Young People Leaving Care

When you are due to leave care you will have access to a personal advisor to help you prepare for the next stage of your life. They will also work closely with your carer and social worker.

Your personal advisor will:

Provide advice and Support.
Produce an individual pathway plan which will include finance, accommodation, employment, education and health related matters.
Ensure you have access to the Connexions service and put you in contact with other agencies that may be relevant to you.
Personal Advisors will support you between the ages of 18-21 and can also continue to offer advice and support after your 21st birthday, up to the age of 25 at your request.

Knowsley has developed a local offer which details specific support just for care leavers within Knowsley.  To be able to get the support from the local offer for care leavers, you must have been in care for at least 13 weeks after your 14th birthday and some of those 13 weeks must have been after your 16th birthday.  For more information, visit the local offer at http://knowsleycareleavers.co.uk/ .

For further information about leaving care in Knowsley please give us a call or take a look at our Leaving Care Guide. If you want to find out more about national standards, visit the Every Child Matters website, which has a comprehensive section about young people leaving care and good practice.

The Young Persons Team works with young people aged 14 to 18, and the Care Leavers team works with young people from 18-25.  These young people will have been looked after and will be eligible for ongoing support under Leaving Care legislation if they continue to be looked after 13 weeks after their 16th birthday.  Both the Young Persons team and the Care Leavers Team are committed to ensuring that when young people leave care they are given the same support a 'good parent' would offer their children.

Both teams aim to give young people every opportunity to develop their education, social and employment skills and to provide effective preparation for leaving care. It is envisaged that when young people leave care they will have all the skills needed to live independently. Support is also offered to enhance young people’s self-respect, individuality and choice.

The Young Persons team includes:

• Social Workers, who provide young people with an individually designed package of support, depending on their needs.

The Care Leavers Team includes:

• Personal Advisors, who work with young people aged 16-25 to provide advice and guidance

Both teams also include:

• Employability officers, who assist care leavers to access jobs, education and training opportunities so that they can make a positive contribution to society and achieve economic well-being.
• Health workers, who also work closely with young people to access support to lead a healthy lifestyle

Contact Details

0151 443 4819/4820/2875/4787

2nd Floor,
Nutgrove Villa,
Westmorland Road,
Huyton,
L36 6GA