Children leaving care

Who will support me when I leave care?

When you are looked-after you may well have concerns about the future as you get older. 

You might be thinking "Where will I live?",  "How will I manage?",  "Who will I go to for help?".

You will be supported by the pathway team which is East Riding of Yorkshire Council's leaving care service.

If you have any questions please contact us online.

What do the pathway team do?

The pathway team supports looked after young people and care leavers from the East Riding from the age of 16 onwards. We will start to work with you sometime on or around your sixteenth birthday, providing you have been looked after by East Riding for 13 weeks or more. We will provide you with help and support at least until the age of 21 or longer if you are still in education or training at that age.

The local authority has a duty to provide support as described in the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 and the Children and Young Persons Act 2008.

These Acts can be found on the Department for Education website:

Leaving foster or local authority care - GOV.uk (external website)

Who is in the pathway team?

The team includes social workers, family support workers, an accommodation officer, a youth advisor (for education and training) and a health advisor. We are all here to help you to plan for your future and support you in reaching your goals. You will have a named worker in the team, this will be a social worker up to the age of 18, and the worker will complete a pathway plan with you.

What is a pathway plan?

The pathway team will develop a pathway plan which is where we will record how we are going to support you, and who is going to do what and when. This will be your care plan, and we will keep it under review at least every six months. For example, it will include details of help with accommodation, education and training, finances, health and any other areas you may need support with.

What support will I receive when I leave care?

Here are some examples of ways in which we help young people from the age of 16 onward:

• helping you to plan for your future and achieve your ambitions
• help with finding the right education and training opportunities after you leave school. We will support you with any additional costs or equipment you might need for courses
• finding work experience opportunities with the council, and support to apply for apprenticeships
• help you to find the right sort of accommodation at a time that is right for you.  For example, some young people opt to remain with their former foster carers when they reach the age of 18 in a supported lodgings arrangement
• help with the costs of setting up in your own flat (setting up home allowance)
• help you to keep in touch with family , carers and friends and develop good support networks wherever you are living
• make sure you have the chance to develop your independent living skills before you move to your own place for example; cooking, cleaning, managing money and paying bills. We often run groups to do this and have a number of trainer flats we can use.

The pathway team also works alongside young people to run a focus group and to ensure you are involved and consulted on the way the service is run.

I have a query where do I go for further information?

Referals are made into this service at the age of 16 via the child care management teams. Any other enquiries on leaving care services please contact the pathway team.

Pathway team,
East Riding of Yorkshire Council,
Manor Road Offices,
Ground Floor,
Manor Road,
Beverley,
HU17 7BT

Tel: (01482) 396666
Email: sue.smyth@eastriding.gov.uk

Further information is available on the Department for Education website:

Department for Education - children in care (external website)