Independent Futures

Islington Care Leavers’ Service

Policy & Procedures

1Scope of service

The Independent Futures Care Leavers’ Service undertakes the statutory responsibilities towards young people who leave care on behalf of the London Borough of Islington (LBI).

1.1Context

The service is delivered in the context of legislation and guidance, together with procedures and standards prescribed by LBI.

1.2Legislation

Provision for young people leaving care is contained in the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 and the associated regulations and guidance: “Volume 3: Planning Transitions to Adulthood including The Care Leavers Regulations 2010”

1.2.1Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000

The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 was designed to improve the life chances of young people living in and leaving local authority care.

1.2.2Objectives of the legislation

  • To delay young people’s discharge from care until they are prepared and ready to leave
  • To improve the assessment, preparation and planning for leaving care
  • To provide better personal support for young people after leaving care and
  • To improve the financial arrangements for care leavers

The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 is based the Children Act 1989 and the underlying principles from the Children Act 1989 provide the overall legal framework for the work of the service.

1.2.3Key principles of the Children Act include

  • Taking into the account the wishes and feelings of young people
  • Consulting with them and keeping them informed
  • Giving due consideration to young people’s race, culture, religion and linguistic background
  • Recognising the importance of families and working in partnership with parents
  • Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of young people they are looking after
  • Recognising the importance of inter-agency responsibility and working in partnership

The legislation embodies the expectation that local authorities must assume the role of a responsible parent for young people it is looking after and to whom it will provide subsequent advice and assistance. This legislation places duties and powers on each local authority to provide help until a young person reaches at least the age of 21.

1.2.4Children Act 2004

The Children Act 2004 provides the legislative basis for delivering the Government’s desired outcomes for Children and Young People, described in the White Paper “Every Child Matters”. The Government's aim is for every child and young person, whatever their background or their circumstances, to have the support they need to:

  • Be healthy
  • Stay safe
  • Enjoy and achieve
  • Make a positive contribution
  • Achieve economic well-being
2.Service Users

Young people using Independent Futures will include:

  • Eligible Young people – Aged 16/17 who have been looked after for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14 and who are still looked after.
  • Relevant Young People – Aged 16 and 17, and who were previously Eligible Young People, but who are no longer looked after.
  • Former Relevant Young People – Aged 18 to 21 years (up to 24 if in an agreed course of education or training) who have been Eligible, Relevant or both.
  • Qualifying Young People – A young person who was looked after post 16 years of age, but who is not Eligible or Relevant because they have not been looked after for 13 weeks. Qualifying Young People retain that status when they become 18 up to the age of 21 (or 24 if in an agreed course of education or training). A young person aged between 16 and 21 (or 24 if in an agreed course of education or training) who left care after the age of 16 but before the Children (Leaving Care) Act came into force would also be a Qualifying young person.

Independent Futures will provide an inclusive service which values diversity and offers equality of access and support to all young people within the above definitions irrespective of ethnic background; asylum seeking status; gender; disability; sexual orientation or parental status.

2.1Initial contact with the service

Roles and Responsibilities –

Service Commencement and Assessment

Social workers in the children looked after teams should complete a leaving care commencement of service - basic information form, when a child reaches the age of fifteen and four months which should be authorised by either the Deputy Team Manager or the Team Manager.

The team managers of the children looked after teams and the team manager for Independent Futures (IF) will meet bi-monthly to discuss case commencement issues, the allocation of leaving care personal advisers and assessments and case transfer issues in relation to young people ceasing to be looked after who are reaching the age of eighteen.

The commencement of service – basic information form should be used to provide basic information and to identify where on the Integrated Children System (ICS) detailed background information can be found. The Form should record placement location and any specific issues that may be relevant in selecting a leaving care personal adviser.

Following the allocation of a leaving care personal adviser, a leaving care service commencement meeting should take place that involves the social worker and their deputy team manager and the personal adviser and their deputy team manager. The meeting should agree the process and timing of the introduction of the leaving care personal adviser and the parameters of the leaving care assessment.

The social worker in the children looked after team is responsible for co-ordinating and completing the leaving care assessment of need with information and leaving care advice from the leaving care personal adviser.

The leaving care assessment of need should commence when a young person reaches the age of fifteen and six months and should be completed by their sixteenth birthday.

The commencement of the assessment can be delayed in some circumstances relating to the young person’s situation; however the assessment must be completed by the statutory minimum date of 13 weeks after an Eligible Child’s sixteenth birthday.

Where a young person becomes looked after following their sixteenth birthday the leaving care assessment, must be completed within 13 weeks of becoming looked after (when they become an ‘Eligible’ child).

As part of the leaving care assessment process a Team Around the Child professionals meeting should be organised by the social worker, following the allocation of a leaving care personal adviser. This meeting should include all professionals and carers

In addition, the social worker in the children looked after team should organise an informal introductory meeting to introduce the leaving care personal adviser. In principle, the introductory meeting should take place at the young person’s placement.

This introductory meeting must include the young person, social worker and leaving care personal adviser and if appropriate could also include the foster carer/s or residential social worker/keyworker, supervising social worker and, where appropriate, members of the young person’s family.

The leaving care personal adviser should explain the purpose of the IF service, the leaving care assessment of need process and how this will inform the subsequent development of the young person’s pathway plan. The primary role of the leaving care personal adviser prior to a young person’s 16th birthday is to get to know the young person, develop a positive working relationship with the young person’s network and to provide information about leaving care.

The social worker in the children looked after team holds case responsibility for young people until they cease to be looked after and therefore takes primary responsibility for co-ordinating and overseeing the care and pathway plan. For young people who become looked after at some point after their 16th birthday, their social worker will be fro Independent Futures. Case responsibility will transfer to the IF team from the CIN team at an agreed time between 4-8 weeks after their first Review. As a broad principle social workers take responsibility for all placement, care and family issues and needs. IF (Leaving Care) personal advisers take responsibility for all leaving care, preparation for independence, move-on housing and accommodation, education, training and employment and financial and benefit issues and needs.

To ensure good communications, liaison and joint planning, leaving care personal advisers and social workers should meet on a regular basis to review joint working arrangements and update individual young people’s care and pathway plans. As a minimum, social workers and leaving care personal advisers, and where necessary, their respective deputy team managers should liaise/meet six monthly and immediately prior to the review of the pathway plan for joint supervision. Once the leaving care assessment of need is completed it should be used to inform the development of the young person’s pathway plan.

Introductory Meeting.

Introducing the child to their IF personal adviser; planning completion of the Needs Assessment and the Pathway Plan with the child; explaining the transfer process; explaining roles and responsibilities prior to transfer..

The child’s Social Worker will arrange and chair an Introductory Meeting between the child and the allocated IF worker. This introductory meeting will be between the child, the IF worker and the Social Worker, and whenever possible the Carer or the Residential Keyworker/Manager and the child’s parents whenever possible or appropriate. This meeting should be used to explain to the child the arrangements for supporting them over the remainder of their time looked after and the arrangements for continuing support when they leave care, including the respective responsibilities of each Social Worker or Young Person’s Adviser.

The Introductory Meeting will discuss:

  • How the Needs Assessment will be completed

The Needs Assessment will involve consultation with the child, the Carer, and the child’s family, as well as drawing on reports and assessments from other professionals (e.g. teachers). It is the responsibility of the Social Worker from the Child Care team to complete the Needs Assessment document.

  • How the Pathway plan will be completed

Completion of the Pathway Plan will involve the child, the Social Worker, the Carer and the IF worker acting as the child’s Personal Adviser. It will involve consultation with the child’s family. It is the responsibility of the Social Worker in the LAC service (or DCT) to complete the Pathway Plan document.

The worker with case responsibility will remain the social worker in the LAC team (or DCT). Post-16 the role of the IF worker will be to act as the young person’s Personal Adviser.

  • Developing the young person’s Year 12 plans for education/training.
  • Assessing and supporting development of young persons independence skills
  • Planning for leaving care, providing views on future placement, contributing to the Needs Assessment and the Pathway Plan
  • Visiting the young person with the allocated key worker, or independently, at a minimum of every eight weeks, and more frequently as necessary in order to achieve the above tasks. At least one of these visits should be a joint visit.
  • Attend reviews and team around the child meetings

Post-16 the role of the social worker in the LAC team will be:

  • LAC visits to child in placement
  • Arrangements for statutory reviews
  • Ensuring completion of Health Assessments, Dental Checks, Immunisations, and the Personal Educational Plans.
  • Sustaining the current placement or making planned moves of placement
  • Arranging approval from the budget-holder for placement funding, including any additional support costs, or other extras.
  • Day to day arrangements in placement, including any payments that are made to the young person.

Children who become looked after between the ages of 16 and 18 years

If a Children in Need Team Manager considers that a child who becomes looked after at 16 or 17 is likely to become an Eligible child then she/he should notify the IF Team Manager. The case will remain with the Children in Need team until at least 4 weeks after the first review. The IF team will allocate a Personal Adviser to support the work of the CIN Social Worker in preparing a Needs Assessment. The case may transfer to the IF team between 4-8 weeks after the first review if the Needs Assessment is complete. The IF team will then allocate a Social Worker as a second worker. The child’s Social Worker, and will have responsibility for completing the Pathway Plan within timescales. The second worker will act as the young person’s Personal Adviser.

Case Management Responsibility cannot be transferred from the Children in Need team to the IF service if:

  • the child is aged under 16 years (or is not Eligible or Relevant, or certain to become so)
  • the child has no placement
  • there is clear evidence that a child’s placement is in imminent danger of breaking down
  • under Islington procedures and guidance the file is incomplete, or there are case management tasks outstanding
  • there is an unresolved outstanding Child Protection enquiry involving the child, or the child’s siblings or dependants. Such a case will transfer either when a decision is taken that no CP conference is required, or when the enquiry has concluded.
  • the child is missing, has not returned, and there has not been a meeting convened by the Child in Need team under LBI procedure on children missing from care that decides that the case should transfer

Under these circumstances the IF Team Manager will agree a date for transfer of case management responsibility with the Children in Need Team Manager as soon as the relevant matter has been resolved.

3.9Case Transfer flowchart

4Needs Assessment

4.1Purpose

The needs assessment is used to determine what advice; assistance and support should be provided for the young person while they are being looked after and when they will cease to be looked after.

The needs assessment forms the basis for preparing the Pathway Plan.

4.2Responsibility for completion

Responsibility for completing the Needs Assessment rests with the LAC or CIN social worker (see the protocol for Roles and Responsibilities).

4.3Timescale for completion

The needs assessment should be completed by the time the young person reaches 16 years of age. This is the LBI target date for completion.

In some circumstances it may be necessary or desirable to delay completion of the needs assessment, for example if:

  • the young person is referred to the service after they have reached 15 years and 6 months
  • it is considered the process would be too distracting for the young person while they are preparing for GCSE and other examinations.

If completion of the needs assessment is delayed it must be completed within three months of the young person reaching 16 years of age to ensure compliance with the requirements of the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000

Where a child becomes looked after over the age of 16 the needs assessment should be completed within 8 weeks of their becoming looked after. This is to enable transfer of case responsibility for these cases to IF.

4.4Content

The needs assessment will be based on tools that have been developed to deliver holistic, structured and consistent assessments which draw on a wide range of information and examine all dimensions of the young person’s life. These include:

-Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families

-Integrated Children’s System

It will address the young person’s needs in the following areas:

-Health and development: includes health needs, health promotion: GP, dentist & other health professionals, emotional and behaviour needs, aspects of self-care and social presentation.

-Education, training and employment: includes previous educational achievements, work or training experience, work or training courses & future career aspirations, and assistance needed to follow plan.

-Support available from family and other relationships: includes issues around boundaries and contact, support available from family or other significant relationships, views of parents & other significant people.

-Financial needs: includes current income, experience of budgeting, and any financial support needs.

-The practical, social and emotional skills necessary for independent living: includes leisure activities, self-care skills, practical skills, social presentation, resolving conflict, making choices, citizenship, problem solving, inter-personal skills.

-Care, support and accommodation: includes current wishes regarding, level of support and independence, proposed changes to current level of support and independence.

-Sense of identity and self-esteem: include race, culture and religion, sexuality, personal history and brief reasons for being looked after, and aspects of self care, social presentation as relevant.

-Specialist support required by young people such as example young people with disabilities or young people who are parents: includes mentoring, counselling and additional support needs.

-Contingency Plans: includes what will happen if any of the planned actions or outcomes is not achievable, and what are the contingencies or parallel plans.

4.5Participation

The following should be involved in providing information to inform the assessment:

-The young person

-The young person’s parent(s)

-Any person who is not a parent but has parental responsibility for the young person

-Any person who is caring for the young person on a day to day basis

-Any school or college attended by the young person, or the local education authority for the area in which she/he lives