When a child in foster care reaches the age of 18 they can experience a major change in moving from children's to adult services. To help ease the transition for those with additional needs it can be beneficial for them to remain with their foster carers. They can then continue to receive the care and support they require in a familiar environment. For this to happen a number of actions need to be taken:

• The foster child needs to be assessed by an adult services care manager as having eligible care and support needs to be funded as an adult, and to agree that it is in their best interest to remain living with their current carers.
• If there is no family involvement and the person in foster care lacks capacity, then an Independent Mental Capacity Assessor (IMCA) may be brought in to make sure that the best interests of the young person have been considered.
• Foster carers should apply to be assessed and approved as Shared Lives carers by the Kirklees Shared Lives scheme - this can take between 4-6 months. This is a very similar process to that of foster care but it ensures that the carers understand that the role of a Shared Lives carer is different.

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We recommend that the approval process to become a Shared Lives carer starts 6-8 months before the young person turns 18. Throughout this process you will be fully supported by a member of the Shared Lives team.

For details about payments and tax relief for Shared Lives carers please visit Support for existing carers.