PRACTICE GUIDELINE 30006

Pathway Assessment, Planning and Review of Care Leavers

v1.1 2008-02-12

WARNING ! IF YOU ARE WORKING WITH A PAPER COPY OF THIS DOCUMENT, ENSURE THAT IT IS THE

CURRENT VERSION BY CHECKING THE E LIBRARY ORIGINAL. E Library Location: Children’s Services /Looked after children / Leaving Care / Cumbria’s 3P Documents

THIS PRACTICE GUIDELINE APPLIES IN THE FOLLOWING DIRECTORATES:

Children’s Services (Social Care) THIS PRACTICE GUIDELINE AFFECTS THE FOLLOWING GROUPS OF STAFF AND / OR OTHERS:

• All staff and managers responsible for pathway assessment, planning and review

• Independent Reviewing service’s staff and managers with responsibility for quality assurance of Looked After Children standards

• All staff and managers holding case responsibility for Looked After Children where pathways assessment and planning is being undertaken by personal advisers

THIS PRACTICE GUIDELINE IS DESIGNED TO ACHIEVE THE FOLLOWING OUTCOMES:

• To provide additional information and guidance to assist staff involved with the assessment, planning and review of care leavers

EQUALITY: THIS PRACTICE GUIDELINE TAKES INTO ACCOUNT THE FOLLOWING EQUALITY ISSUES. Under review.

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RELATED DOCUMENTS

3P POLICY STATEMENT (include document number)

10000 Document Hierarchy 10005 Pathway Assessment, Planning and

Review of Care Leavers

3P PROCEDURES (include document number)

20007 Pathway Assessment, Planning and Review of Care Leavers

20008 Case Management in Pathways Services

3P PRACTICE GUIDELINES (include document number)

None

OTHER NON-3P DOCUMENTS (Cumbria CC and external)

None

LEGISLATION OR OTHER STATUTORY REGULATIONS

Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000

Children Leaving Care Regulations

EQUALITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT COVERING THIS PRACTICE GUIDELINE

Under review

APPENDICES ATTACHED (these will be read-only in the E library)

None

DOCUMENTS SUPERSEDED BY THIS PRACTICE GUIDELINE

None

CONSULTATION

The following have been included in the consultation process for this Practice Guideline.

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All young people leaving care are provided with a Pathways Assessment and Plan that will serve as the children’s services plan of support and advice for care leavers. The Pathway service exercises the Children’s Services responsibility to assess eligibility of a young person under the Leaving Care Act. The Pathway Assessment and Plan implements the Children Leaving Care Regulations 2001 containing local authority duty to assist care leavers’ transition into autonomous adulthood. The plan is reviewed via the multi agency LAC review process until the young person is 18. The Pathway Plan 6-monthly review occurs from the point at which a young person ceases to be ‘looked after’ until the last Pathway review prior to the young person becoming 21. This practice guideline provides more detail of the assessment, care planning and review process. Eligibility and financial details are beyond the scope of this guideline. About Services to Young People in the Transition from Local Authority Accommodation into Independence

1. The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 has been developed as part of the Quality Protects programme and links to the Government’s commitment to delivering better life chances to disadvantaged and vulnerable children and young people.

2. The Act provides the framework for the powers, duties and responsibilities of the Local Authority with regard to eligible, relevant and former relevant young people under the terms of the Act. The Local Authority also has residual responsibilities under Section 24 of the Children Act 1989 to those care leavers who do not qualify for services under the Leaving Care Act. Services will be provided to all eligible, relevant and former relevant young people.

3. The delivery of this enhanced service is undertaken by Personal Advisers appointed by the Local Authority. The service is known as the Pathway Service.

4. From the 1st October 2001, young people who leave care lost their entitlement to some non-contributory benefits (except in cases of teenagers who have had a baby and children with disabilities) and the Local Authority is required to provide full financial support for those young people they will be required to cover, where other forms of support are not available. These are:

• Accommodation • Maintenance • Education including travel costs • Educational material / special equipment • Costs associated with special needs, including pregnancy and disability • Cost of child care • Clothing • Contact with family or other significant relationships • Cultural / religious needs • Counselling or other therapeutic needs

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• Hobbies / holidays

5. It is recognised that disabled young people may well face more barriers than other care leavers and may also have needs specifically related to impairment. This Authority seeks to ensure that these needs are met whilst at the same time ensuring that these young people do not fail to achieve their full potential as a result of under expectation on the part of those working with them or caring for them.

6. It is the intention of this Local Authority, via the Pathway planning process, to ensure that each young person leaving care achieves to their full potential and in particular to ensure that every encouragement will be given to those young people seeking to enter higher education. Such young people will be appropriately supported with particular reference to vacation, accommodation and financial support in line with central Government regulation and guidance. Financial support for higher education will be given to those young people who are continuing a full time programme of education which is agreed in the Pathway Plan.

7. It is also this Local Authority’s intention, through the Pathway planning process, to ensure that systems are developed and maintained to ensure that the Authority is able to keep in touch with care leavers until their 21st birthday and beyond that, if they are in an agreed programme of higher education.

8. Under Section 27 of the Children Act 1989 the Local Authority is entitled to seek co-operation to help carry out their duties if the request is compatible with their own statutory duties. This Authority intends to seek to develop and maintain protocols with all relevant partner agencies to ensure provision of appropriate accommodation health care, leisure pursuits and specialist support and advice for young people leaving care.

9. A Protocol has been agreed via the North West After Care Forum to deal with reciprocal arrangements for young people who move across Authorities.

10. The Children (Leaving Care) Act does not repeal or amend Section 24 of the Children Act 1989. Cumbria Social Services intends to ensure that an appropriate service, commensurate with the aims of the Act, is maintained for those care leavers who do not qualify for an enhanced service under the new Act.

11. The Designated Officer under the Act will be the Head of Service, Child and Family Care.

More about the Process of Assessment, Planning and Review

1. It is best practice if the allocated Personal Adviser, or Responsible manager has been introduced to the young person and significant adults in their life prior to their 16th Birthday.

2. The ICS Pathway Assessment and plan form is acknowledged by the DOH to not be child friendly. It is therefore best practice if most of the form can be completed on information from the file or phone calls so that the pathway assessment of the need for advice and support can be timely and focussed. Need assessment should reflect a careful evaluation of series of discussions

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with young people and their carers. It should not be experienced as a form filling exercise. The form must not be perceived as an obstacle by young people and carers.

3. Caseholder should be encouraged to use a range of assessment tools, that

provide an accurate and realistic assessment, that encourages young people and others to participate, and is appropriate to the young persons needs, in order to obtain the information needed for the ICS. Social and emotional needs have not been sufficiently identified in the past prior to the introduction of the national assessment framework based the ICS. Caseholders are encouraged to talk with young people about how they will manage their emotions and be supported in this into adult life. Any critical information obtained through using other formats with young people will need to go on the ICS. Young people will need a copy of the up to date ICS Pathway Plan, so they always know what is authorised in their updated Pathway Plan.

4. No young person should leave care until an agreed Pathway Plan is in place. It is envisaged that the transition period into independence will ideally be a lengthy period and the Pathway planning process should not be seen as a vehicle to speed up a young person’s move from care. The agreed ICS Pathway Plan is the document that Pathway Services will use.

5. The full participation and involvement of young people in the Pathway planning process is of paramount importance. Consultation with young people on issues of policy and practice will be an integral part of the Pathway Service. Young people will be given a written statement of the service they can expect and the financial assistance they will be entitled to. The Complaints Representation Procedures will take account of the requirements of the Act and young people will have full information as to the Complaints, Representations and Appeals Procedure.

6. Where a young person chairs their own review, but does not want particular persons present, the personal adviser should seek the views of the person about the progress of the young person, their Pathway Plan and if any changes should be made. These comments can then be discussed in the Pathways and LAC reviews. It is essential that, where other agencies are party to or contribute to the completion of the Pathway Plan, the personal adviser seeks a clear agreement with them.

7. Where disagreement exists between agencies or a young person that cannot be immediately resolved, then the personal adviser should seek guidance from their manager. The up to date Pathway Plan on file, is the plan that Children’s Services aims to implement and funds accordingly.

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DOCUMENT CHANGE HISTORY Version

No Date Issued by Reason for change

1 17.06.05 Jackie Leech N/A – first 3P issue.

2 23.05.07 Robert Parks

General review and update. Reformatted into current 3P template and to reflect new Directorates structure

V1.1 11.02.09 Ros Dean

General review and minor alterations. Reformatted into current 3P template to reflect new Directorate structure

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