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Worksheet

Preparation for Independence and Pathway Planning Checklist

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The following websites provide useful information about benefits, education and general support.


http://www.support4learning.org.uk

Information about education grants, loans and student support


http://www.aimhigher.ac.uk/home/index.cfm

Information on all aspects of Higher Education


http://www.direct.gov.uk/MoneyTaxAndBenefits

Information on Tax and Benefits


http://www.dwp.gov.uk

Information on Benefits


http://www.dfes.gov.uk/caretolearn/parents.cfm

Information about the Care to Learn initiative


http://www.ppa.org.uk/ppa/HC1_form_intro.htm

Information about the HC1 form. Info line 0845 850 1166


http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/getadvice.htm

Citizens Advice Bureau


http://www.dwp.gov.uk

Department for Work and Pensions. Useful A-Z guide to benefits.


https://www.taxcredits.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/HomeIR.aspx

The Inland Revenue’s guide to tax credits. Calculate and submit claims online.

www.nationaldebtline.co.uk

Information on debt issues.


www.direct.gov.uk/YoungPeople/Money/WhatBenefitsCanYouClaim/fs/en

Information on Benefits and education allowances for young people


www.advicenow.org.uk

Advice Services Alliance information including benefits.


https://www.clsdirect.org.uk

Community Legal Service. Find an adviser online or get advice direct over the telephone.


www.dialuk.info

Disability Information and Advice Line services. Information on disability benefits and services.


www.disabilityalliance.org

Information on disability benefits and services.
Information on benefits and other services for older people. Links to separate websites for Wales, Scotland and NI.


www.ace.org.uk/AgeConcern/locate.htm

Disability benefit’s information


Information on benefits and services for lone parents.

www.oneparentfamilies.org.uk

Information on debt issues.

www.nationaldebtline.co.uk

www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk

The website of the NHS Direct health advice and information service.

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Leaving Care Task Checklist and Worksheets

Leaving Care Task Checklist

The aim of this leaving care checklist is to highlight key tasks that need to be completed as young people progress to independence.

The following information, leaflets, forms, agreements and tasks should be provided or undertaken as soon as leaving care personal advisers are allocated.

Tick as appropriate if the task has been completed, or record when the task will be started and the progress to date.

Leaving Care, Identity and Citizenship
  • A health history and family health history, including a record of immunisations, illnesses and accidents, allergies etc, the information should include information about any family health issues and hereditary illnesses.
  • Information about the young person’s family history;
  • Information about the young person’s care and leaving care history which includes all of their placements, addresses including dates and details.
  • Information about why the young person came into care
  • Information about significant family and important people and their contact information providing they do not present significant risk to them.
Education, Training and Employment
Finance
Accommodation
Health
For young people who are additionally Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children the following tasks should be completed:

Young people must apply to extend their leave to remain at least two months before their immigration leave status expires. If this task is completed by a young person’s eighteenth birthday and they have proof that the Home Office has received their application the young person is eligible to apply for benefits. Personal Advisers should obtain a letter from the young person’s solicitor that includes details of the young person’s immigration status; the date of the application to extend the leave to remain was submitted. The solicitor submits the renewal/extension by recorded post. The recorded post item will have a tracking number that can be used to verify that the Home Office received the application. The letter from the solicitor and a print out of the Post Office tracking statement should be submitted with the young person’s benefit claim.

National Insurance Numbers

If the young person does not receive their N.I. Number by the age of fifteen and ten months the New Registrations Department of the Department of Work and Pensions needs to be contacted regarding obtaining a number.

All young people should automatically receive a National Insurance Number at the age of 15 and 9 months. The National Insurance Number is sent to the address where Child Benefit is being claimed for the young person. As looked after children do not have a Child Benefit claim National Insurance Numbers do not automatically get issued. At the age of 15 and 9 months the social worker for the young person needs to contact the New Registrations Section of the National Insurance Number Office – HMRC. For detailed guidance see:

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/nimmanual/NIM39310.htm

Listed below are the main kinds of housing available. The type of accommodation you prefer may not be easy to obtain or keep hold of, but by planning, persistence, and using the support of others, even these days, you can find it.

  • Owning your own home
  • Private renting
  • Housing association flat
  • Council tenancy
  • Lodging in someone else’s home
  • Bed and breakfast
  • Squat
  • Night shelter
  • Housing co-operative
  • Mobile home
  • Going home/staying at home
  • Supported lodgings
  • Accommodation tied to a job, for example armed services, nurses quarters, live-in hotel work
  • Sleeping rough
  • Hostel
  • Staying with friends
  • Rent deposit guarantee or bond scheme
Ways of finding private accommodation
  • Word of mouth
  • Housing aid centres
  • Housing agencies
  • College and other notice boards
  • Shop windows, especially newsagents, community centres and your work place.
  • Newspapers and magazines
  • Local daily and free papers
  • Accommodation agencies
Understanding housing adverts
  • Shared house – Usually means own bedroom, plus a living room, kitchen and bathroom shared with others.
  • Studio flat – Own living room/bedroom, kitchen and bathroom (self-contained i.e. not shared with others).
  • Bedsit – One room which contains living, sleeping and kitchen facilities but having to share a bathroom with others.
  • PCM – Per calendar month
  • PW – Per week
  • DEP – Deposit
  • FF – Fully furnished
  • SC - Self contained
  • CH – Central heating
  • No DSS – No Dept Social Security i.e. they don’t want people who are dependent on benefits.
Viewing private accommodation

If possible, take your personal adviser, career or a friend to view a property with you.

Check the following:

  • The cost of the rent and what it covers.
  • Will the landlord let to people on benefits?
  • Ensure that the rent level is with the Housing Benefit/Local Housing Allowance rate for the type of property and the area.
  • Do you have to provide a deposit; if so, how much is it?
  • Do you need references?
  • Will you be given a license agreement or tenancy agreement and how long will it last?
  • What services does the accommodation have (gas, electric etc)?
  • Security and access to the property (how safe is it?)
  • What furnishings and equipment (cooker, fridge etc) does the accommodation have?
  • Is there an inventory of all the items and equipment in the accommodation?
  • Would you be permitted to decorate and/or hang pictures on the walls?
Viewing council and housing association accommodation

Always take your personal adviser with you when you are viewing council or housing association accommodation and completing a tenancy agreement.

Check the following:

  • When does the tenancy begin (do you have any rent free weeks)?
  • Will you be given and Introductory Tenancy and how long will it last?
  • Are the electrics, plumbing etc in good working order (always try the taps and flush the toilets to see if they are working)?
  • Is it secure?
  • Make sure you get a tenancy agreement and/or rent book showing rent and other charges payable and the date in writing of when your tenancy starts.
  • If the accommodation requires work to be undertaken and/or decorating who will do this work?
  • Who will be your area housing officer/tenancy support worker?

If there are problems with the accommodation and you do not want to accept the offer, talk it over with your personal adviser. Check if you are entitled to further offer; if your grounds for refusing are reasonable, it is possible that you may be offered something more suitable.

The aim of this worksheet is to assist young people, foster carers and personal advisers to check the condition and safety of accommodation that they are viewing.


With your foster carer, personal adviser or anyone who can assist you, build up a list of useful organisations and their contact details.

The following list is a start. Think about organisations that may be useful to you now and in the future and where you would find out about them. The internet, yellow pages, the library your carer and your personal adviser are useful sources of information.

  • Citizens Advice Bureau
  • Job Centre Plus
  • Connexions and the Careers Service
  • The Housing Benefit Office
  • The local housing department
  • Police station
  • Library
  • Community Alcohol/Drug Service
  • Youth enquiry or youth information service
  • Local hospital
  • Doctor
  • Dentist
  • Opticians
  • Water supplier
  • Gas supplier
  • Electricity supplier
  • Sexual heath clinic
  • Commission for Racial Equality
  • Family planning clinic
  • Gay and lesbian youth groups

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The aim of this worksheet is to help young people to think about and prepare for moving into a new home. It is also intended for use by carers, support workers and personal advisers who are assisting with the move.


Start by making a list of the items you think you will need in your new home. The list below provides some ideas on what you may need:


FURNITURE Priority (1 to 3) Estimated Cost
Bed
Chest of Drawers
Coffee Table
Settee
Shelving
Stereo System
Table and Chairs
Television and Television License
Wardrobe
KITCHEN AND HOUSEHOLD
Alarm Clock
Cleaning Equipment (mop, bucket etc)
Cooker
Crockery
Cutlery
Fridge
Iron and Ironing Board
Kettle
Kitchen Equipment (bowl, drainer etc)
Pots and pans
Toaster
Vacuum Cleaner
Washing Machine
Contents Insurance
LINEN AND SOFT FURNISHINGS
Carpets
Curtain Tracks
Curtains
Duvet
Duvet Covers x 2
Lamp Shades
Pillows
Sheets x 2
Towels

Where do I get it from and how much will it cost?

Think about where to get the things you need and how much they will cost

Family, friends and foster carers

Plan in advance and ask your family, friends and carers if they have any items they no longer need and you could have when you get your own place.

Children, Schools and Families

The Leaving Care Teams have an allowance to help you set up your new home; ask your personal adviser about the ‘Setting Up Home Allowance’.

Second-hand/charity shops and car boot sales

These can be great for bargains, and you can often find things that have never been used. Be careful about buying anything electrical; check that all electrical items have been tested.

Furniture schemes

Some towns have schemes run by local charities or the council where people donate unwanted furniture and electrical goods that are tested and approved.

Finding a home?

Use ‘The Finding A Home’ worksheet to think about where to look for a home and what you need to be aware of when viewing places to live.
Think about some of the following issues:


Can I afford it? What bills will I have to pay? How long can I live there? Is the building/home secure? What are the rules and can I stick to them? How will I get to work or college and visit family and friends? Can I bring a pet? Where will I go for shopping? How will I cook?


When you have decided that you have found the home you want it is important to prepare and plan for your move.


With your personal adviser take some digital pictures that show the condition of the property and any items that are included in the rent/inventory. Store the pictures on a CD Rom and leave a copy of the CD Rom with your personal adviser. This will help you if there are problems about the condition of your home and the return of your deposit when you move out.


It is also important to check with the local housing benefit department that the rent is within acceptable housing benefit levels. You can request a pre-tenancy determination which will assess the rent level. It is also important to know that care leavers are exempt from the Single Room Rent Restriction. This means that care leavers are eligible to claim benefit on independent accommodation; the rules are complex and you should check with the housing benefit office. Check that the rent level is within the Local Housing Allowance rate for your area. This is particularly important if you leave care and move into private accommodation at the age of 16 and 17 and the leaving care team are paying your rent. It is important to check that local housing allowance will cover all of your rent when you reach the age of 18 and become responsible for your rent.

Budgeting Worksheet:

Item Cost Per Bill How Much Per Week
Deposit
Rent
Connection Charges
Council Tax
Electricity
Gas
Water
TV Licence
Phone
Mobile Phone
Household Insurance

Moving In

On the day that you move in to your new home you will need to change the utility accounts (your bills) into your name. You will also need to take readings from your gas, electricity and water meters and tell the relevant supplier these readings so that you only pay for services you have used.


Find out the telephone number of your local utility supplier and record your meter reading:


It might be useful to ask the suppliers about changing to an electricity key meter, gas quantum card and water payment system to help with budgeting.


Find out the location of your stop-cock (water valve), gas tap and electricity fuse box.


Make sure you have a tenancy agreement and/or a rent book.


Keep the contact details of your landlord in case of emergency.


Ensure you have a valid television license and/or change the address on your existing licence.


Register with a new NHS doctor, dentist and optician.


Leave a spare key with someone you trust i.e. your carer or personal adviser.


If you are claiming benefits change your address details with the Job Centre Plus.


If you are claiming Income Support or Job Seekers Allowance you can apply for a Social Fund Community Care Grant which may provide a grant to help you purchase important items for your new home.


Change your address on your bank account, driver’s license, library card etc.


Keep all your key documents in a safe place and leave a photocopied set with someone you trust i.e. your carer or personal adviser. The list below highlights some of the important documents you may have.


Document Yes/No Document Yes/No
Education certificates Doctor
Passport Dentist
Nationality/Immigration documents Optician
Tenancy agreement Important addresses
National Insurance number Important dates
National Health number
Immunisation card
Birth certificate
Benefit details
Bank details
Gas supplier
Electric supplier
Water supplier

Now that you have moved into your house you can make it a home by arranging it how you want it and by having your own things around you. It takes quite a while to get used to living on your own and managing independent living.
Talk to your carer, support workers and personal adviser if you are unsure what tasks you may need to do, or there is something you don’t understand.

When you get your own place you can make it a home with your own things and personal touches.


Lodgings, a private flat or a room in a shared house may already be furnished and decorated but you could add some personal touches with pictures, cushions or just your own duvet cover. If it is a council flat with your own tenancy, it is likely to be empty. Finding everything from a fridge to the curtains might seem scary, but there are all sorts of people and places you could get items from.


Remember, if you are renting privately, check with your landlord first before redecorating.

What do I need and how much do I need it? Set your priorities

Use the chart below to make a list of the things you think you will need when you have your own place. Write 1 for essential items (i.e. those things you need immediately such as a bed, cooker or a fridge). Write 3 for things that you could do without for a while, and write 2 for things that are in between. It is worth doing this because if you apply for grants and leaving care allowances to help you buy things, the money may arrive at different times, so you need to sort out the real necessities first.

Where do I get it from and how much will it cost?

Use the chart below to help you think about where to get the things you need and how much they cost.

Family, friends and carers

Plan in advance and ask your family, friends and foster carers if they have any items they no longer need and you could have when you get your own place.

Children and Families Social Care

The Leaving Care Team has an allowance to help you set up your new home; ask your personal adviser about the ‘Setting Up Home Allowance’.

Second-hand/charity shops and car boot sales

These can be great for bargains, and you can often find things that have never been used. Be careful about buying anything electrical; check that all electrical items have been tested.

Furniture schemes

Some areas’ have schemes run by local charities or the council where people donate unwanted furniture and electrical goods that are tested and approved.


Whatever you are given, find, buy or make and whatever condition it’s in, remember it’s yours. These things make up your home, whether you live in a room, a flat or a house.

Item Priority (1 to 3) Source/Where from Cost
Bed
Chest of drawers
Cleaning materials
Cooker/microwave
Curtains
Cutlery and crockery
Decorating materials
Duvet and bedding
Floor coverings
Fridge/freezer
Iron and ironing board
Kettle
Pots and pans
Radio
Smoke detectors
Settee and chairs
Table
Towels
Television
Wardrobe
Washing machine
Vacuum cleaner

Document Document/Certificate Number Location Renewal Date
Passport
National Insurance Number
Birth Certificate
Driving License
National Health Number
Immigration Documentation
Certificates of Achievement
G.C.S.E. Certificates
A Level
Certificates
Current C V
Other

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Symbol 1
Symbol 2
Symbol 3
Symbol 4

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Date Equipment/Household Goods Amount Total

Assertiveness is an important skill that young people learn to develop in their teens. Assertiveness is about being confident understanding your own needs and having a positive sense of self-worth. Assertiveness is linked to self respect, respect for others, good communications and ensuring that we meet our needs, but not at the expense of others. The following list provides a idea of what is an assertive skills:

  • Being true to ourselves
  • Knowing our likes and dislikes
  • Being able to make choices
  • The ability to communicate and listen
  • Being able to clearly state our wishes and intentions
  • Staying calm in the face of different views and opinions
  • The ability to negotiate acceptable outcomes
  • Being positive and looking to create opportunities
  • Being willing, when necessary, to ask for help without embarrassment.

Being assertive will help young people with making a successful transition to adult life. In particular, assertiveness will assist in the following areas:

  • Managing physical boundaries such as accommodation
  • Managing emotional boundaries and saying no to exploitative relationships
  • Accessing resources such as money, accommodation, education, training and work opportunities and leisure
  • Managing day-to-day relationships and interactions.

Some people naturally develop the necessary assertiveness skills but, for many, there is a need to learn how to be assertive.

Discuss the following situations and examples and consider how you would be assertive.

  • You have just moved into a new bedsit and your friends visit to celebrate with you. It is getting late and you need to get up early for work; your friends don’t have to work tomorrow. What would you do and say?
  • You don’t like drinking alcohol, but at a party some friends keep trying to get you to drink and calling you names for not wanting to get drunk. What would you do and say?
  • You bought a jumper last week that has a hole in it; when you take it back to the shop the assistant tells you it is your fault? What would you do and say?
  • Your leaving care personal adviser visits you two hours late causing you to be late for college. What would you do and say?
  • Your brother who is in debt asks you to lend him £50.00, the amount you have saved for Christmas. What would you do and say?
  • Your neighbour complains about your music which she says is very loud. What would you do and say?

The transition from childhood to adulthood involves, among other things, accepting increased responsibility for yourself, your decisions and, in the end the consequences of those decisions.

Discuss the above scenarios with your carer, social worker, keyworker, leaving care personal adviser, and people you know and trust. Everybody will have slightly different views, what do YOU think?

Discuss the following situations and examples with your carers or leaving care worker and consider how you would manage the different risks involved.

  • You are waiting for a bus at a bus stop at eleven o’clock at night when some old friends you haven’t seen for a long time screech to a halt and offer to give you a lift. What are the risks involved with this situation? What would you do and say?
  • You smell gas coming from behind your cooker, your electricity has been cut off and you only have candles for light. What would you do?
  • You are working in a job you don’t like and decide to leave and claim benefits. What are the risks involved with this situation? What would you do?
  • You decide to visit your ex-foster carers in Manchester, but you only have the bus fare for a single journey. You decide to get the bus there and hitch hike back if they are not in. What are the risks involved with this situation? What would you do?
  • It was your eighteenth birthday last week and your leaving care personal adviser has told you that you need to claim Income Support as your leaving care allowance should cease. You decide to ignore their advice because you think the Independence Support Service (Leaving Care Team) will continue to pay your allowance. What are the risks involved with this situation and what do you think may be the consequences?
  • You lose the key to your flat and don’t have the fifteen pounds the landlord charges to get a new key cut. You decide to keep the door on the latch until you can afford a new key. What are the risks involved with this situation and what do you think may be the consequences?
  • You live in a housing association flat and you are still on a probationary tenancy as you have lived there for less than six months. A friend comes to stay with you and asks to stay for a few months as she has nowhere else to go. What are the risks involved with this situation and what do you think may be the consequences?

Self Assessment Guide A

Scale number one should help you to decide how much knowledge you have or how good you are at completing independence tasks. Scale two should help you decide how easy or difficult you would find it to obtain new information or develop new skills.

On a scale of 1 to 10 how good do you think you are at managing independent living? Assess yourself on the questions on the following pages. 1 being very good, 10 being less confident.

Scale Two On a scale of 1 to 10 how able do you think you are at learning to managing independent living? Assess yourself on the questions on the following pages. 1 being very able to learn, 10 being difficult to learn.

Self Assessment Guide B

When you read the questions think about the statements in each box below and see which one applies to you.