Advice and support from Social Workers and Personal Advisers
Your Social Worker or Personal Advisers are there to help you to prepare to live independently and to offer advice and support once you legally leave our care and become independent.
A Social Worker is there to support young people aged 0-18 and a Personal Adviser supports young people aged 18+ (up to the age of 25).
We aim for you to keep the same Personal Adviser and Social Worker, although this will not always be possible. We will also work to make it easy for you to keep in touch with your Personal Adviser.
The amount of support that you receive from your Personal Adviser will depend on the support you need and your circumstances. We aim to introduce you to them when you are aged 17.5 years.
Pathway planning
If you are a care experienced your Personal Advisers will talk to you about what support you need and record this information in your Pathway Plan.
The legal system describes this as ‘Eligible, Relevant or a Former Relevant Care Leaver’, we prefer to use care experienced young person, however you can tell us how you would like us to describe your status.
Bedford Borough Council has made care experience a protected characteristic, and therefore you have the right to challenge how you are treated in the same ways as other protected characteristics.
If you feel you have been treated less favourably because of your care experienced status, or any of the other protected characteristics your personal advisor can support you. The Head of Service for Corporate Parenting is the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion champion for Children’s Services, and will also support you with any information you need around this subject.
You can view the protected characteristics included in the Equality Act here.
Your Pathway Plan is all about the steps you need to take to help you confidently move into your adult life, your initial plan will be written with you by 16 years and three months old.
If you are over 16 when you first come into care, it will be written within three months of this happening.
It sets out your needs, views, future goals and ambitions. It will think about the support you need from us and other services to achieve your aspirations.
The Pathway Plan covers many different areas, including:
- accommodation
- education, training and employment
- health and development
- independent living skills
- family and social networks
- hobbies/social/leisure
- financial support
- further support
- ethnicity, culture and identity
- a contingency plan
We will make sure we write your Pathway Plan with you and review it every six-months to keep it up-to-date. With your agreement, we may ask some of our partners to help us; this may include housing, education, health and any other service you may have worked with. This is to make sure your plan is the best it can be for you.
Leaving care before turning 18
We will encourage you to remain in our care until you are 18. Most young people still live at home with their families at this age. If you choose to leave our care before age 18, the law says we must provide you with suitable accommodation so will help you with this. See our page on housing and accommodation for more information.
Skills for life booklet
The 16+ Supporting Futures Team have worked with young people and the Engagement and Development Team to develop a toolkit to help you develop the skills you will need to confidently move into adult life. Your social worker or Personal Advisors will share this with you and your carers to work through during your time in our care and through to your independence.