Your leaving care team (next steps)
Your leaving care service at Stoke on Trent is called the Next Steps Team. We will support you after you leave care up to the age of 25. Before leaving care, you will get to know your leaving care worker, who is known as a Personal Adviser (PA). The Next Steps Team is based at the Civic Centre in Stoke. Our Team is made up of Personal Advisers who have a duty to provide you with support and assistance. We have to provide this support to you until you are 21 (or 25 if you want) Once you turn 18, you will no longer have a social worker and your PA will become your main worker and continue working with you at least until the age of 21. However the Next Steps Team can continue to work with you until you are 25 subject to your agreement. Your PA will keep in contact and arrange meetings with you; they will visit you at home and also arrange to meet you in the community.
Important information on this page includes
Your Personal Adviser is there to make sure that you always have someone you can contact to sort out any problems when you leave care. They'll keep in contact with you until you reach 21. But if you want to continue to receive support we are still here to help.
Your Personal Adviser (PA) will help you with lots of stuff which could include –
- social activities to help you meet other young people who are leaving or who have already left care
- help to find accommodation when the time is right to leave care
- help to achieve your aspirations
- help with cooking and the practical things you need to know
- help with filling in forms
- help to put you in contact with organisations and specialist services
- help to cope with the many unexpected things that can pop up when you live on your own
- support into education or employment
- help you with your personal and family relationships
- to be there for you, and never give up on you
How much contact you have depends on how much you need. But as a minimum your worker will see you every 8 weeks unless we both agree otherwise. When you first leave care though, you could be seeing each other several times a week.
As a young adult the decisions and choices you make are your own. Your PA will provide you with advice, information and guidance to help you make the best choices and decisions. The relationship between you and your PA is important, make the most of this and keep in touch.
All young people will have a dedicated PA (Personal Adviser) to support them from the age of 17 and 6 months. We will review your needs nearing your 21st birthday and offer support up to your 25th birthday in a way that is right for you.
The relationship between you and your PA is important. The better the relationship, the more you will benefit from having a PA. To make the most of your PA it’s important to keep in touch and agree how much contact you’d like. As a minimum your PA will visit you at least every 8 weeks. These visits will be arranged and agreed with you. We can keep in touch in other ways too – all PAs have an email address and mobile phone. You will also get a bi- monthly newsletter with useful information.
If you need help and your PA is not available, you can always contact our duty number on – 01782 233575. You can also drop in at our contact point at the Civic Centre Glebe Street Stoke on Trent ST4 1HH. We are available 8.30 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 8.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on Fridays. Outside of these office hours, if you have an urgent problem please contact the Emergency Duty Team on 01782 234234
Pathway plan
All care leavers aged between 16 - 25 years should have a pathway plan. A pathway plan is a written document that helps everyone to understand what you need and what help and support you will get. You will work with your social worker or PA to develop your pathway plan. Your plan will be reviewed with you and updated at every 6 months.
Remember its your plan
It is important that you take part in writing your pathway plan because it is your plan for the future. It will be help you to think about what is important to you and who is going to help. The pathway plan will help you to set achievable goals with lots of support so you can get out of life what you really want.