Care leavers: Our offer

Our offer aims to ensure all of our children and young people in Central Bedfordshire are happy, safe and healthy and provides you with what you need to have the best start in your young adult life.

To get the support set out in this offer, you must have been in care for a period of at least 13 weeks (or periods amounting to 13 weeks) which began after you were aged 14 and included some time after your 16th birthday. To check your eligibility you can ask your social worker or personal adviser, or use the Coram Voice eligibility checker as a guide.

If you have been in care and have received a service from the Children with Disabilities team or the Young Person with Disabilities team you will continue to receive leaving and after care support from those teams. Visit our SEND Local Offer for more information and contacts.

If you’re not sure whether the offer applies to you, or if there is anything else that you don’t understand, please speak to your social worker or personal adviser.

We want to make sure that you feel safe and supported and know where and who to go to for advice and help. Dependant on your eligibility for leaving care services, we will offer this support to you from when you leave our care at 16 and up to when you turn 25, if this is what you want. If you decide you don’t want support after you turn 18, but later change your mind, you can always ask us to support you again. You will always be provided with the names of who to contact so that you know who to get in touch with, if your social worker or personal adviser is not around. 

The teams will:

• work with you, your family (where you want us to) and the other professionals supporting you to achieve the best outcomes we can for you
• help and support you with or, if needed, provide you with accommodation that is stable and safe
• support you to remain living with your former foster family after you turn 18, if you wish to (this is called "Staying Put")
• ensure you are given opportunities to develop independence skills so that you are ready for living independently, help you and staff supporting you to complete your independence passport
• provide information to you about health services that are available in the community, ensure you have your health passport
• promote and support you to access education, training and employment opportunities and celebrate your aspirations
• help you to look out for risks that could compromise your personal safety and provide you with advice, guidance and support by involving the right services that can help you achieve a healthier lifestyles and good emotional wellbeing
• work closely with a range of agencies and services to continuously develop and improve how we support you
• work to offer you a range of safe and appropriate accommodation which meets the diverse needs of our care-experienced community
• promote advocacy and your rights and listen to what you tell us; this could also include encouraging you to participate in the Children in Care Council or other youth services
• work closely with adult services in their plans to support you, should you need this
• if you happen to be in custody, we will ensure that good practice is incorporated in the support in line with government guidance

If you are a child in care (eligible, relevant or former relevant to leaving care) your social worker will start to develop a pathway plan with you when you turn 16. We have changed when you will meet your personal adviser which will now be when you are 16½ to 17. Your personal adviser and/or social worker will continue to create your pathway plan with you which is a document that helps you to prepare for leaving care by outlining the support you will receive and your needs, views and the goals you want to achieve. The plan is reviewed alongside you every 6 months but can be reviewed earlier than this if you experience a significant change in your life. 

Your pathway plan will include information about:

• your health and wellbeing
• your education, training and employment
• where you live and your move on plans
• your money and financial support
• your family time and the important people to you
• who you are and identify needs
• your independence skills
• any substance misuse and worries
• your immigration needs (if applicable)
• adult services support

Our offer if you are over 21

Care leaving young adults can access leaving care support up until you reach the age of 25 and in Central Bedfordshire, if you need us beyond that, you can still contact us for advice and guidance.

If you're over 21 and continue to need our support, we will provide you with a personal adviser, regardless of whether you are in education or training. Your personal adviser will continue to develop your pathway plan with you, and it could include supporting with your mental health, career goals and suitable accommodation. Your personal adviser can also help you to access the benefits you are entitled to, money matters, accessing your Leaving Care Grant entitlement to help with furnishing your new home and may also be able to help with financial support for education, training and employment.

If you have told us that you do not want our continued support after you turn 21, you can always change your mind and ask to meet with a personal adviser. You can contact us for help. We will agree with you how you would like to continue to keep in touch with us, this could be through email, visits or texts, for example.

To help us keep in touch with you or to help you get in touch with us, we will continue to contact you using the last contact details you gave us, every 3 months, just so that you know we're still here.