Independence

Growing Up and Moving On

At Pathfinders we believe it will never be too early to begin to prepare young people for the time when they will leave the care system and move to independence.

We recognise that in order to make a successful transition from being looked after to being independent, young people will require both social skills and life skills.

From the first day of their placement young people will start working towards a more independent life.

Once settled, young people will start work on their Independent Life Skills Programme.

Pathfinders has its own comprehensive Life Skills Programme called “Growing Up and Moving On” which has been developed and produced by an ex CSCI / Ofsted inspector.

The social skills programme will help young people grow and develop through the promotion of their emotional intelligence. In this programme young will become aware of their own feelings and needs and how these might impact on others.

The life-skills programme is very practical and covers all the elements of the Pathway Plan. At the start of each placement, we will assess competence in relation to a whole range of life skills that young people will need to move to independence.

Through the implementation of both elements of our programme young people should not only assume the skills they will need for later life, but also improve their self-esteem, have higher expectations of themselves, and a belief that they can be successful in all aspects of their life.