Moving Towards Independence

Developing skills for independence should start at a very early age and build towards the skills and abilities needed for young people to live with others and independently.

Children should be supported to develop their independence in line with their individual needs, while protecting themselves from being in unsafe situations or with unsafe people. Foster carers will receive training and support to help you provide effective guidance. This chapter looks at what should be in place for preparing for independence and what support a young person can receive post 18. You should ensure you are familiar with the council’s Local Offer for care leavers which sets out a range of information and entitlements for young people aged 16 to 25.

Regardless of the age of the young person, they need to develop skills so that they can become as independent as possible and should be encouraged to take responsibilities when they are able to do so.

You should build into the daily routine a chance to practice skills such as cooking, cleaning, laundry, house hygiene and maintenance. This may start with an easy task such as vacuuming and making or preparing food and drink.

It is also useful to include young people in supermarket shopping where you can help them to understand (for example) the difference between the cost of convenience foods and fresh foods.

As the child gets older they should be given responsibility for paying for things from their pocket money or savings such as magazines, activities, toiletries or mobile phone credit.

In conjunction with the child’s social worker you should support all children to open a bank or building society account in their own name. You should help children save money by investing at least £5 per week from the age-related allowance.

Listed below are areas to think about with young people when preparing them for independence and the Local Offer contains lots of helpful links:

• Budgeting, managing money, paying bills and savings;
• What food to buy, how to budget, cook and store food;
• How to use a washing machine and ironing, reading washing labels;
• Housework and cleaning;
• DIY such as putting wardrobes up, essential home maintenance and decorating;
• Thinking about their futures; what do they want to do, employment, further training, and how can they achieve this?
• Accessing advice and support from others, including developing networks and relationships;
• Leisure activities and other interests;
• Navigating health services and looking after your own health, including making appointments
• Citizenship and participation, including how to vote, being a good neighbour, and personal safety.

These are some of the things that young people need to learn how to do and to be thinking about.

It is tempting to do things for them but remember this will not help them in the future when they are living on their own.

All Young People who are Eligible, Relevant or Former Relevant (see below for definitions) must receive a multi-agency assessment of their needs covering the advice, assistance and support they will need when preparing to leave care.

The young person's social worker will be responsible for coordinating the Needs Assessment, but other people, including the young person, their foster care and a Personal Adviser (if they have one) should contribute.

This assessment should be completed no more than 3 months after the young person's 16th birthday or after the young person becomes Eligible or Relevant if this is later. The young person's Care Plan together with information from other recent assessments will form the basis of the Needs Assessment.

Following the Needs Assessment that has to take place within 3 months of a child’s 16th birthday, a Pathway Plan should be prepared.

As the child’s foster carer you should contribute to the preparation of the young person's Pathway Plan and, as part of this; you should support the Personal Adviser/children’s social worker to identify the ways in which you can provide practical, financial and emotional support to young people as they become independent.

These tasks and other elements will form the Pathway Plan that in time will replace their Care Plan. This plan has to be reviewed at least six monthly.

This Pathway Plan will include the educational and employment arrangements, support and accommodation plans including financial help.

This doesn’t mean that the young person has to leave your care, as being looked after by you is likely to be an important part of their independence especially if the young person (for example) has a disability or if they are planning on moving to university.

The Pathway Plan will include all of the following key areas and will identify who is responsible for each aspect, how it will be implemented, when and how will targets be monitored and by whom, who will help preparing appropriate contingency plans.

• Health;
• A plan for education, training or employment;
• Support to develop and keep appropriate family, social and sexual relationships;
• A programme to develop practical skills to live independently;
• Budgeting and money management;
• Any safeguarding issues or concerns that need to be addressed around keeping the young person safe such as sexual exploitation, county lines;
• The young person’s accommodation needs including any adaptions for a young person with a disability;
• What is needed to provide the young person with support;
• Who is involved from Adult Services if the young person has additional needs.

The Pathway plan should be reviewed every 6 months by the Personal Advisor until the young person is 21 or longer if the young person is still receiving services from the leaving care service.

If you feel you need training and support from the Fostering Service on developing independence in young people including those with a disability or additional needs, please speak to your supervising social worker.

For children in year 9 and above, it is important that you are familiar with the opportunities and support available and should be able to discuss these with the young person when appropriate. Be mindful also that the Care Leavers Local Offer will change and develop over time (see Local Offer).

Children who have additional needs or disabilities can also find helpful information about moving to adulthood on the Surrey SEND local offer here.

A Personal Adviser is the person appointed to support the young person post 18 if they remain entitled to a leaving care service (see Section 3, Leaving Care Needs Assessment). A personal adviser should be in place when the young person is 16 years old. They will hold an important role, meeting with the young people to form a connection and building relationships knowing that the child’s social worker will step down at 18.  They will help plan and review of support and services as set out in the Pathway Plan and will co-ordinate with other agencies as necessary. They will visit the young person regularly (at least every eight weeks) and offer support and guidance.

The Personal Adviser has a duty to offer advice and support to care leavers up to the age of 25. (If the young person is over 21, then support can still be offered if the young person feels they need this continual support and guidance)

Local Authorities must provide information about the possibility of extending a young person’s living arrangements when they are 18.

If you feel that keeping the young person with you may be an option, at the first Looked After Review following their 16th birthday you could consider a Staying Put arrangement. This will mean assessing the implications for both the young person and your family. Any plans for Staying Put should be carefully detailed in the young person’s Pathway Plan. There are a number of considerations for you and the young person to think about, including financial support, benefits, rent agreements, as well as thinking how you will adapt to the freedom and entitlements young people will have as an adult. The Councils Staying Put Policy gives much more detail about Staying Put

Following the young person's 18th birthday, the legal basis on which they live in the foster home changes although their emotional connection with your remains.

Although Fostering Regulations do not apply to these situations there may be certain checks carried out over time. The Local Authority will need to assess and consider the appropriateness of these checks particularly where the young person is the only person living with you and it is not envisaged that further children will be placed.

Some young people want of need to stay in with foster carers because they have additional needs and are eligible for Adult services.

The council’s SEND local offer has a wealth of information about supporting a young person with additional needs into adulthood.

You may wish to be considered as a Shared Lives Carer and move over to this service to continue to support the young person post 18.

If this is the plan for the child then it is important that this is discussed when the child reaches 16 so the Child’s Social Worker can work with Adult Social Care through transitions to complete their assessment, secure funding and complete your assessment as a Shared Lives Carer. (there is process to follow to become shared lives carers which is simplified for foster carers.

If the young person or you as the carer feel this is not appropriate, then discussions should take place so that a suitable placement can be found for the young person. Good planning and preparation will be needed to support the young person to move on, including remembering that this can take some considerable time.