Pathway Plan Guidance

The purpose of the Pathway Plan is to produce a written document that records needs, identifies actions to be taken, and resources that need to be put in place to support young people during their transition to adulthood. Having a copy of the plan provides clarity and reassurance for the young person in relation to how their future needs will be met and who will provide support for them in relation to the different areas of their lives.

The Care Planning, Placement and Review Regulations (2010) require the local authority to take stock of the young person’s preparedness for the time when (s)he will no longer be Looked After. This assessment of need should take place not more than three months after the young person’s 16th birthday.

It is important to note that the assessment informing the Care Plan is primarily concerned with the young person’s current needs while (s)he is Looked After, whereas the information required to complete the Pathway Plan must also address how the young person will need to be supported to ensure that they are enabled to make a successful transition to the responsibilities of adulthood.

The Pathway Plan must be completed using the information gathered as part of the assessment and be drawn up as soon as possible after the assessment of needs is completed Each eligible young person’s Pathway Plan will be based on and include their Care Plan. The plan must remain a ‘live’ document setting out the different services and how they will be provided to respond to the full range of the young person’s needs.

Plans for transition to adulthood must be in place for all looked after children aged 16 and 17 who have been Looked After for at least 13 weeks after they reached the age of 14. The 13 weeks can be continuous, or, made up of separate episodes of care; excluding short-term placements made by way of respite care, but must include a period of time (at least 24 hours) after reaching the age of 16.

The arrangements for Eligible young people are set out in the Care Planning, Placement and Case Review (England) Regulations 2010.

The arrangements for Relevant and Former Relevant young people are set out in the Care Leavers (England) Regulations 2010.

The Pathway Plan is completed in two sections.

• Needs Assessment;
• The Pathway Plan.

The Care Planning, Placement and Review Regulations set out the matters that must be addressed by the Pathway Plan for an Eligible young person:

• Details of any accommodation that the young person will occupy when (s)he ceases to be looked after, and how this will be suitable in view of his/her assessed needs;
• Plans for the young person’s education or training when the young person ceases to be looked after;
• How the local authority will assist the young person in obtaining employment or other purposeful activity;
• How the responsible authority will develop the practical and other skills that the young person will require;
• Support to develop and sustain family and social relationships, and the capacity of the network to encourage the young person to make a positive transition to adulthood;
• The young person’s financial capabilities and money management capacity;
• The young person’s health care needs, and how such needs will be met when the young person ceases to be looked after;
• The contingency arrangements that the authority will have in place.

The 2010 Regulations are also explicit that the pathway plan must specify the name of the young person’s Personal Adviser and arrangements for visiting the young person. The plan will also be explicit about the timescale by which any action required.

The pathway plan is more than a statement of intent, it is a living document. A pathway plan must be prepared for all Eligible young people and continued for all Relevant and Former Relevant young people as set out in the Planning Transition to Adulthood Guidance and Care Leavers (England) Regulations 2010.

All Relevant and Former Relevant children must have a pathway plan based on an up to date and thorough assessment of their needs. The pathway plan must address in particular

• The young person’s health and development;
• Education, training and employment. The Personal Education Plan should continue to be maintained while the young person continues to receive full or part-time education. Pathway plans must have an explicit focus on career planning, taking into account the young person’s aspirations, skills, and educational potential;
• Contact with the young person’s parents, wider family and friends and the capacity of this network to encourage the child and enable them to make a positive transition to adulthood;
• The young person’s financial capabilities and money management capacity, along with strategies to develop the young person’s skills in this area.

The social worker or Personal Advisor from the Looked After Children and Young People Service will hold the responsibility of co-ordinating the Pathway Plan.

The voice of the young person is at the centre of the pathway planning process, the weight given to his/her views will depend on the assessment of his/her welfare by those professionals who are responsible for providing the young person with care and support.

The participation of care leavers is fundamental to effective pathway planning. Young people should be central to discussions and plans for their futures, and it will be exceptional for decisions to be made without their full participation.

A flexible and creative approach, which actively engages with young people themselves, will help ensure that the eventual plan is realistic and likely to be met.

Young people should be actively involved in the assessment and planning process and although it is important that the pathway plan is informed by the views of the young person, it should also be informed by the views of other significant adults and professionals involved in the young person’s life. The consultation of these significant adults and professionals should be discussed and agreed with the young person and will include:

• The young person’s parents or others with parental responsibility, and relevant members of their wider family network;
• The young person’s current carer and any prospective future provider of housing and accommodation support;
• A representative of the young person’s school or college, training provider and The Place;
• The young person’s GP, LAC Nurse or any other medical professional involved with the young person;
• Young people’s substance misuse (or other relevant service), who will provide advice, guidance, support and treatment for young people with substance related need;
• An Independent Visitor (where appointed);
• An Advocate;
• Independent Reviewing Officer;
• Connexions;
• Youth Offending Team;
• Accommodation providers, estate officers, floating support, supported accommodation;
• Any other person whom the responsible authority or young person considers relevant.

The above list is not exhaustive, and will be determined by the young person’s circumstances.

Arrangements to complete the pathway plan and a timetable for the needs assessment should be discussed and agreed at the young person’s statutory review prior to their sixteenth birthday.  The assessment should be completed no later than three months after the young person’s sixteenth birthday, unless they become ‘looked after’ at a later age, in which case the assessment should be completed 13 weeks after becoming ‘looked after’.

The social worker should make every effort to ensure that the young person has choices in relation to the venue where the assessment sessions will take place.  For example, the young person’s home, the practitioner’s place of work or any other environment where the young person may feel most comfortable, relaxed and at ease.

The social worker may have to arrange several meetings with the young person in order to fully explore all the dimensions/domains within the assessment and pathway plan to gather all the relevant information, and will be facilitated by an agreement with the young person prior to commencing the assessment.

The structure of the assessment and pathway plan should be drawn up in partnership with the young person, ensuring that they are fully involved in the planning process and able to make choices (where this is possible) regarding services to be provided to meet identified need. Disagreements between the young person and professionals should be noted carefully. This section should be prepared as soon as possible after the completion of the needs assessment using the information gathered from the various sources.

From the information collated and analysed in the needs assessment the practitioner will be able to complete the all the sections of the plan by:

• Identifying and recording the young person’s strengths and needs;
• Recording action to be taken and/or services to be provided to meet identified needs;
• Recording the frequency and length of the service to be provided;
• Identifying & recording the person/agency responsible for providing/facilitating the service;
• Recording the date that the service will commence;
• Identifying and recording how the young person’s progress will be monitored.

The contingency plan will identify the actions to be taken if it becomes clear that the original plan is no longer possible. The practitioner should share the completed Pathway Plan with the young person and obtains their views in respect of the plan, recording these and obtaining the signatures of all the relevant parties.

Where a move to ‘other arrangements’ takes place as part of the pathway planning process to prepare a ‘looked after’ young person for the transition to adulthood, then this move will represent a significant change to the young person’s care plan. Such a move should only take place following careful planning that will have been scrutinised at the young person’s LAC review meeting chaired by their IRO.

A pathway plan must be prepared for each relevant young person. This pathway plan should be prepared prior to the young person ceasing to be looked after (eligible young person) and considered at a statutory review chaired by the young person’s IRO.

The views of the young person must be recorded and incorporated into the pathway plan. The plan must indicate how arrangements to support the young person have taken the views of others into account. Disagreements should be noted carefully.

A copy of the plan must be given to the young person. It will also be good practice where agencies are contributing to the delivery of an individual young person’s pathway plan that they have a copy of the relevant extract.

The plan includes the following dimensions of need:

Each care leaver must have an up to date and active pathway plan based on a current assessment of their needs.

Regulation 7 of the Care Leavers Regulations sets out the arrangements for reviewing the pathway plans of relevant and former relevant young people. The regulations require the local authority to:

• Arrange a review in circumstances where it considers it necessary, or where the relevant or former relevant young person requests it;
• Where a relevant young person moves to unregulated accommodation, the first review of the pathway plan must take place as soon as is practical after 28 days;
• It will be good practice for reviews to take place, usually within 28 days, after any change in the young person’s accommodation;
• Reviews should always be brought forward where there is an assessed risk that a crisis may develop in a young person’s life.

Circumstances for a brought forward pathway plan review may include:

• Where a young person has been charged with an offence, and there is a possibility of being sentenced to custody; which will risk losing suitable accommodation;
• At risk of being evicted, or threatened with homelessness;
• Where professionals are concerned about the parenting capacity of a relevant or former relevant young person, with there being a possibility that their own child may need to become the subject of a multi-agency safeguarding plan;
• Where a young person asks for a review of their plan.

In circumstances where young people move in a planned way, the review will need to decide whether it will be necessary to review the pathway plan in 3 months, or whether 6 months is more appropriate.

Where a relevant or former relevant young person enters custody, pathway planning must continue. It is good practice for a visit to the young person within 10 working days.

• It will be good practice to carry out a review of the pathway plan at least a month before release in order to give sufficient time for pre-release planning. For a relevant young person, it should be exceptional that a review does not take place.

As soon as possible; and ideally no later than 14 days before release, a care leaver must know:

• who is collecting them;
• where they will be living;
• the reporting arrangements;
• sources of support – including out of hours;
• arrangements for education or employment;
• arrangements for meeting continuing health needs;
• arrangements for financial support;
• when they can expect to be seeing their personal adviser;
• the roles and responsibilities of the respective leaving care and youth offending staff.

The pathway plan must set out expectations for the personal adviser to see the young person, and if relevant, arrangements for staying in touch in other ways. This could include other forms of contact with the young person: text, telephone calls; e-mail.

Regulation 8(2) of the Care Leavers Regulations requires that when a care leaver moves to new accommodation, the personal adviser must see them within 7 days of that move.

Subsequently, they must see the care leaver at the point at which the care leaver will be first reviewed – namely after 28 days – and then visit at no less than 2 monthly intervals.

If contact with a young person is lost, reasonable steps should be taken to re-establish contact, especially with those who are within the definition of ‘relevant’ young people. It is important that a young person’s wishes are respected and that attempts to maintain or re-establish contact is not perceived as harassment, but to convey an interest in their well being. The personal adviser should persevere with attempts on a 2 monthly basis attempts to establish contact even if the young person remains unresponsive, while respecting the young person’s rights to be unresponsive.

Where contact is lost, the emphasis of the pathway plan review will switch to record how attempts will be made to re-establish contact and these efforts will be reviewed within the established system.

A route back for the young person to seek support in the future should be kept open and communicated, for example by sending birthday cards and appropriate festive greetings, and ensuring that the young person receives any circulated information about services or events in which they may have an interest.

Where a pathway plan is amended as a result of a review, the personal adviser will amend the plan.  Any necessary approval to the amended financial arrangements will be sought from the relevant manager.

Once the changes are approved, the personal adviser will send a copy of the amended plan to the young person, the designated manager and others identified within the review.

Record Keeping

Regulation 5(3) of the Care Leavers Regulations requires that the local authority keep a written record of the information obtained during an assessment; of the identity of the people whose views were sought for the purposes of the assessment; and the outcome of the assessment.

Regulation 10 establishes a duty to maintain a case record which should include any assessment of needs, any pathway plan, and any review of a pathway plan.

The pathway plan, and the assessment informing it, must provide a full and accurate record of the young person’s needs with information about their wishes and feelings about their future.

Where young people have complex needs and a range of agencies are involved in supporting their pathway plan, it may be helpful to agree arrangements for information sharing at a multi-agency meeting to confirm or review the pathway plan.

If a former relevant young person is not intending to continue in an approved programme of education or training, then the pathway planning process should be brought to a conclusion in an agreed way around the time that the young person reaches the age of 21.

Section 23CA of the 1989 Act requires that young people previously eligible for leaving care services resuming programmes of education or training after the age of 21 are entitled to continuing support from a personal adviser.

 In this context, the definition of a programme of education or training must be interpreted broadly. For example, this might include options such as: completion of a basic skills course, so that the young person has the numeracy and literacy skills needed to compete in the jobs market; take up of a course of further education; take up of a university place; support to enable the young person to complete a recognised postgraduate qualification; or participation in vocational training and apprenticeships.

 In every case where a care leaver requests this support, authorities will need to assess the appropriateness of the education or training course and how it will help them to achieve their ambitions. The local authority should meet with the young person and based on the assessment of their needs and the suitability of the course, assign a Personal Adviser to participate in the preparation of a pathway plan. The plan should reflect the agreed educational outcomes for the young person and the type of support the young person will require.

This assessment should draw on the information about the young person’s skills and capabilities, which will have been set out in pathway plans up to age 21. The extent of practical and financial assistance provided will depend on the authority’s assessment of the young person’s needs and will reflect the type of course, whether it is full or part time and the young person’s existing income.

Local authorities should ensure that all their care leavers (including those who live out of authority) are aware of their entitlement to a PA up to age 25 if they wish to return to education and training. Local authorities should also provide information (a letter or leaflet) on how to get in touch in the future.

Many young people will be experiencing a number of practical and emotional difficulties in their lives as they navigate the complexities of adulthood, which mean that they would be unable to return to education or training immediately. The local authority will support them to overcome these difficulties so that they can return to education or training up to age 25 if this is their wish. They should in particular encourage all young people who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) to take up this offer of support.

Local authorities should make it clear that this entitlement to resume the pathway planning process and a support relationship with a named personal adviser, starts from the time the young person informs the local authority of their intention to resume their education or training and ends with the completion of the course.

Young people do not need to have decided what education or training they would like to pursue. They can get in touch if they are ‘wanting to pursue education or training’ and in such cases, the personal adviser should help the young person identify the options best suited to them.

Care leavers will need support and guidance to help them think about and plan their return to education or training, consider all aspects such as financial support and impact on housing or benefits, as they do once the course has actually commenced. In particular support should be provided with the consideration of and access to appropriate courses.

The re-instated pathway plan must have a specific focus on the support that the individual care leaver will need to be able to meet the education or training goals agreed with their responsible authority.

It is possible that young people may seek support to complete a series of education/training opportunities and local authorities will need to assess their need for continuing assistance in this regard.

The duties of the local authority continue for as long as the young person continues to pursue the agreed programme of education or training. The local authority’s duties are as set out in the re-instated pathway plan.

Regulation 7 of the Care Leavers Regulations sets out the arrangements for reviewing the pathway plans of relevant and former relevant children. Regulations 7(2)(a) and (b) require the local authority to arrange a review in circumstances where it, or the personal adviser, consider it necessary or where the relevant or former relevant child requests it.

Where a relevant child moves to unregulated accommodation (i.e. accommodation that is not regulated under the Care Standards Act 2000 and is not inspected by Ofsted), then the first review of the pathway plan must take place as soon as is practical after 28 days. Apart from ensuring that the pathway plan continues to respond to all the dimensions of the young person’s needs, one of the essential functions of this review will be to establish that they have settled into their accommodation and that this is, in practice, suitable in the light of their needs.

In circumstances where young people move in a planned way, the first review will need to decide whether it will be necessary to review the pathway plan in a further three months or whether a review at six months is more appropriate. The decision to review sooner will depend on the personal adviser’s assessment of the vulnerability of the young person concerned.

It will be good practice for reviews to take place at an early stage (usually 28 days) after any change in the young person’s accommodation. This will be particularly important for any relevant child – as the local authority remains responsible for the accommodation and maintenance of this potentially very vulnerable group of young people. This first review provides a set opportunity to check that a young person has settled into new accommodation and need not be excessively formal. However, where young people are moving because of instability and uncertainty in their circumstances, then reviewing after 28 days of any move taking place provides the opportunity to bring all agencies together to scrutinise the options for bringing stability back into a young person’s life.

The above requirements for review describe the maximum permitted intervals between reviews. Reviews should always be brought forward where there is an assessed risk that a crisis may develop in a young person’s life. The purpose of these meetings will be to allow all the agencies supporting the young person to meet with them and to agree strategies so that any potential crises can be averted.

For example, given the serious implications for a young person’s future, the responsible authority, or a relevant or former relevant young person’s personal adviser, might usually make sure that a review should take place:

• Where a young person has been charged with an offence and there is a possibility of their being sentenced to custody, which will risk losing their (suitable) accommodation;
• Where a young person is at risk of being evicted from their accommodation or otherwise threatened with homelessness;
• Where professionals are concerned about the parenting capacity of a relevant or former relevant young person, with there being a possibility that their own child may need to become the subject of a multi-agency safeguarding plan;
• Where a young person asks for a review of their plan.

The young person must be engaged in making the arrangements about how their pathway plan is to be reviewed. Young people may suggest that some key professionals are not invited to their review meeting, and, if so, these wishes should generally be respected. However, where professionals not invited to a review are making an important contribution to the pathway plan, they would still have to be consulted.

Young people might be encouraged to take increasing responsibility for the review of their personal pathway plan and it will be good practice, if the young person wishes, to support them so that they chair their own pathway plan reviews with support from the chairperson, if appropriate.

Relevant young people may have the opportunity for their pathway plans to be reviewed by a chairperson independent of the Looked After Children and Young People Service.

Alternatively, the personal adviser, social worker, senior practitioner or team manager may chair a former relevant young person’s review if preferable.

• Ensure the young person has a clear understanding of the pathway planning process;
• Agree a timetable for completion of the pathway plan at the LAC review prior to the young person’s sixteenth birthday;
• Arrange pathway planning sessions with significant adults and other professionals involved with the young person;
• Although the case worker has the responsibility for ensuring the Pathway Plan is complete, they can negotiate with other significant people to complete relevant sections. Where agencies are contributing to the delivery of an individual young person’s pathway plan, it will be good practice to ensure they have a copy of the relevant extract from the plan;
• Gather additional information from the young person’s care files;
• Collate and analyse all the information gathered and complete the needs assessment by 16 years 3 months;
• If a young person becomes looked after following their 16th birthday, the needs assessment will be completed following thirteen weeks of being ‘looked after';
• Share the completed assessment with the young person highlighting the identified needs, strengths and skills to be included in the pathway plan. Discuss services/resources to be provided and timescales for action to be undertaken that will be included in the plan;
• Complete the pathway plan and share this with the young person to obtain their views in relation to the contents of the plan;
• Include the young person’s views and obtain the signatures of relevant parties;
• Completed copies of the pathway plan should be given to the young person, their Reviewing Officer and others identified in the plan. A copy will be placed on the young person’s file.

Click here to view Appendix 2: Needs Assessment and Content of Pathway Plans for Relevant and Former Relevant Young People