Post 21 years Care Leaver Stepping Back Policy

Scope of this chapter

It is important to note that Care Leavers do not always wish to access our support, that many will have developed skills that have enabled them to navigate adulthood independently of services and that we must look to listen to the wishes and feelings of our young people with respect to ongoing support needs. Stepping back of services should be seen as positive, showing the progress a Care Leaver has made and giving the autonomy to navigate support in a more flexible way.

Under the Children Act 1989, all care leavers were entitled to receive support from a Personal Adviser (LCPA) until they reached age 21. This support could continue
up to age 25 if care leavers were engaged in education or training. LCPA support was not available, however, to care leavers aged 21 or over who were not in a programme
of education or training. Section 3 of the Children & Social Work Act 2017 introduced a new duty on local authorities, which now requires them to offer LCPA support to all care leavers towards whom the local authority had duties under section 23C of the Children Act 1989, up to age 25 - irrespective of whether they are engaged in education or training. This includes care leavers who return to the local authority at any point after the age of 21 up to age 25 and request LCPA support.

This policy area seeks to set out clear guidance around how we support Care Leavers beyond the age of 21 years of age.

1. Care Leavers in Education

Care leavers aged 21 years and above who are in full-time education will remain open to services until such time they have finished their education course. The only time we would step back our support is if a Care Leaver is clearly stating they do not wish to remain open to services, for these Care Leavers we would step back support, provide information about their rights, including access to our advice line and would contact them a minimum of every 6 months.

2. Care Leavers not in Education

Care Leavers aged 21 years and above who are not in full-time education should remain open to services where there is an identified unmet need/s, this is determined using the following steps:

Formal Supervision Discussions;
A Pathway Plan Review;
A risk assessment review.

3. Care Leavers assessed as having unmet needs

Should these assessments determine a Care Leaver has an unmet need, the Pathway Plan will focus on supporting that/those need/s over the following 6-month period. The Pathway Plan will then be reviewed to determine whether ongoing formal support is needed thereafter.

4. Care Leavers assessed as NOT having any unmet needs

Should a Care Leaver be assessed as not having any unmet needs that require formal support, we would look to step back, removing allocation of a named worker, closing the Pathway Plan and instead offer more flexible support via the Care Leaver advice lines as and when a Care Leaver wishes to access this.

At the point of us stepping back we will be providing our Care Leavers with a step back leaflet detailing entitlements and advice line details and a list of resources, which will be included in a personalised handwritten card from allocated worker. We will then write to any Care Leavers who we have stepped back from a minimum of every 6 months to remind them of their rights and to re-issue information around accessing the advice line or future formal support.

5. Management Oversight

All decisions around step back will be led by assessment of needs in the first instance, signed off by team manager, with closure form then being sent to service manager for final agreement for stepping back.

The following needs to be completed on LCS for a step back to be agreed:

Pathway Plan (dated within 1 month of step back);
Risk Assessment (dated within 1 month of step back);
Supervision to be up to date and reflect step back conversation;
Step back card and leaflets to be sent and evidenced on LCS;
Case Summary reflecting step back position;
Chronology to be up to date;
Contact details for Care Leaver to be current and include mobile number and email address.

Last Updated: November 5, 2025