Personal advisers for care leavers

The Children and Social Work Act 2017 outlines the support you can expect from a personal advisor (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.

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.

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. After 21, 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.

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 young 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 are entitled to a leaving care service, we will support you with suitable accommodation.