When you are 16 years old, your social worker will complete a needs assessment and a Pathway Plan with you. This is to identify and provide you with the support you need to live independently as a care leaver and young adult.

Pathway plans

Independence programme

Preparing for independence starts when you are young, without you knowing. However, as you begin to move towards being an adult you may need more support to develop your independence skills.

Alongside those in your life, your Personal Advisor will have been supporting you since you were 17 years old. They will have offered you the opportunity to attend an independence programme. This is run over 6 weeks where you will be supported to develop existing, and learn, new skills. Sessions include health and wellbeing, cooking, and budgets.

What we can offer you

You will need various documents and forms of identification to do things like apply for housing, apply to college, claim benefits, and open a bank account. To make sure you have everything you need we will support you with obtaining the following (if you have not already received these while you were looked after):

• Your National Insurance number
• Your first passport
• Your birth certificate
• A provisional driving licence if you need this for employment, training, or education.

We will keep copies of these documents and keep them safe for you. However, at certain times you will need the original documents, for example, when you set up a bank account. Once we have given you your documents, it is your responsibility to keep them safe. If you don't have a safe place to store your documents, speak to your Personal Advisor and we will look after them for you.