(Last reviewed 05/02/2025)
Purpose of the Policy
This policy outlines the agency’s approach to preparing children and young people in care for independence and adulthood. The policy ensures that foster carers and agency staff provide the knowledge, skills, and support necessary to empower young people to transition successfully into independent living while meeting their individual needs.
Legislative Framework
This policy aligns with the following legislation and guidance:
- Children Act 1989 and 2004: Requires local authorities and fostering agencies to promote the welfare of children in care and prepare them for adulthood.
- Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000: Sets out the duties of local authorities to support care leavers in achieving independence.
- Care Planning, Placement, and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010: Requires planning for a young person’s transition to adulthood from age 16.
- National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services (2011): Standard 12 emphasizes the importance of foster carers supporting young people to develop independence skills.
- The Children and Social Work Act 2017: Mandates the provision of support to care leavers up to the age of 25.
- Equality Act 2010: Ensures all young people, including those with disabilities or additional needs, receive fair access to independence preparation.
Policy Objectives
The agency is committed to:
- Supporting foster carers to prepare young people for independence through life skills development.
- Ensuring every young person has an independence plan tailored to their individual needs.
- Promoting resilience, confidence, and self-reliance in young people.
- Working in partnership with local authorities, schools, and other agencies to deliver cohesive support.
- Ensuring the transition to independence complies with all relevant legislation.
- Ensuring that no young person under 18 should have to leave care before they feel ready to do so and we will advocate on behalf of our young people to ensure that their views are heard and their needs are met.
- When they do leave the foster home for greater independence, it will usually be appropriate for their foster carer to remain in contact with the young person for a period of time and to offer appropriate support, consistent with the role of a reasonable parent and we support our foster carers in this role. This will help the young person to feel valued and avoid feeling isolated.
- The agency views each child and young person as individuals, and we recognise that some children and young people who are fostered will frequently have special needs or delayed or uneven development, due to a disability or to past experiences.
Key Principles
- Being Child-Centred – Preparation for independence must be tailored to the young person’s age, abilities, and circumstances.
- Support Gradual Transition – Independence preparation is a gradual process, beginning early and evolving over time.
- Ensure Holistic Development – Support should address emotional, social, financial, and practical aspects of independence.
- Ensure Inclusion – Support must meet the diverse needs of all young people, including those with disabilities, mental health challenges, or additional vulnerabilities.
- Encourage Participation – Young people should be actively involved in planning for their independence.
Roles and Responsibilities
Foster Carers – Foster carers play a crucial role in developing life skills and preparing young people for independence by:
- Teaching practical skills, including cooking, budgeting, cleaning, and personal care.
- Encouraging the young person to take on age-appropriate responsibilities (e.g., managing pocket money, doing laundry).
- Providing emotional support to build confidence and self-esteem.
- Acting as positive role models.
- Working with the agency and social workers to implement independence plans.
The Agency – The agency is responsible for:
- Training foster carers in independence preparation skills.
- Providing guidance and resources to foster carers to help them prepare young people.
- Monitoring and reviewing the progress of young people in developing independence skills.
- Ensuring that independence planning is part of the young person’s Pathway Plan from the age of 16.
- Advocating for young people to access services, education, training, and financial support.
Young People – Young people are encouraged to:
- Participate in developing their independence plan.
- Take responsibility for learning new skills and managing challenges.
- Communicate their needs and aspirations to foster carers and support workers.
Independence Skills Development
Foster carers and agency staff will support young people to develop the following skills:
Practical Skills:
- Young people should, from time to time, be involved in supermarket shopping with the foster carers and should be helped to compare value for money of different items. They should be helped to understand the relative expense and health benefits of convenience foods and of fresh foods for example.
- Foster carers should help children learn to prepare food and drinks, from making tea and coffee, to preparing cold and later hot snacks, and on to preparing simple meals.
- It is good practice that young people are supported and encouraged whenever possible to open their own bank accounts. Whenever possible the weekly living allowance should be paid direct to this account. As the child matures, they should gradually be given responsibility for paying for certain of their own needs from their pocket money. Examples could include magazines, leisure activities, toiletries and mobile phone top ups.
- These expectations should gradually be increased as the young person reaches the age of 15. By the time they reach this age, unless it is inappropriate because of their level of understanding, they should be encouraged to open a bank or building society account in their own name, and should be helped to do this themselves. If there are concerns that finance being provided to young people is being used for other purposes then alternative agreed methods of payment of the weekly living allowance need to be considered dependent on the individual young person’s circumstances.
- Foster carers should use the ordinary course of events within their household to make children aware of the process of paying bills, and of the ease with which debts can build up when offers of loans are constantly dropping through the letter box. Young people should be helped to understand the dangers of this.
Emotional Skills:
- Building self-esteem and resilience.
- Coping with stress and seeking help when needed.
- Developing healthy relationships and communication skills.
- The most important preparation for adult life is for a child to have good self-esteem and to be confident. Children who are Looked After may need particular help in these areas, and foster carers should constantly be seeking to develop ways of increasing self-esteem and confidence in the children for whom they care. Foster carers will be offered training to assist them in this area of their work.
Educational and Employment Skills:
- Completing education and exploring training or employment opportunities.
- Writing CVs, attending interviews, and understanding workplace expectations.
Health and Well-Being:
- Registering with and accessing healthcare services.
- Maintaining a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
- Understanding sexual health and personal safety.
Social Skills:
- Building and maintaining friendships and support networks.
- Navigating public transport and understanding community services.
These processes also become formalised in the young person’s Pathway Plan, which starts to be developed before the young person reaches the age of 16 years. The Pathway Plan which sits alongside the Care Plan is an agreement between the local authority and the young person about what should happen in the future, and how the local authority should support and provide for the young person to support their education, training or employment, career aspirations, dates for leaving care, and where they will live after leaving care.
Pathway Planning and Reviews
From age 16, every young person must have a Pathway Plan developed by their local authority, in consultation with the fostering agency. This plan will:
- Identify the young person’s aspirations and goals for adulthood.
- Outline the skills and support needed to achieve independence.
- Be reviewed regularly to ensure progress and address changing needs.
The fostering agency will work collaboratively with local authorities and young people to ensure the Pathway Plan is realistic, achievable, and personalized.
The agency’s expects foster carers to actively support their young person to be an active agent in this process. As part of this our foster carers will support the Personal Adviser to identify the ways in which they can provide practical, financial and emotional support to young people as they become independent.
Social Work Procedure
1. Pathway Plan Review
- During a young person’s CLA review, the SSW must discuss and review the pathway plan.
- The SSW must support the foster carer in implementing the pathway plan.
- If a pathway plan has not been shared by the LA, the SSW must request it and escalate the matter to the Team Manager if necessary.
2. Planning for Post-18 Support
- The agency supports the Staying Put initiative, which allows young people to remain with their foster carers beyond 18 to ensure a smoother transition to independence. (Please refer to the Stay Put Policy). Additionally, the agency will advocate for access to services provided under the Children and Social Work Act 2017, including:
- By the age of 16, discussions must take place with the young person, foster carer, and Local Authority regarding post-18 arrangements.
- For young people aged 16+ in placement, the Team Manager must identify all 16+ and share it with SSW’s. SSW’s should collaborate with the foster carer to develop an independence plan.
- The SSW must ensure this plan is in place and reviewed regularly.
3. Monitoring Independence Progress
- Regular reviews of the independence plan must be conducted during supervision, home visits, and CLA reviews.
- The young person’s progress must be recorded in the progress summary report.
- The SSW must obtain feedback from both the young person and the foster carer to improve independence support.
4. Training for Foster Carers
- Foster carers must attend relevant training identified by the SSW, focusing on preparing and supporting young people through transitions, including the ‘Stay Put’ arrangement.
5. Life Skills Project
- The agency provides the ‘Life Skills Project’ for all young people.
- SSWs are encouraged to use this project with young people to support independence.
- The project should be reviewed regularly by the SSW and should begin by age 14.
