Preparing to Leave Care

We’re here to help you when you’re ready to leave care. We want to make it as clear as possible what you’re entitled to and where you can find more information.

Our Leaving Care Coaches, along with other professionals, will work with you and your own individual needs, so we can do all we can to support you.

A Leaving Care Coach is a person who works for Waltham Forest Council. Their job is to help Children in Care have a voice in making decisions. They will also:

• Help you to think about what you might want to do in the future
• Support you to review your Pathway Plan
• Help you to do something you are finding difficult to do yourself
• Act as advocates and make sure the council helps to make your Pathway Plan work for you

It is a written agreement that makes sure your views are included and record what you want to be able to do in the future.

The Care Leavers Offer was developed as one-stop shop for young people to access advice and guidance around some key areas. These are:

• Being prepared to live independently
• Finding a home
• Bills, budgeting and money
• Finding employment
• Being healthy
• Knowing your rights

The Care Leavers Offer booklet (PDF)