Transition support

The first weeks matter most. You won’t face them alone.

For people leaving hospital, custody or care: someone in place before you leave, and beside you after.

Coming in our next phase

An older Black man greets a young man carrying a holdall with a warm handshake on a city street at dawn.

What you get.

Who it’s for

People leaving hospital after being detained
Young people and adults leaving custody, including the youth secure estate
Young people leaving local authority care

Matched before you leave
A mentor or peer who meets you before your leaving date, through visits or the setting’s own approved video system.
A leaving-day plan
Somewhere to sleep, transport, a working phone with Ownsay saved, ID, money, medication and first appointments.
Close contact early on
Daily in the first two weeks, then three times a week, then weekly, for at least twelve weeks.
A link to your aftercare
Help with section 117 aftercare after a hospital stay, with your consent.

How it works.

1
A referral
From the ward, youth justice service or leaving care team, with your agreement.
2
Meet before you leave
At least two weeks before your leaving date, wherever possible.
3
Leaving day
Your plan, checked item by item.
4
Twelve weeks and beyond
Regular contact, and help with housing, money, education and work.

For professionals

For wards, youth justice services and leaving care teams. Referrers get consented status updates through a secure portal, never full notes. Contact inside custody runs only through each establishment’s approved systems.

Working with trusts and commissioners

What the evidence says

The problem is well evidenced: 74% of children released from custody in England and Wales reoffended within a year, in the 2022–23 cohort. Evidence for this particular model is still to be built, and we will build it openly.

Why now