Relationships and community

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The FYP on Instagram (@the_fyp_Lancashire)

We're currently planning for Care Leavers Week 2025. Keep looking on The FYP on Instagram for more information about the programme of events and how you can get involved.

The Care Leaver Forum is a participation group for young people who are care experienced, aged 18-25 years. We meet monthly across Lancashire.

LINX, Lancashire's Children in Care council is a group of children and young people aged 8 to 17. We hold regular meetings which are informal and fun.

Visit the your voice – get involved page to find out more about how you can get involved and get your voice heard.

Come to a weekly care leavers hub for food, music, games and to chat with the PAs if you need any advice.

Lancashire's mother and little ones group meet on Mondays between 1pm and 3pm at the Zone in Burnley, BB11 1XD. Any Lancashire care experienced young people up to the age of 25 can come from any area and travel costs will be covered. The group runs in 8 week blocks.

Call 0300 123 6720 and ask for messages to be passed onto Claire Wilkin if you're interested.

Come walk the paths of Lancashire. Our group does a different route every half term, bring your boots and waterproofs! If you're interested in getting involved please contact your personal advisor or email cypparticipationteam@lancashire.gov.uk.

If you have lost contact with family or other people who are important to you, our Lifelong Links service may be able to help.

Lifelong Links can support you as a care leaver to build positive, lifelong support networks.

We can help you address the challenges you might face around social isolation, living, being and feeling alone.

An independent lifelong links coordinator works with you to find out who is important to you and who you would like to be in touch with.

Your lifelong links plan will form a part of your pathway plan.

If you are 16-25 years old, with your consent, your social worker or personal advisor can refer you into the Lifelong Links Service.

A quote from John - "Life is better when connections are made, with lifelong links I found the family I didn’t even know I loved"

Visit the Lifelong Links service page for more information.

A family group conference is a meeting that brings together people who are important to you to create a plan of support around you.

This may include family members, friends or professionals.

This can help when you are leaving care. Having a plan of who can help and support you can help to prevent feeling lonely. You will know who you can contact if you need to and who will stay in touch with you.

Our workers will explain the process when they meet with you and write down with your permission everyone you want us to contact. We will visit the people you have told us about and bring everyone together for a family group conference.

Your family plan will become part of your pathway plan.

You can ask your social worker or personal adviser to make a referral to family group conference.

Visit the family group conference page for more information about family group conference in Lancashire.

We will provide funding for you to continue your hobbies, interests and talents when you move into (semi-)independent living. We will also provide funding if you would like to try out something new. How much funding we provide is specific to your circumstances and will be recorded in your pathway plan. 

Some leisure centres offer free and subsidised memberships for care leavers aged 16-25. Contact your personal adviser for more details.

Lancashire is part of the National Leaving Care Benchmarking Forum (NLCBF), which promotes the voice of care leavers through the Young People’s Benchmarking Forum (YPBMF). This forum gives you the chance to meet other care leavers from across the country and get to hear what they are doing in their local authority. 

The YPBMF Young Person's Hub has additional information and support for care leavers.

Lancashire County Council has signed the Care Leaver Covenant, pledging to support care leavers through a ‘whole council approach’. This means everyone in the council has given their commitment to offer advice to you.

If you need advice and your social worker/personal advisor or anyone else supporting you cannot help, we will try to find someone in the council to give you advice, if it is for an area of work we are usually involved in.

You or your social worker/personal advisor can email careleavercovenant@lancashire.gov.uk.

We also offer you training and employment opportunities at the council as part of our career community.

The Care Leavers' Covenant works nationally with charities and businesses to promote a variety of offers. Visit Care Leaver Covenant Connects to find out what is available in your region.

Lancashire County Council events has information about events in our youth zones, family hubs, libraries and museums.

There are a range of groups and youth centres for people aged 12-19, or 25 if you have special educational needs or a disability.

Visit Lancashire has information about places to see and things to do in Lancashire.