Preparing to live independently
What the law says you must be given if you're a young person in care, or a relevant young person (statutory entitlements)
If you're in care around the age of 16 years old, your social worker will write a Pathway Plan with you. In the plan, discuss what you need to help you live independently in the future.
We will work with the people who can offer you support to learn life skills in how to take care of yourself, such as the following:
- how to buy enough food for the week and cook meals
- how to pay your bills with the money you have
- how to eat healthily so that your diet helps you to be fit and well
- how to take care of your accommodation (for example, being clean and tidy, washing your clothes, not allowing other people to mess up your space, getting on with neighbours and landlords)
- how to open a bank account
- how to apply for your National Insurance Number
If you have any other needs, add them to your plan or speak to your social worker. It's important that you don't sign the plan until you're happy that it covers what you think it should. The plan should be reviewed every six months.
If you're not happy with the support and plan, please talk to your social worker. If you're still not happy after this, you can access the Advocacy through Shout Out and/or the B&NES complaints procedure. Ask your social worker for more information.