Wolverhampton

Shaftesbury Young People has with Wolverhampton City Council set out to work in partnership to provide transition services for young people aged 16 to 21 who are preparing to leave or have left care.

Two major Acts of Parliament, The Children Act 1989 and the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 define the services we provide and more recently the Children and Young Persons 2008 will add more duties and responsibilities.

We are here to ensure that you get all the advice, information and support you need to be able to live on your own successfully.

You will be expected to participate in all the decisions that are going to affect your future and together we can explore the options available to you and we will do this in the following ways:

• One to one support

You will be given one to one support by a member of our team of Personal Advisers to help you prepare to move on and for as long as you need them afterwards. They will make sure that you have all the information you need to make decisions and they will also make sure that you receive any financial help you are entitled to.

• Pathway Plans and Reviews

Your Personal Adviser will be responsible for helping you to prepare your Pathway Plan. They will help you to fill it in and make sure that all your needs are clearly set out in it.

They will also be responsible for making sure that the plan is reviewed at least every six months and that everyone does the things that they say they are going to do.

This will continue up until at least your 21^st birthday.

• Accommodation

Getting the right place to live is not easy and we will help you look for accommodation that best meets your needs and that is available. This takes time and you will need to plan well in advance of your actual move.

• Education, Employment and Training

We will with a range of other service providers including Connexions, Wolverhampton College, Black Country Training Group, Looked After Children’s Education Team and the Princes Trust identify opportunities for you to develop the skills and confidence necessary to engage in education, employment and training.

We relate our help and services to the government’s “5 Outcomes”, which are the outcomes that young people have said are important to them. In line with these outcomes, we will support you to try to ensure that you can: stay safe; be healthy; make a positive contribution; enjoy and achieve; and achieve economic well-being.