Regulations and guidance on planning transition to adulthood for care leavers

These regulations and guidance, published in October 2010, are intended to ensure that care leavers are given the same level of care and support their peers would expect from a reasonable parent and that they are provided with the opportunities and chances needed to help them move successfully to adulthood.

Research and practice show that care leavers have the best chance of success if those responsible for their support take the following principles into account as they work with young people for their transition to adulthood:

• Would this be good enough for my own child?
• Providing a second chance if things don’t go as expected;
• Is this tailored to their individual needs, particularly if they are more vulnerable than other young people?

The guidance seeks to place these principles at the centre of decision making for care leavers. The regulations and guidance came into force on 1 April 2011.

The regulations state that young people’s pathway plans must address their financial capabilities and money management capacity, along with strategies to develop their skills in this area:

Paragraph 3.10 says that:
It is very important that information about the young person’s financial capability is fully up to date, so that where the young person is to move to more independent accommodation this issue has been assessed thoroughly before any move takes place.
and
Paragraph 3.28 refers to the young person’s pathway plan and the responsibilities of the young person’s personal adviser (PA): 
The pathway plan should include details about the kind of support that the young person might expect their PA to provide.

It goes on to say that the issues where the PA will be the care leaver’s initial source of advice might include information about financial capability – how to manage day to day finances; how to take up any entitlements to benefits.