Action plan: Local Offer for care leavers

Our offer is to ensure all of our children and young people in Central Bedfordshire are happy, safe and healthy.

Our teams make sure all of our children and young people are safeguarded and their welfare is being promoted whilst keeping in accordance with the government's regulations and guidance. The Leaving Care Team also works in accordance with supporting Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children under the legislation and regulations regarding this.

The priorities of the team are based on developing meaningful relationships with young people and on core values of good parenting to give all children and young people a positive journey through care.

The teams have a variety of responsibilities to provide a good service to care leavers aged 16 to 25.

These responsibilities are:

• working with young people, families and other professionals to achieve positive outcomes
• helping to provide accommodation to give children and young people stability and to keep safe
• supporting looked after young people to remain living with their foster placement if happy after they turn 18 (this scheme is called ‘Staying Put’)
• ensuring young people are given opportunities to develop independence skills ready for them living independently
• giving information to young people regarding health services available in the community
• promoting and supporting with education, training and employment opportunities for care leavers
• safeguarding young people by looking out for risks that could compromise personal safety and support the young person by involving support services which provide information around healthier lifestyles and emotional wellbeing
• working closely with a range of agencies and services to develop and improve service requirements to care leavers
• working with key partners to have a range of safe and appropriate accommodation which meets the diverse needs of young people
• maintaining a team that promotes advocacy and children’s rights, this can also include encouragement in participation in the Children In Care Council
• working well with adult services in planning placements for care leavers

When a looked-after child is 15 (just before their 16th birthday) a social worker from the Leaving Care Team takes over the responsibility of being their key worker. The young person’s social worker will work up to the 18th birthday. At 17 ½ a personal advisor will be introduced to the young person and for 6 months both the social worker and personal advisor will be supporting the young person. Young people will have the opportunity to access to a personal advisor up until they reach 25.

The main role of a social worker and personal advisor is to undertake assessments, complete and review pathway plans which help to identify needs and areas of support for the young person. This can include short and long term plans, goals are normally set on a 6 monthly basis between worker and young person.

When children turn 16 a Pathway Plan is completed. The information in these is similar to the Care Plans but includes extra support such as:

• identifying any problems relating to preparing and transitioning into independent living
• support with accessing education, training and employment opportunities
• access to services offering support for substance misuse and sexual health are promoted
• young people’s entitlement to financial support by the local authority

The Leaving Care App

The app, which is available to download helps and supports our care leavers, providing a resource of useful information, advice and guidance on their smartphone or tablet device which will be available to them 24/7.

There will be:

• useful information around topics important to care leavers such as housing, managing money, health and wellbeing, education and employment
• a list of events and activities that care leavers can get involved with, helping to reduce social isolation
• a searchable directory of local services, support groups and organisations that can offer further help to our young people
• the ability to add VIPs and build a mini-address book of important contacts

The app has been co- produced with care leavers, who have had significant input into the way the app ‘looks’, the way it works, and the content included on it. For example, care leavers said they wanted an app that worked without needing an internet / Wi-Fi connection or using up valuable phone
data. App users can also easily change the language used throughout the app, and for Central Bedfordshire six languages have been implemented including Turkish, Vietnamese and Amharic.

Care Leavers' Covenant App

This connects care leavers with special offers from a range of nationwide providers. The app includes an overview of all available offers with more information about how to apply.