The Children and Social Work Act 2017 outlines the support you can expect from a personal adviser (PA).
Your PA will be allocated to you at the age of 16 after your social worker has completed a needs assessment with you. Your social worker will arrange for your PA to meet with you and tell you about their role. From the age of 17, your PA will spend more time with you to get to know you. They will take over supporting you from your social worker when you turn 18.
Your personal adviser is there to help you to prepare to live independently and to offer advice and support after you leave care. Personal advisers should talk to you about what support you need and record this information in your pathway plan. Your personal adviser will visit or contact you at least every 8 weeks (the type of contact may depend on your circumstances).
We will try to make sure you to keep the same personal adviser, though this will not always be possible. The amount of support that you receive from your personal adviser will depend on what you want and your circumstances.
At 21, if you are a former relevant young person, we will ask you if you want support to continue. You can choose to stay with your personal adviser up until 25 or to step back from formal involvement and stay in touch. Even if you just want to stay in touch, we are here to help you and will contact you every now and then.
You also have the right to step back completely - but we hope you will stay in touch to 25 and longer. If you completely end involvement, we will contact you at least every year to see how you’re getting on. If you want to come back to the service after 21, we will do an assessment to see what level of help we can offer you.
Your pathway plan
Your pathway plan (PWP) sets out your needs, views and future goals and identifies the support you will receive from us. Your PWP replaces your child looked after plan from the age of 16. Between 16 and 18, your social worker is responsible for completing the PWP with you. From age 18, your PA will do this with you.
We will review your pathway plan with you at least every 6 months so that it is kept up to date.
Independent Reviewing Officer post 18 reviews will be offered to some care leavers - ask your PA for details.
Extra support
Your leaving care team will consider with you what extra support you may need. You might, for example, need extra support because:
- you have special educational needs or a disability
- you are an unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Child (UASC) and your immigration status is unclear
- you are in or leaving custody or you have had contact with the criminal justice system
- you are a parent
- you are going through a difficult time in your personal life
Your right to be heard and taken seriously
You have a right to be involved in all decisions about your plans for leaving care. You have a right to support from an independent advocate if you want to challenge decisions about the support we give you.
Independent advocates can tell you about your rights and help you to be heard in meetings. They are separate from Children’s Services. Your personal adviser will be able to arrange for you to have an advocate.
You have a right to see the information we keep about you, including the files and records written about you when you were in care. There is a process for this. Speak to your personal adviser on how you can access your records.
Leaving care before turning 18
We will encourage you to stay in care until you are 18 as we believe this is the best way to support your needs.
If you choose to leave care before the age of 18 and you will become a relevant young person. We can advise you as to what service you will be entitled to from the leaving care service. As a relevant young person, you will have certain rights. Read about your rights as a relevant young person.