Leaving Care

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The preparation that young people receive for enjoying the rights, and taking on the responsibilities of becoming an adult is fundamental. The white paper Care Matters identifies that for young people in care the move to adulthood is often more difficult.

The white paper outlines the Government’s ambition to help young people prepare for adulthood and facilitate young people leaving care at the most appropriate time for them so they are properly prepared and feel ready. Those currently supporting the young person, for example foster carers and workers in children’s homes, have a key role in equipping care leavers with practical and emotional skills to enable them to make a positive transition to moving on from their placement. As part of the White Paper the government introduced Right2BCared4 pilots in 11 local authority areas. The pilots aim to ensure that the care leaving process is genuinely responsive to the needs of the young person concerned, so that they only leave care when they are ready after they have been properly prepared.

Within three months of a looked after child turning 16, the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 requires that the local authority must carry out a thorough assessment of a young persons needs. This assessment must include a detailed analysis of the extent to which the child possesses the practical and other skills necessary for independent living and their need for care, support and accommodation.¹ This must take place and identify how the young person will be helped to achieve independence. at this stage the care plan that must be in place for every looked after child should develop into the young person’s pathway plan, although could still be referred to as a care plan for young people aged 16 and 17 who are still a looked after child.²

The pathway plan will not only identify the skills the young person need to develop so that they can acquire the skills necessary to make a successful transition to adulthood. The needs assessment set out in the pathway plan should determine the choice of accommodation appropriate to the young person. The process of developing independence continues when the young person has left a care placement and support is offered by other professionals (e.g. housing support workers, supported lodgings hosts etc.) as well as social workers and personal advisers. The pathway planning process should involve or allow all the people involved in providing support to the young person to input.

¹ Children (Leaving Care)(England) Regulations 2001-Reg. 7(4)(e) and (f)

² See notes 1 and 2 of the ICS Children’s Core Information Requirements LAC Operations flow chart. The young person's care plan becomes their pathway plan when they reach the age of 16 and they become eligible care leavers - young people are unable to be relevant before they are eligible.

http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/resources-and-practice/IG00009/