Who will support me?

The Leaving Care team are proud to support all of our amazing young people. They are a team who are here to help care experienced young people to step into adulthood.

The team works hard to make sure you have a good plan, the right support and lots of positive opportunities. The team is made up of a Service Manager, Team Managers and Personal Advisors.

Every eligible care experienced young person aged 16 and 3 months to age 21 will have a Personal Advisor (also known as a PA) allocated to them. If you still want support or would like to return to working with us after 21 you can, and we will support you until you’re 25 or in very specific circumstances for a little longer.

You can call the team on 0161 342 4477 in working hours (Monday to Wednesday, 8:30am till 5pm, Thursday 8:30am till 4:30pm, Friday 8:30am till 4pm).
In an emergency if you need to speak to someone urgently outside of the working hours you can contact the Tameside Emergency Duty Team on 0161 342 2222.

The Leaving Care Service has a duty system to cover staff absence, if you are unable to contact your Social Worker or Personal Adviser and the matter is urgent you can request to speak to the Duty Worker. You can also pop into Ashton Old Library (Old Street, Ashton-Under-Lyne, OL6 7SG) during the working hours listed above and ask to talk to the Duty Worker.

If you’re still unhappy with the response you can also request to speak directly to the Leaving Care Manager.

If you are a care leaver aged between 21 and 25 and no longer have an allocated Personal Adviser, you can get in touch by using any of the phone numbers above. The Duty Worker will be able to support you if you require any assistance or if you wish to access support that is identified within the Local Offer. 

• Role of a Social Worker
• Role of a Personal Adviser
• Your pathway plan
• Helping you build and maintain important relationships
• Developing independent living skills 
• Young parents
• Care Leavers entering and leaving custody
• Separated young people
• Young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
• Post 25 support

Role of a Social Worker
As an Eligible Care Leaver, you will be allocated a Social Worker who will act as your lead worker and be responsible for the regular update of your Pathway Plan. As an Eligible Care Leaver, you will be jointly allocated to a Personal Adviser from the age of 16.

Your Social Worker will remain allocated until you either leave care, or you reach 18 years of age. However, you will remain allocated to your Personal Adviser whilst you continue to have a care leaver status, therefore this will be until you reach 21 years of age and possibly up to the age of 25 if you request or agree to a continued service and are assessed as having unmet needs.

If you are a young person supported by the Children with Disabilities team, you will continue to receive support from your current Social Worker until you transition to Adult Services. The Leaving Care Service will allocate you a Personal Adviser from the age of 16 who will work alongside your existing Social Worker and later on with your Adults Service’s Worker to fully support your transition to adult life.

Role of a Personal Advisor (also known as PA)
The Leaving Care Service will help you get ready for adult life. After your 16th birthday, you will have a Personal Adviser. They will help you plan for your future and connect you with the services you need. You will usually meet them for the first time with your Social Worker and will then see them every six weeks, or more often if you need to. 

Your Personal Advisor and the Leaving Care Service will help you until turn 21, but if you need extra help, this can be extended until you turn 25.
A key role of your Personal Adviser is to provide and coordinate the support, advice, and guidance you will need in support of your transition to adult life.

Your Personal Adviser will see you at least once every two months and when required keep in touch with you between visits.

Your Personal Advisor (PA) will stay in touch and work with you on the things that matter most to you, including your accommodation, health and wellbeing, education, training, and employment. They can also help connect you with other services and professionals who can offer additional support.
We'll do our best to keep in touch in ways that work for you, including through visits, phone calls, texts, and emails. We'll celebrate special moments with you too, such as your birthday, and we'll invite you to join us for lunches, afternoon teas, and other events throughout the year.

Our dedicated PAs are passionate about supporting care leavers and helping you achieve your goals.

We will try to enable you to keep the same Personal Adviser, though this may not always be possible. The level of support that you receive from your Personal Adviser will depend on what you would like and your circumstances.

We also offer a range of fun, practical, and creative activities to help you build confidence and develop the skills you need for independent living , and your PA will support you every step of the way.

Your pathway plan
If you are an Eligible, Relevant or Former Relevant Care Leaver you will have a Pathway Plan completed with you.  

Your Personal Adviser and Social Worker will help you make your Pathway Plan. This is a plan about your goals and the help you need to reach them. It includes things like school, work, where you live, money, your family and friends and your health.

You will make your first Plan three months after your 16th birthday or if not before. It will then be looked at every six months at review meetings, which will be run by your Independent Reviewing Officer. Your Plan might be looked at sooner if a big change happens in your life.

The Leaving Care Service will consider with you what extra support you may need. You might, for example, need extra support because:

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

The Pathway Plan covers the following areas:

• accommodation and housing 
• money and finance 
• relationships 
• health and wellbeing 
• participation, voice and influence 
• education 
• employment and training 

Helping you build and maintain important relationships
Having people around you who care, support and encourage you can make a big difference as you move into adult life. We know that strong relationships are important, so your Social Worker and Personal Adviser will work with you to build a support network that feels right for you. This may include helping you strengthen relationships with family members, friends and other people who are important in your life.

We know the importance of maintaining links with important people. We can fund travel so you can spend time with key people and family members or help you to reconnect with supportive people from your past. All you need to do is speak with your Personal Advisor to work out what support you need.  

Your Pathway Plan will include a focus on your relationships, identifying what is going well and any additional support you might need to help those relationships grow and thrive.

Your Social Worker and Personal Adviser will also help make sure you can access the right services and support when needed. Where appropriate, they will help you connect with other professionals so that you continue to have support in place and know where to turn for advice and guidance as you get older, including beyond the age of 25.

Developing independent living skills 
Learning the necessary skills to live independently does not begin after you have left care, it begins whilst you are still being cared for.  You will be encouraged to develop skills to support you to live independently both within your home and via a range of support services.

Your Social Worker and Personal Adviser will begin to assess your independence skills and will provide you with support, advice, and guidance on a range of issues relating to leaving care including:

• accessing education, employment and training
• developing independence skills
• finding and managing suitable and secure accommodation
• managing your finances and claiming benefits
• support to access health services including access to emotional and mental health support

Your Social Worker or Personal Adviser will also help you to access specialist support when you need it, this may include counselling and advice services, issues relating to alcohol and drug use, sexual health, budgeting, and benefits such as Universal Credit, and Housing Benefit.

Your Social Worker or Personal Adviser will work with you to enable you to put into place the things in your life that will enable you to live independently in your own accommodation.

You will be provided with an Independence Pack to help you understand what you need to know to support you to make a positive transition into adulthood.

Young parents 
We will provide support to our young parents up until the age of 25. We will ensure that you have access to the appropriate services that will support you to care for your child. Your Pathway Plan will identify any further support needs you may have as a young parent.

Your Personal Adviser will support you to access any benefits or grants that may be available to you as a young parent.

Care Leavers entering and leaving custody
If you find yourself in an unfortunate position where you have entered custody, we will continue to offer you support up until the age of 25. The level of support that will be offered to you will be agreed with you as part of your Pathway Plan.

Separated Young People 
A separated child or young person is defined as an individual who is under 18, who has arrived in the UK without a responsible adult, is not being cared for by an adult who by law or custom has responsibility to do so, is separated from both parents and has applied for asylum in the United Kingdom in his or her own right.

As a separated young person, we will continue to support you up until the age of 25. You will be supported with your asylum application and seeking identification. Any further support needs will be reviewed as part of your Pathway Plan.

Young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
The SEND Local Offer is all the provision we expect to be available across education, health and social care for young people in Tameside, who have a special educational need or who are disabled, including those who do not have Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. Find further information within our Local Offer web pages.

Post 25 support
Leaving care doesn't mean leaving us behind. We know that everyone needs a bit of extra support from time to time, whatever their age. That's why we're still here if you ever need advice, information, or just someone to talk things through with.

No matter how long ago you left care, you can get back in touch with the Tameside Leaving Care Team. Whether you're facing a challenge, need help finding the right support, have questions about your entitlements, or just want some guidance, we're here to help.

If your situation is urgent, it's usually best to call so we can make sure you get the support and information you need as quickly as possible. We're always happy to hear from you.

You can contact us by emailing leavingcare@tameside.gov.uk or calling 0161 342 4477 (during working hours: Monday to Wednesday 8:30am-4:30pm, Thursday 8:30am-4:30pm, Friday 8:30am-4pm) or call 0161 342 2222 (during non-working hours, weekends or bank holidays).