Introducing Local Offer

We have unique responsibility for all of the children that we look after and our care leavers. This is often called being a Corporate Parent and we should consider you just like we would our own children.

We want to provide the best possible care and support that any good parent would provide. We have worked with young people to put together a list of promises that makes clear what young people should expect from us as your Corporate Parents and how all the services and departments in the council should act when thinking about you.

Advice and Support from a personal advisor

You will be allocated a personal advisor from the Leaving Care team from the age of 17 years and 6 months.

Your personal advisor is there to help you to prepare to live independently and to offer advice and support you after you leave care. They should talk to you about what support you need and record this information in your pathway plan.

Your personal advisor will consider with you what extra support you may need. You might need extra support because you -

• have special educational needs or a disability
• are an unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Child or young person, and your immigration status is unclear
• are in or leaving custody or you have had contact with the criminal justice system
• are a young parent
• are going through a difficult time in your personal life

We will try to enable you to keep the same worker, though this will not always be possible. The amount of support that you receive from your worker will depend on what you want and your circumstances.

Personal advisor support until 25 years

Following recent changes in the law, you will be able to ask for support from a personal advisor within the Leaving Care Service up to the age of 25. This will depend on your personal circumstances and your needs will be assessed to make sure you have the right support to enable you to make the transition to adulthood positively and to return to us for advice and support if you come into difficulty.

From the age of 21 to 25 you can continue to receive support according to your needs. If you don’t feel you need any support from the Leaving Care Service for a while but later decide you need some help you can return to the Leaving Care Service and you may be allocated a worker to help. This may involve a short assessment of your needs so we know how best to help you. We will work with other services to make sure that you get the help you need. This can include -

• liaising with other services
• advice
• help to access accommodation services
• help to access employment services

Care leavers in Hull up to age 25 also receive extra support with opportunities to access - 

• work experience
• apprenticeships
• training

through the Council. We will write to you every year to make sure you know that help is still available.

If you are under 25 years and feel that you need support you should contact the Leaving Care Service on 01482 615 650 to arrange for an appointment to complete an assessment of your needs.

Pathway Planning

Your social worker will start a Pathway Needs Assessment with you at age 15 and 9 months to make sure you have a Pathway Plan by the time you are 16 and 3 months. When you move to the Leaving Care Service your personal advisor will review your pathway plan with you including any other important people in your life. It sets out your -

• needs
• views
• future goals

and identifies exactly what support you will receive from us including education support and accommodation.

We will review your pathway plan with you at least every 6 months so that it is kept up to date.

Leaving care before turning 18

We will encourage you to stay in care until you are 18.

Most young people still live at home with their families at this age. If you choose to leave care before age 18, the law says we must provide you with suitable accommodation. If eligible you will be allocated a personal advisor at age 17 years and 6 months to work alongside your social worker to prepare you for greater independence supported by the Leaving Care Service.