When I am Ready Good Practice Guide -Wales

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• Author:Welsh Government
• Published:March 2016
• Country:

Acknowledgements

This guidance was produced for the Welsh Government by Cognition Associates. The Welsh Government and Cognition Associates would like to thank the children and young people, foster carers and local authority staff who contributed to the development of the guidance.

1. Purpose of this guidance This guide has been written primarily for practitioners involved in making and supporting ‘When I am Ready’ arrangements for young people leaving care. It sets out good practice and suggested approaches to setting up ‘When I am Ready’ arrangements, and to supporting young people and their carers who enter into such arrangements. We hope the guide will also provide a good general introduction to the ‘When I am Ready’ scheme for those who want to find out more.

The guide supplements the statutory Code of Practice relating to Part 6 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 20141. The code sets out a local authority’s legal responsibilities in respect of post-18 living arrangements for young people in foster care. Local authorities are required to set up local ‘When I am Ready’ schemes in line with the requirements in the code. Local authority staff who are setting up or revising local ‘When I am Ready’ policies and procedures should refer to the code, which sets out what a local authority must and should do to deliver the scheme.

What is ‘When I am Ready’?

‘When I am Ready’ enables young people in foster care to continue living with their foster carers once they turn 18. It allows them to remain in a stable and nurturing family environment up to the age of 21, or up to age 25 if they are completing an agreed programme of education or training. It also provides them with the opportunity to develop their skills and confidence so they can make a successful transition to more independent living.

‘When I am Ready’ was set up by the Welsh Government in 2015 to prepare local authorities for their new legal duties under the Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act. These new duties came into force in April 2016. Local authorities are required to set up local ‘When I am Ready’ schemes in line with the national guidelines set out in the Code of Practice relating to Part 6 of the Act.

The ‘When I am Ready’ scheme in Wales is similar in many respects to the ‘Staying Put’ scheme in England. Read more on staying Put on FosterWiki here.

A link to the full copy of the “When I am Ready” document can be found on the right-hand side of this page.

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