Journey to Independence is The Keys Group transition model offering young people the highest quality transitional care and support service. Its intent is to give young people the best chances to become successfully independent, laying the foundations for a happy, successful and fulfilling life.
Journey to Independence was informed by national research and outcomes data, co-designed by young people for young people. It is a complete transition model, – a holistic pathway that offers young people continuity of care for the entirety of their care journey. It is accessible to all young people whatever stage they are at in their journey to becoming an independent young adult.
The Journey to Independence has our EPIC values at its core:
Excellence
The Journey to Independence has been informed by national research and outcomes data. It has been designed to ensure that we are accountable and intent on providing the highest quality transitional care and support service.
Passion
The Journey to Independence is our commitment to ensuring that we are ambitious for young people in our care, to be given the best possible opportunities to become successfully independent.
Integrity
The Journey to Independence is subject to continuous monitoring, tracking its progress and working honestly and transparently in sharing its results.
Caring
The Journey to Independence was developed because we care about the future of our young people, and it has the young people’s voice at the very heart of it. Young people told us that we must do better to help them prepare for life after care.
Benefits of Journey to Independence:
- Lays the foundations for young people’s future as they prepare for life after care.
- A holistic transition pathway offering continuity of care for the entirety of the young person’s care journey.
- A ‘stepped’ transition model which aims to narrow the gap between living in care and living independently.
- Supports young people to progress and achieve their independence goals.
- Engages young people in planning for their future with timely, child-centered and coordinated transitions.
- Helps young people to feel in control of their life and their moving-on plans.
- Provides ongoing outreach support and access to our signposting services after young people have moved on.
- Improved outcomes for care leavers.
Stage 1: Residential Preparation.
As young people develop and mature, they need to be supported to progress and achieve their independence goals. They need to be supported to develop the skills, knowledge, confidence, and resilience needed for the next stage of their life.
Residential preparation is stage 1 in Journey to Independence (J2i). You can never have too much preparation for adulthood and young people must be supported to develop the required skills in preparation for adulthood. Therefore, it is important that preparation for independent living starts as soon as the young person is ready and able.
To give young people the opportunities to develop essential life skills, Keys Group has developed an Independence Framework. The framework is a goals and outcomes tool that supports young people to develop independence in key areas of their life. It is also a tool to guide care staff in support planning and key working.
Stage 2: Planning and Referral.
Young people in Keys residential services have the opportunity to transition to semi-independent Supported Accommodation as a ‘stepped’ approach to preparing for independent living.
Planning and referral is stage 2 in the Journey to Independence. J2i gives young people in our residential care homes the opportunity to transition to our semi-independent Supported Accommodation as a step towards living independently.
As part of planning for the young person’s future, as they progress and get ready for the next stage in their care journey, young people are enrolled to Supported Accommodation as the next step in their transition pathway.
Stage 3: Bridging Services.
Bridging services is all about well-thought-out, timely, and coordinated transitions. Helping young people prepare both practically and emotionally for their move. Young people take centre stage in planning their transition to ensure they have control over their life.
Bridging services is stage 3 in Journey to Independence. Young people referred to Supported Accommodation are supported to plan the transition that is right for them. They are supported to start planning their transition as soon as possible and to lay down their transition plans in their Personal Transition Planner.
As part of the anticipated transition to Supported Accommodation, young people are given the opportunity to visit their new home and stay overnight. They are supported to explore the local area and become familiar with and confident in their surroundings. They get to meet their new Supported Accommodation team and start to form relationships, as the cross-over from residential to Supported Accommodation seamlessly takes place.
Stage 4: Supported Accommodation.
Supported Accommodation really focuses on preparing young people for life after care. Ensuring that they have developed essential support networks that will have longevity beyond care.
Supported Accommodation is stage 4 in the Journey to Independence. All young people entering Supported Accommodation are supported by a team that is trained and experienced in preparing young people for independent living.
Supported Accommodation focuses on supporting young people to understand their rights and entitlements and ensuring they move on to safe accommodation. They help young people find a route into education, training or employment and develop good financial awareness. They support young people to develop essential community connections and support networks that will have longevity beyond care, as well as develop essential life and self-care skills.
In Supported Accommodation young people are supported to work towards positive change using the Young Person’s Outcome StarTM. The outcome star focuses on 8 key areas of the young person’s life:
- Accommodation.
- Money & Rent.
- Work & Learning.
- People & Support.
- How I Feel.
- Health.
- Choices & Behaviours.
- Practical Life Skills.
The J2i has been developed around these 8 outcome areas which are essentially the building blocks of life.
Stage 5: Independence.
Young people getting ready to move from Supported Accommodation to living independently require the same level of consideration, preparation, and support as at any other stage in their care journey.
Independence is the last stage in the Journey to Independence. As young people move on to live independently they can continue to receive ongoing outreach support from Supported Accommodation for as long as required. J2i offers ongoing signposting support to all young people after they move on.