Leaving Care
Last modified 15/08/2023 09:01:16
INTRODUCTION
Leaving Care can be daunting and exciting! Don't worry though, we have lots of support in place to help you
This page contains lots of information about our offer to you, what support is available and who to go to for help and advice. We will always listen to you so that we can make sure that we are giving you the right support, at the right time from the right people.
- You are a care leaver if you are under 25 years old and have spent time in care as a child or young person
- The amount of support you can get will depend on your age and circumstances
- To get our support,you must have been in care for 13 weeks between the ages of 14 to 16
If you are not sure what support you can get contact us by calling 01253 478320
Before you turn 16 you will meet your Personal Advisor (PA). They will support you and work alongside you and your Social Worker to plan for when you leave our care. They will continue to help and support you beyond 18. You will have a pathway plan that helps you and your personal advisor to work out what you want to achieve in the future, build on your strengths, listen to your views and work out what level of support your need to achieve these goals. You and your personal advisor will review your plan every 6 months or sooner if needed.
Your personal advisor will visit you at your home and other places that you feel safe and comfortable. We will ask you when and where is a good place to catch up. They will make sure that they keep in touch with you as often as you want but as a minimum it will be face to face once every three months. They are there to help and support you with all parts of your life and you can contact them whenever you want or need. This will be during the day, Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm. We want to know about all of the great things that you are doing so we can celebrate these with you!
To make sure that you are ready to leave our care your Social Worker, Personal Advisor and other important people in your life will work alongside you to help to become more independent and plan for the future.
You can complete our Independent Living Programme. This is an interactive programme that everyone supporting you will help you to work through, developing the skills to live independently.
We know, because you have told us, that consistent relationships are really important to you. We therefore will not change your personal advisor unless we have to, or you want us to. We will talk about this with you before we make any changes and make sure you have the chance to say 'goodbye' and 'hello' to your new personal advisor.
We have worked with you to look at the things that are most important to you to develop 5 promises which will drive all of the help and support we offer you. The Promises are:
Promise One - Care and Respect
We PROMISE to CARE about you, so you feel safe and loved and we will always treat you with RESPECT.
Promise Two - Your Relationships
We PROMISE to build a trusting RELATIONSHIP with you and make sure your see and spent time with the people who are important to you.
Promise Three - Your Health
We PROMISE to ensure that you receive the right support so that you are happy and healthy.
Promise Four - Your Education
We PROMISE to care about your EDUCATION and give you every opportunity to learn and achieve.
Promise Five - Your Future
We PROMISE to help prepare you for the FUTURE and support you to fulfil your hopes and dreams.