Good practice for transitional support 

Service Outputs:  

• Co-ordination and engagement for young people to access services 
• To maintain regular contact with the young person supporting them in accessing opportunities that improve well-being and resilience their wellbeing 
• Record visits and progress of young person’s developments in line with their pathway plan 
• Share information with significant others, with permission of young persons (subject to the Duty to Report to safeguard vulnerable people) 
• Complete case closure information and outcomes achieved ay point of independence (aged 21)  

In partnership with Young people and Children’s services, Llamau conduct a programme of Information and advice workshops supporting areas of the pathway plan for young people in care aged 16 to 18 years of age.  

Service Outputs:  

• Work with community provision and provider to establish a menu of available workshops and sources of support  that are suitable for young people who are preparing for leaving care 
• Provide 1:1 support for those who cannot access workshops 
• Co-ordinate a programme of information and advice workshops, which all meet the domains of the pathway plan for young people 
• Facilitate the session, with workshop providers at an accessible venue within Merthyr Tydfil, for young people to access 
• Communicate and share programme of information and advice workshops, with social worker teams, on a regular basis via team meetings 
• Liaise with social worker teams to support them to target effectively for young people to attend the workshops 
• Monitor take up of workshops and evaluate their effectiveness through young people feedback 
• Offer individual work for those young people who do not access the workshops  

To provide Supported Lodgings Placements that are appropriate for young people aged 16 plus  

Service Outputs:

• Support the existing supported lodgings provider in order to maintain placement and ensure risk assessed appropriately 
• Complete monthly supervision visits and record on supported lodgings placements on WCCIS 
• Carryout an annual review of all supported lodging providers to ensure an appropriate standard of provision is provided 
• Contribute to the local authority register of supported lodging providers 

To contribute to management information and support to the permanence team for future planning of service provision  

Service Outputs:  

• Attend social services strategic planning events and team meetings 
• Develop and maintain the information website for care leavers  
• Provide performance management information as required by Welsh government 
• Attend quarterly performance review meetings, providing results based account on outcomes achieved 
• Represent leaving care team  at the National Care Leavers Forum and on wider partnership agendas such as health, education, housing 

Conwy

Conwy Social Services and local partners have worked hard to support young people as they transition from child to adult services at 18. Planning begins once the child turns 15, with social services and partners working together to consider the ongoing and long-term needs of those young people. Work is done to ensure appropriate services will be available once that young person turns 18. All young people are offered the chance to meet with adult social services and their social worker to ensure that any safeguarding issues are picked up and managed in a timely way. Care leavers are also offered a social worker in their own right should they have any specific needs such as, for example, court proceedings or substance abuse. If young people have been identified as at risk of or being exploited, personal advisers are invited to exploitation forums to ensure they are aware of needs and vulnerabilities. This also ensures that if exploitation continues to be an issue once the young person turns 18 that they will receive appropriate safeguarding support.

There is a recognition in Conwy that there is a need to better engage with hard-to-reach children and young adults. Social services is working with Bangor University on a research project to look at non-engagement and how services can be better engaging care experienced young people transitioning to adulthood. It is hoped the research will enable the development of a toolkit.