Robyn

I had a leaving care worker – we made a pathway plan – but the pathway plan didn’t really follow through necessarily because, well, we didn’t expect them to hand notice in when they reduced my care hours in supported accommodation, so then I just was told: “Oh, we’ll find you somewhere within the next couple of weeks,” last minute, but I ended up moving home and then never found anywhere. I had an adult social worker for a year. I’m still under the leaving care team, but in their eyes I’m going to uni in September, so there’s no need to really look into finding me anything at the time, but it has been a year pretty much of living at home because of that.

When I was 17, I was appointed a PA because obviously, you know, it’s like: “Oh, you’re going to be leaving care next year,” etc. They talk about a health pathway family contact to kind of pathway plan education, kind of like: “Is there anything we need to sort out?” The finances, and everything like that. I mean, just because it’s written down and looks very pretty on a document, doesn’t mean it’s always stuck to, but it’s there to reference in theory to make a transition plan.

So, when I moved into supported accommodation, my college was 20 minutes away from there on the bus, so that was really convenient ’cause I was actually already travelling 45 minutes, so it was like: ‘oh, great, you know, that’s just cut half my bus journey off.’ And I’m in Year 13, so I’m in my last year, so I was like: ‘there’s no point moving college,’ and then I literally out of the blue had to move up here and was like: “Erm, OK, what about my education, guys?” I mean, I have a few exams left, so it’s not really a massive concern for me anymore, but there definitely could have been smoother transition, considering my education in the mix as well. I feel like it was more about: ‘we need to find you somewhere to live,’ rather than: ‘we need to meet your day-to-day circumstantial needs.’ Like, you know what I mean? Like: ‘oh, you’ll be fine travelling two hours for six months.’

Yeah, ’cause when I was in supported accommodation, I moved there and I had to learn bus routes, and stuff, overnight, and I was like: ‘I don’t know what I’m doing.’ And then I moved again back up here and I obviously was like: ‘OK, this is different now.’ But the initial transfer into supported accommodation could have definitely been smoother.

The biggest issue when I left care was definitely the networking. ’cause I moved area, I lost a lot of contact with a lot of people and it would have been really nice if someone had gone: “Oh, yeah, there’s a youth group in your new area,” or this is, like, introducing me to local kind of groups, or anything, or even in advance, a plan that I could have gone to and, like, joined a club or something in the area; I had to do a lot of that myself which is quite hard when you don’t really know what you’re looking for because you’re new to the place. Or even, I feel like some professionals it would have been nicer to stay in touch with but then they left my old care home and it was like: ‘oh, OK, I don’t know how to contact you anymore.’

I mean, it took me, like, six months to get given the local care offer, which I didn’t even realise was a thing until my sister left care and was like: “I got given this local care offer,” and I was like: ‘uh?’ I think that was just my circumstances – ’cause it was rushed – but I do know them now. Also, something people should find out.

OK. So how did... I mean, did you have to ask for it or did you—?

Yeah, I... I did. I had to, like, message my new leaving care worker and be like: “Yo, so apparently...”

Oh, OK. Because you heard from your sister?

[chuckles] Yeah.

OK. So perhaps they need to, like, tell you about that as well.

Yeah, I think it might be dependent on county councils, and stuff, as well though, because I’ve got a friend from [LA] and she’s been given it at 17, the whole, like, local offer thing, and I was like: “You were given it a year before me.”

Oh, wow, OK. OK.

It is really depending on the organisation skills of the workers I think at that point.

Mm, OK.—

It’s a distant error. It’s a... just inconsistency amongst each service.

Mm. So when do you think that you should... like, care leavers should be getting those sorts of... that sort of information?

Yes, it... definitely before 17. I think 16, 17 because you also have the option to go into semi-independence at 16 which, like, no-one knows unless they get told directly. So, it really is important that the information is given way before you’re 18, like at least a year in advance so you have that time to be like: ‘this is a route I wanna take.’ ’cause if you just want to go straight into independence and you have time to also add yourself onto waiting lists for council housing, and stuff, it is... it would be useful to have the plan from pretty much 17 and a half at the latest.

I mean, it took me, like, six months to get given the local care offer, which I didn’t even realise was a thing until my sister left care and was like: “I got given this local care offer,” and I was like: ‘uh?’ I think that was just my circumstances – ’cause it was rushed – but I do know them now. Also, something people should find out.

OK. So, did you have to ask for it?

Yeah, I did. I had to message my new leaving care worker and be like: “Yo, so apparently...”

Oh, OK. Because you heard from your sister?

Yeah.

OK. So perhaps they need to tell you about that as well.

Yeah, I think it might be dependent on county councils, and stuff, as well though, because I’ve got a friend from [Local Authority] and she’s been given it at 17, the whole local offer thing, and I was like: “You were given it a year before me.”

Oh, wow, OK. OK.

It is really depending on the organisational skills of the workers I think at that point.

Mm, OK.—

It’s a distant error. It’s a... just inconsistency amongst each service.

I left care at 18, literally, like, the same week as I turned 18, pretty much. I was in a residential children’s home and then went into supported accommodation. There was kind of a transition plan but like a non-existent two-week one, so it was very rushed because they didn’t find me anywhere until, like, the last minute. And then I went there. I stayed there for six months and then because my hours were reduced, they kind of, like, gave notice and made me homeless, so I had to move in with family. So, my experience of leaving care was terrible.

But there’s been positives about leaving care: I have the ability to be free and go to college and do stuff without having, like, staff from a care home on my back, if you get what I mean?

I think before it was a lot more like, controlled environment; whereas once you’re 18 and then even in supported accommodation it was a bit more like: “Oh, you need to be back at this time,” or, “you can’t go out here,” or, kind of like rules and regulations for my safety or whatever they wanted to say. But I was like, I’m quite independent as a young person, so it used to really get on my nerves when I’d have people badgering me about stuff and I’d be like: “Mm, no, I’m actually OK. I’m more than capable of getting the bus to college by myself that I’ve been doing since I was, like, 15,” you know what I mean?

I think a lot of goal reaching is definitely self-motivated for everyone. I’ve been the kinda kid when I was, like, 10, telling the world how I was going to go to uni. Huh, I was an enthusiastic kid, so that never really went away. I mean, I made sure I picked the right subjects, and everything, for the course I wanted to do and I’ve always discussed, like, my goals, and whatever, with the people around me.

I am looking forward to just going into uni and just having that kind of independence back.

Yeah, I think they literally chose the first place that they could get a referral through to within the space of a few weeks, in all honesty. I went to visit somewhere else which was basically all over 55 and I was like: “Guys, I don’t think this is the kinda supported accommodation we’re looking for, ’cause, you know, I’m a young person not struggling to walk, or anything, I just need the emotional support.” So then when they like... I think the basis of getting me supported accommodation was unfortunately my autism not my mental health, so where I went was specialised in learning difficulties, and then I got there and they were like: “Yeah, you really don’t need this kind of support.”

Because I like... the first placement he tried to put me in was, like, I was the youngest person by, like, 50 years and I just point-blank refused. I was like: “That is not happening.” [chuckles] And then the second one was that, and I didn’t realise it that until I moved in.

Oh, so you didn’t get to see it?

I visited but the house was empty when I visited, as in none of the other residents were home because they were on activities or, at, like, educational wherever. So, when I went, I didn’t, process the fact that it was based on my autism that I’d got the place, and they were all really sweet and I was like: ‘OK, this... they’re being a bit cringe, but it’s probably because I’m new.’

And then over time it kind of clicked in my brain, I was like: ‘erm, yeah, OK, I don’t need that kinda support. I know how to cook and clean and do the basics, guys.’

Oh, OK, so you didn’t have the context until you actually moved in? I see, OK.

And then, I obviously didn’t require the support, so I wouldn’t really access it, I’d be like in and out and doing my own thing all day, so they reduced my hours and then handed in notice and was like: ‘yeah; yeah, you’re good.’

It was, I had requested because I now have to travel a stupid amount of time to go to college, but I also can’t control when or where or what social services do, so it was kind of one of them, I was like: ‘OK.’

Oh, I see. So how far are you from where you need to go?

Two hours.

Like, by...?

Train.

Oh, OK, that is quite a distance. OK, so you’re spending two hours a day going and then two hours coming back to go to college?

Yeah, because I’ve almost finished and I couldn’t get a transfer this late into term.

Oh, I see, OK, OK.

I’m in my last year, so it was, like, not going to happen and I was like: ‘there is no way I’m repeating A-levels.’

Mm, I see, OK. OK, so, that actually sounds really tough.

A lot of care leavers do have it tough. Like, a lot of us just end up homeless within the first two years, so it’s, yeah, an interesting system.

I think the main issue across the whole of my leaving care experience has been the lack of organisation, to be honest. I have had easy access to mental health services and, I mean, I got lowered grade boundaries just for being in care through my university application, which I was like: ‘that’s amazing, but, OK.’ Huh. So, there are benefits of being a care leaver, there’s just a lot of things that need adjusting.

I think a lot of goal reaching is definitely self-motivated for everyone. I’ve been the kinda kid when I was, like, 10, telling the world how I was going to go to uni. Huh, I was enthusiastic kid, so that never really went away. I mean, I made sure I picked the right subjects, and everything, for the course I wanted to do and, like, I’ve always discussed my goals, and whatever, with the people around me. I do have access to pastoral support at college, so that’s helpful as well.

I think they literally chose the first place that they could get a referral through to within the space of a few weeks, in all honesty. I went to visit somewhere else which was basically all over 55 and I was like: “Guys, I don’t think this is the kinda supported accommodation we’re looking for, ’cause, you know, I... I’m a young person not struggling to walk, or anything, I just need the emotional support.” So then when they like... I think the basis of getting me supported accommodation was unfortunately my autism not my mental health, so where I went was pri... specialised in learning difficulties, and then I got there and they were like: “Yeah, you really don’t need this kind of support.”

Oh.

Hence the hours being reduced and the notice being given and I was like: ‘yeah, I probably agree with you guys.’ And that’s kind of on my social worker for not doing more research into the kind of accommodation that would have been suited for me. I really think a semi-independent placement, like, whether it’s flats, and there’s an office for the shared building, would have been more suited rather than kind of one-to-one support, and I was like: ‘yeah, this is where it went wrong.’

I don’t think that’s on the leaving care team’s back because they did the referral – they did, like, what they needed to do – that’s kind of on the NHS system. But I say that as if I’m not going to be studying to work in it next year, but that’s a me issue. [chuckles] I just think, to be fair, that’s just lack of funding.

Long queue times.

And... yeah, and it’s not generally anything the leaving care team have done, it’s more, you know, circumstantial of the fact that everyone, whether you’re a care leaver or not, is going to have, like, a six-month waiting list minimum to even see anyone, followed by, like, a two-year one that they add you onto for therapy after your original.