Your Social Worker and Personal Adviser

As a young person preparing to leave care, you will have two key professionals in your corner. While their roles overlap, they have distinct responsibilities based on your age.

The Social Worker (Ages 16–17)

Your Social Worker is your primary key worker while you are legally in care. Their focus is making sure you have a safe place to live right now and that your immediate needs are met.

Core Duty: Assesses your current care, safety, and wellbeing.
Reviews: Organizes your Looked After Child (LAC) reviews and statutory care meetings.
Family Liaison: Helps you maintain safe relationships with your family and networks.

The Personal Advisor / PA (Ages 16–25)

Your Personal Advisor (PA) joins your support team around your 16th or 17th birthday. They are your practical guide, mentor, and coach for adult life. When you turn 18, your PA becomes your main key worker. They can support you until you are 25 years old.

Core Duty: Guides you through housing, budgeting, jobs, and adult health.
Keeping in Touch: Meets you regularly and contacts you at least every two months after you turn 18.
Practical Ally: Can attend college interviews, help fill out forms, or just provide a shoulder to lean on.

As a young person preparing to leave care, you will have two key professionals in your corner. While their roles overlap, they have distinct responsibilities based on your age.

The Social Worker (Ages 16–17)

Your Social Worker is your primary key worker while you are legally in care. Their focus is making sure you have a safe place to live right now and that your immediate needs are met.

Core Duty: Assesses your current care, safety, and wellbeing.
Reviews: Organizes your Looked After Child (LAC) reviews and statutory care meetings.
Family Liaison: Helps you maintain safe relationships with your family and networks.

The Personal Advisor / PA (Ages 16–25)

Your Personal Advisor (PA) joins your support team around your 16th or 17th birthday. They are your practical guide, mentor, and coach for adult life. When you turn 18, your PA becomes your main key worker. They can support you until you are 25 years old.

Core Duty: Guides you through housing, budgeting, jobs, and adult health.
Keeping in Touch: Meets you regularly and contacts you at least every two months after you turn 18.
Practical Ally: Can attend college interviews, help fill out forms, or just provide a shoulder to lean on.

Your social worker will work with different children and young people and their families to make sure they have the best possible outcomes in life. They may be helping to protect vulnerable people from harm and abuse, they may be working with you to help you achieve your goals, they may be supporting your carer to look after you, acting as an advocate or helping you or your family access the services that you or they need.

Most social workers work with a variety of different people;

Children with disabilities
Teenagers with mental health problems
Young Offenders
People with drug, alcohol or other substance misuse issues
Refugees and asylum seekers
Families where there is a risk of family breakdown
Children who need to live apart from their families
Foster carers and adopters
People, including children who are at risk of abuse or neglect or have been abused or neglected
Carers

How do I contact my social worker?

You should have regular visits from your social worker and these should be pre-arranged with you as to when is the best time etc. you should also make sure you have your social worker's mobile number and email, so if you are having problems or a crisis, or even just need to chat then you can contact them.

Family Placement Social workers

Family Placement Social Workers or FPSWs are similar to your social worker, except they focus on placement, such as foster care, respite, and long or short placements. They will be working with carers and your social worker to make sure that the right placement and home environment is found for you, for however long or short that might be.

An FPSW will support your foster carer and their families to make sure that your placement is happy and secure and all your needs are being met no matter how long or short you are placed for. They will have regular meetings with your foster carer to make sure they are happy and you are well cared for.

Your social worker will work with different children and young people and their families to make sure they have the best possible outcomes in life. They may be helping to protect vulnerable people from harm and abuse, they may be working with you to help you achieve your goals, they may be supporting your carer to look after you, acting as an advocate or helping you or your family access the services that you or they need.

Most social workers work with a variety of different people;

Children with disabilities
Teenagers with mental health problems
Young Offenders
People with drug, alcohol or other substance misuse issues
Refugees and asylum seekers
Families where there is a risk of family breakdown
Children who need to live apart from their families
Foster carers and adopters
People, including children who are at risk of abuse or neglect or have been abused or neglected
Carers

How do I contact my social worker?

You should have regular visits from your social worker and these should be pre-arranged with you as to when is the best time etc. you should also make sure you have your social worker's mobile number and email, so if you are having problems or a crisis, or even just need to chat then you can contact them.

Family Placement Social workers

Family Placement Social Workers or FPSWs are similar to your social worker, except they focus on placement, such as foster care, respite, and long or short placements. They will be working with carers and your social worker to make sure that the right placement and home environment is found for you, for however long or short that might be.

An FPSW will support your foster carer and their families to make sure that your placement is happy and secure and all your needs are being met no matter how long or short you are placed for. They will have regular meetings with your foster carer to make sure they are happy and you are well cared for.

A Personal Adviser (PA) is someone who will support you as you prepare to leave care and become more independent. They are there to help you plan for the future, understand your options, and make sure you get the support you are entitled to.

You should be introduced to your PA by the time you are 15 years and 9 months old. Once you turn 18, your PA will usually take over from your social worker as your main source of support.

How can my PA help me?

Your PA can support you with many areas of your life, including:

Planning for your future and helping you achieve your goals
Developing and reviewing your Pathway Plan
Finding somewhere suitable to live
Education, training, employment and apprenticeships
Managing money, budgeting and accessing benefits
Opening a bank account and other practical tasks
Developing independent living skills, such as cooking, shopping and managing a home
Looking after your health and wellbeing
Accessing services and support you have a right to receive
Talking through any worries or challenges you may be facing

How often will I see my PA?

Your PA should meet with you regularly, at least once every two months. You may meet more often if you need extra support.

How long can I have a PA?

You are entitled to support from a PA until you are 21. If you would like ongoing support, you can continue to receive help from a PA up to your 25th birthday. Even if you decide not to stay in touch for a while, you can ask for support again before you turn 25.

Remember

You do not have to manage everything on your own. Your PA is there to listen, offer advice, help you solve problems, and support you to build the skills and confidence you need for adult life.

A Personal Adviser (PA) is someone who will support you as you prepare to leave care and become more independent. They are there to help you plan for the future, understand your options, and make sure you get the support you are entitled to.

You should be introduced to your PA by the time you are 15 years and 9 months old. Once you turn 18, your PA will usually take over from your social worker as your main source of support.

How can my PA help me?

Your PA can support you with many areas of your life, including:

Planning for your future and helping you achieve your goals
Developing and reviewing your Pathway Plan
Finding somewhere suitable to live
Education, training, employment and apprenticeships
Managing money, budgeting and accessing benefits
Opening a bank account and other practical tasks
Developing independent living skills, such as cooking, shopping and managing a home
Looking after your health and wellbeing
Accessing services and support you have a right to receive
Talking through any worries or challenges you may be facing

How often will I see my PA?

Your PA should meet with you regularly, at least once every two months. You may meet more often if you need extra support.

How long can I have a PA?

You are entitled to support from a PA until you are 21. If you would like ongoing support, you can continue to receive help from a PA up to your 25th birthday. Even if you decide not to stay in touch for a while, you can ask for support again before you turn 25.

Remember

You do not have to manage everything on your own. Your PA is there to listen, offer advice, help you solve problems, and support you to build the skills and confidence you need for adult life.

The shift from a Social Worker to a Personal Advisor is a gradual process designed so you never feel dropped.

Age Bracket	Who is in your team?	What happens?
Ages 16 to 17	Social Worker & PA	You keep your Social Worker. A PA is introduced to help co-create your future pathway.
Age 18	PA Only	You officially transition out of care. Your Social Worker hands over full case responsibility to your PA.
Ages 19 to 25	PA Only	Your PA continues to provide active support with housing, jobs, and money matters.

The shift from a Social Worker to a Personal Advisor is a gradual process designed so you never feel dropped.

Age Bracket	Who is in your team?	What happens?
Ages 16 to 17	Social Worker & PA	You keep your Social Worker. A PA is introduced to help co-create your future pathway.
Age 18	PA Only	You officially transition out of care. Your Social Worker hands over full case responsibility to your PA.
Ages 19 to 25	PA Only	Your PA continues to provide active support with housing, jobs, and money matters.

If you have a problem and you would like to speak about it with someone else, these organisations may be able to help:

Citizens Advice

Offers confidential impartial and independent advice to help people resolve problems with; debt, benefits, employments, housing, discrimination and many more issues. The Citizens Advice Bureau is available to everyone.

Samaritans

Available 24 hours a day to provide confidential emotional support for people who are experiencing feelings of distress, despair or suicidal thoughts.

Childline

Is a free helpline for children and young people in the UK, you can call them and talk about any problem you may have.

Let's Talk About It (Sexual Health Clinics) - 0300 300 2016

Let's Talk About It provides specialist services, a full range of sexual health services, you may also see health advisor's, health care support workers, counselling or sexual health promotion staff.