Our support to you as a care leaver

Am I entitled to leaving care support?

The Pathway Team supports all young people who are looked after from the age of 16 onwards. We will provide you with help and support as you leave care, and up to the age of 25 if needed.

To be eligible for this full support you need to have been looked after for at least 13 weeks since you were 14 and on or after your sixteenth birthday (or for 13 weeks or more after your sixteenth birthday)

Who will be my worker?

When you transfer across to the Pathway Team on or around your sixteenth birthday you will have a named social worker from the team up to the age of 18.

On or before your 18th birthday you will be allocated a personal advisor who will be your named worker. Sometimes the social worker will continue in this role - it will depend on what best suits you – but either way you will always have at least one named worker in the team undertaking the personal advisor role.

Your worker will be there to help you prepare for living independently - managing money - finding the right education, training or job - all the things you are going to need help with. The way in which we are going to help will be detailed in your Pathway Plan.

What is a Pathway Plan?

Once you reach the age of 16 we will work with you to do an assessment of what help and support you need, and draw up a Pathway Plan. This will detail the areas that are important to you, and how we are going to support you.

It will set out your needs, views and future goals, and who is going to do what to help you get there. We review the plan with you regularly so it is kept up to date.

How do you keep in touch with me?

Your Pathway worker will be in regular contact with you – and agree with you on frequency of visits. This will usually be every month up to the age of 18 – although sometimes a different arrangement might be made.

Once you reach the age of 18, you will meet up at a frequency agreed with your worker - and depending on how much support you need at the time. For example, if you are moving into your own flat you will probably need a lot of support to get settled. As you get older and more independent, you may feel that you don’t need as much contact and support from us.

What if I return home to family after I’m 16 ?

Sometimes, young people do return home to live with family members - and if that happens we will stay involved if you want us to , and offer support. After six months or so we will review things with you to see how things are going - and if everyone agrees would end our involvement. If things went wrong and you moved out we would support you again as a care leaver.

Do I need my identification documents?

It is important that all young people have photo ID and a copy of their birth certificate when they leave care. We will help you to make sure you have the documents you need, and your National Insurance number/bank account all set up.

If you have lost your National Insurance Number, you can request this at:

GOV.UK - Find a lost National Insurance number (external website)

Contact your worker should you need ID documents.

What do I do if I’ve got a problem?

There might be times when you feel you are not getting the support you need/or you don’t agree with decisions made. Your worker will always listen to any complaints you might have - and if you want to make a complaint here is the link to tell you how to.

Tel: (01482) 396422

Email: customer.relations@eastriding.gov.uk