Welcome to MEG
Transition to adulthood is often a turbulent time and not necessarily as clear as often thought and for lots of young people its not just a case of you leave school, begin work, enter a relationship, set up home, and start a family. At TPC we understand the needs of young care leavers and have provided MEG to assist you in your transition.
General
A young person is regarded as ‘leaving care’ when they are aged 16 and 17 and they are currently or, previously have been, in the care of a Local Authority Children’s Services. You don’t have to leave care at 16 and can remain ‘looked after’ until you reach the age of 18 when you become an adult. However, all local authorities have a duty to support you to prepare to live independently at 18 and they will, before you reach the age of 16 and 3 months, complete an assessment of what you need to support you to transition to adulthood in a safe and supportive manner. Some young people leave formal care when aged 16 and 17 and move to other types of accommodation designed to improve and develop their independent living skills. Other young people can, in certain circumstances, remain with an existing carer beyond the age 18 under what is known as a ‘Staying Put Arrangement’. What is best for you will be set out and agreed with you and recorded within your Pathway Plan, which will be reviewed at a minimum level of every 6 months.
For further information on eligibility and entitlements please see the Transitional Plus Care MiZone Entitlements Guide (MEG).
Advocacy
You are entitled to let children’s services know if you are not happy and, if necessary, you can make a formal complaint if you are not satisfied with the support you are getting, or feel that you have not been listened to. You also have the right to have an advocate who can help you do this. An advocate is someone who is not employed by the Local Authority Children’s Services who is there to support children and young people like you to share their wishes and feelings with professionals who make decision about your life. They would not take the role of other people in your life but will support you to share your views. An Independent Advocate is a person who will make sure you have the information you need about your rights and responsibilities to be involved in decisions that affect your life. Advocates are child centred and work for you, not the professional. Some children and young people are not able to express their views directly and an Advocate will speak on your behalf and this is called Non-Instructed Advocacy.
For further information on eligibility and entitlements please see the Transitional Plus Care MiZone Entitlements Guide (MEG).
Entitlement
Entitlements to services and support from your local authority Children’s Services depend upon lots of different things such as: your age, how long you were in care, your age when being ‘looked after’, your current age and your legal status at that time you were ‘looked after’. This is a very complicated subject for most and it can be difficult to clarify if you don’t know all the relevant information. Whilst TPC’s MEG does provide the basic routes for entitlements, you need to have certain information highlighted above in order to determine your status. It may therefore be advisable to discuss any concerns you have directly with your local authority Social Worker, Independent Reviewing Officer or Personal Advisor and this may assist you in ensuring you are receiving everything to which you are entitled. Alternatively discuss any concerns with your linked Advocate, Independent Visitor or TPC keyworker.
For further information on eligibility and entitlements please see the Transitional Plus Care MiZone Entitlements Guide (MEG).
Accommodation
Your Local Authority must make sure that you have somewhere ‘suitable to live’. This means that it has to be right for you and, above all, safe. It is important that wherever you prefer to live, you make sure that your Local Authority puts this into your Pathway Plan as your preferred choice even though, for reasons they will clarify, it may not be deemed appropriate at this time. If there are problems with the accommodation, including difficulties paying rent, the Local Authority must advise you on how to sort this out. Further information regarding how the local authority Children’s Services will support you including buying furniture is included in the MEG.
For further information on eligibility and entitlements please see the Transitional Plus Care MiZone Entitlements Guide (MEG).