Commentary on Sections Part 6 - Looked after and Accommodated Children Section 107 - Pathway assessments and plans: general
305.Section 107 requires a local authority to carry out an assessment to determine what advice and support is required by a category 1 young person both while he or she is being looked after and after he or she ceases to be looked after. This provision restates the duty contained in paragraph 19B(4) of Schedule 2 to the Children Act 1989.
306.Subsections (2), (3) and (4) apply to a young person who is a category 2 or 3 young person who does not already have a pathway plan in place, and to a category 4 young person. In such cases, the local authority must carry out an assessment to determine the advice and other support it would be appropriate for the local authority to provide to the young person. Following assessment, the local authority must prepare a pathway plan and keep it under review. This provision restates the obligations contained in sections 23B, 23C and 23CA of the Children Act 1989.
307.The purpose and required content of a pathway plan are specified in subsection (7) which also contains a regulation making power for the Welsh Ministers to add matters to be included in a pathway plan. This subsection restates provision made in section 23E, paragraph 19B(4) of Schedule 2, and sections 23C(3)(b) and 23CA(3)(a) of the Children Act 1989.
308.Regulations about assessments which may be made by the Welsh Ministers, in accordance with the power in subsection (8), may contain provision about matters such as who is to be consulted; the manner and timing of such assessments and record keeping. The local authority must regularly review a pathway plan, and subsection (11) provides that assessment(s) or review(s) carried out in accordance with this section can be carried out at the same time as any other assessment or review.