Pathway Plan.
It is the role of the personal adviser to keep in touch with the young person and to remain informed as to the young person's progress. The regularity and method(s) of contact put in place will be based on an assessment of the needs of the individual young person and any risk factors present.. Contact arrangements must be documented in the Pathway Plan and agreed between the personal advisor and the young person.
Where contact with the young person has been lost, the personal advisor must take steps to re-establish contact with the young person in the same way that a reasonable parent might try to resume contact with an estranged adult child.
The Personal Adviser will take responsibility for initiating the review of the Pathway Plan and for recording its outcomes.
When allocating a Personal Adviser to an individual young person, consideration must be given to the wishes of the young person and to issues of gender, race, religion, linguistics, disabilities and equal opportunities. The assessment of need and a judgment as to who is most appropriate to fulfil the role of Personal Adviser will influence the choice and allocation of worker.
5. Qualifying Young People
Services for Qualifying Young People must be determined by a social work assessment of need.
The support offered, which could be financial, will focus upon helping the young person to manage and cope in the community and to manage the transition to adulthood. Attempts will be made to ensure that they are able to access suitable accommodation and maintain social and family links.
Where necessary, in addition to support, practical help should be offered to the young person. This could include helping to acquire basic living skills and consideration of health needs and choices. Where necessary, links will be made with other services and assistance can be provided when he or she has to have contact with other agencies. Advice and support should also be offered in relation to employment, training and educational opportunities.
Where a Qualifying Young Person accesses education, or training, financial assistance, this will be possible up until their 25th birthday. This will ensure that he or she is able to take advantage of the opportunities being offered.
The young person's social worker should also help to identify, secure and pay for vacation accommodation, for those qualifying young people who have accessed higher education, or residential further education courses.
Approval for the provision of such financial support must be sought by the young person's social worker by making a written request to the Designated Manager (Leaving Care).
The request should specify the type of financial support sought the reason for the request and the total cost involved.
6. Where Care Leavers Live or Move Outside the Area
Where a care leaver resides in a different local authority area, the local authority must seek to ensure that a service is provided that is commensurate with the service which he or she would receive if he or she had remained resident in the area.
Whenever possible, plans for movement of care leavers to a different local authority area must be discussed and the level of service provision agreed with the host authority concerned prior to the move taking place.
All care leavers should be advised on how to access care leavers' services if they move to a different local authority area and need assistance. The advice provided should be in written form.
With young people moving to other authorities, a discussion and joint meeting between the respective Leaving Care Teams must be arranged.
7. Complaints
All those eligible for support under these procedures and qualifying young people over the age of 16 have access to the Complaints Procedure.
End