Moving Towards Independence

Developing skills for independence is the purpose of the supported lodgings placement. All hosts should support their young person in this transition phrase and prepare them to leave the Service as prepared as possible to live independently. This chapter looks at what should be in place for preparing for independence and what support a young person can receive post 18.

The Service should work with young people to understand what support they need to be able to live independently, including managing finances and how to maintain a tenancy at a later stage.

The Care Plan or Pathway Plan should detail what support the young person needs to develop independence skills. The supported lodging host should observe and make records of what the young person’s strengths and weaknesses are so all areas of independence can be developed,  and supported.

In general, young people should be responsible for their own day-to-day transportation to and from the placement. Hosts should support young people to access transport confidently and safely, including helping them acquire relevant travel passes and supporting them to use navigation tools to map their routes. Where appropriate, hosts should support young people with regard to transport or may provide transport, for example, to accompany them to their first day at college or a new job or in emergency cases so the young person can access further help.

Practical examples of how the host will help young people prepare for the transition to adulthood include:

• Helping the young person develop money management and finance skills such as managing a bank account, how to apply for benefits etc;
• Support with managing a tenancy and running a home such as managing bills, how to deal with an emergency with amenities;
• Supporting young people to set up a 'bottom drawer' of items that can be saved and used when the young person sets up their home;
• DIY skills such as putting a light bulb in;
• Food preparation and meal planning such as budgeting, shopping, healthy eating etc;
• Cleaning and washing skills;
• Emotional support to develop resilience, good self-esteem and confidence;
• Discussing with the young person any careers advice and further education and training that has been offered and what they need to do to progress this.

Or, where required, supporting the young person where there is a disparity between their aspirations and any advice they have received - perhaps helping them to consider alternatives and supporting them to explore the steps they need to take to pursue them where appropriate.

This is the range of things young people need to learn how to do and to be thinking about. It is important that you support the young person to develop their self-esteem and resilience in order to survive living independently.

It is tempting to do things for the young person but remember this will not help them in the future when they are living on their own and the aim of this placement is to support with independent living skills.

See also Food Preparation, Food Safety and Hygiene and Supporting Young People with Money Management and Budgeting.

All young people who are eligible must receive a multi-agency assessment of their needs covering the advice, assistance and support they will need when leaving care.

The young person's social worker will be responsible for coordinating the Needs Assessment.

This assessment should be completed no more than 3 months after the young person's 16th birthday or after the young person becomes eligible 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.

Your supported lodgings Service will support you to participate in preparing and reviewing the young person's Pathway Plan and, as part of this; you should support the Personal Adviser/young person’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 a Pathway Plan that in time will replace their Care Plan.

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 the placement, as being looked after by you might be an important part of their independence especially if the young person (for example) has any additional needs or if they are planning on moving to University.

The Pathway Plan will cover some of the following key areas:

• 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 in education.

Training and support will be available from the supported lodgings Service on developing independence in young people.

As a supported lodgings host, you should be aware of the corporate parenting principles and your role to support, as well as advocate on behalf of, your young person.

In addition, the local authority in which the young person is placed publishes a ‘Local Offer’ for care leavers, advising them of the support and assistance that they can have up to the age of 25. 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 Local Offer will change and develop over time (see Local Offer).

A Personal Adviser is the person appointed to support the young person post 18. The personal assistant should be appointed when the young person is 16 years old. They will hold an important role (where applicable) in the assessment, planning and review of services as set out in the Pathway Plan, and will co-ordinate with other agencies as necessary. They will visit the young person regularly 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. However if the young person is over 21, then support can be 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. The Service can continue to support the young person post 18 under a staying put arrangement with you as host, if they were previously ‘looked After.’

In these circumstances, the young person will be expected to pay the host their housing benefit entitlement and a proportion of their personal benefits allowance.  The Local Authority will top up the young person’s contributions so that the host receives the same amount of money as they did prior to the young person turning 18.

If a young person aged 16-18 is placed with a Supported lodgings host under a Child In Need agreement, for example if they have become homeless, the Local Authority will NOT have responsibility to continue to pay the host post 18. The Young Person’s worker and host will support them to move on to alternative accommodation, which may offer support or could be their own tenancy.     

A meeting should be convened which looks at the following:

• If you want to continue to support the young person;
• If this is what the young person wants and is continuing to meet the young person’s needs;
• All other professionals are in agreement with this plan and funding can be put in place from the leaving care team.

Some young people need to stay in placement because over the course of supporting the young person additional needs have been identified such as mental health issues and this young person may be eligible for an Adult service.

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 young person then it is important that this is discussed with the young person’s social worker so they can work with Adult Social Care to complete their assessment, secure funding and complete your assessment as a Shared Lives Carer.

If the young person or you as the host 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.