🌱 Pathways Programme: Building Skills for Life​

A practical life skills programme for young people aged 13–25.

Independence looks different for every young person.

Our Pathways Programme is designed to support young people aged 13–25 to develop the confidence, independence and practical skills they need for everyday life and their future.

Based at The Hub in Gloucester, Pathways provides an independence-focused Short Breaks provision for young people who require lower levels of support and are able to safely participate, learn and access activities alongside other young people within a group setting.

It’s not about rushing anyone towards independence or expecting every young person to achieve the same things. Pathways grows with each individual, focusing on the skills that matter to them, at a pace that works for them.

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💙 Who is Pathways for?

Pathways may be suitable for:

Young people aged 13–25

New or existing Chapter One young people

CYPs whose support needs can be safely met within a lower support ratio and group-based environment

CYPs who would benefit from developing practical life skills, confidence and independence

Young people preparing for adulthood and wanting more opportunities to experience the real world

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Every referral will be considered individually to make sure Pathways is the right provision and level of support for that young person.

 

📅 When does Pathways run?

Our Pathways sessions currently run:

Every Saturday
10:00am – 4:00pm

School Half Terms
Monday, Tuesday & Friday
10:00am – 4:00pm

 

Pathways is based from The Hub, which provides a consistent starting and finishing point for our young people. From there, sessions can take place both at The Hub and out in the community depending on what is being worked towards that day.

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⚠️ Bookings are essential

Pathways is not a drop-in service and young people cannot simply turn up at The Hub.

All young people must be registered with Chapter One, assessed as suitable for the Pathways provision and have a confirmed booking before attending.

If you are a parent, carer or professional interested in Pathways for a young person, please contact us first so that we can discuss their individual needs and whether the programme would be suitable.

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🎯 What do we work on?

Pathways focuses on 10 key areas of everyday life:

💷 Managing Money
Shopping, budgeting, understanding money and developing saving skills.

💚 Health & Wellbeing
Understanding how to look after our bodies, minds and overall wellbeing.

♿ Understanding Disabilities
Helping young people understand themselves, their needs, their rights and the support that works for them.

🏠 Home Skills
Cooking, cleaning, household routines, organisation and staying safe at home.

🎓 Education & Work
Exploring education, employment, volunteering and opportunities for the future.

🤝 Family & Relationships
Friendships, trust, communication, relationships and understanding boundaries.

🧼 Looking After Yourself
Personal hygiene, appearance, self-care, confidence and making choices for yourself.

🌱 Personal Growth
Decision-making, problem-solving, resilience, confidence and learning from experiences.

🛍️ Real World Skills
Shopping, travelling, using a phone, ordering food, accessing services and navigating everyday situations.

🚨 Emergency Planning
Knowing what to do, who to contact and how to stay safe when something unexpected happens.​

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🌍 Learning through real life

Pathways is designed to be practical and hands-on.

We want young people to experience these skills rather than simply talk about them.

That could mean planning a journey and using public transport, going shopping and paying for items, preparing a meal, ordering their own food, accessing community facilities, making choices about an activity or working together as a group to solve a problem.

Each young person will have a £15 activity and entertainment budget during their Pathways session. This creates real opportunities to practise money management, budgeting, decision-making and understanding the value of money in everyday situations.

Young people will be encouraged to think about how they would like to use their budget, consider different options and make choices about their day, with support from our team where needed.

Some days might involve a planned trip or activity. Other days might focus on everyday tasks that many of us take for granted. The important part is that there is a purpose behind the experience.

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📚 Learning & Achievement​

Pathways isn't just about having a good day out. There is learning behind what we do.

Young people are encouraged to work towards individual goals and develop their skills over time. Where appropriate, we will also support young people to complete AQA Unit Award Scheme units, allowing them to receive recognised certificates for skills and achievements completed through the programme.

This gives young people something tangible to show for their progress while keeping learning practical, enjoyable and relevant to everyday life.

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💚 An individual journey within a group

Although Pathways is a group-based provision, we recognise that every young person is different.

Two young people attending the same session may be working towards completely different outcomes.

One person might be learning to independently pay for something in a shop. Another might be working on communicating their own choices. Someone else may be learning to plan their spending for the day or confidently order their own lunch.

There isn't one version of independence.

Our role is to identify what greater independence looks like for each young person and create opportunities for them to practise it safely, positively and at their own pace.

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💷 Funding & Referrals

Pathways can be accessed through appropriate commissioned Short Breaks funding, including DCT, subject to eligibility and agreement.

We also welcome enquiries from parents and carers wishing to privately fund Pathways sessions.

Professionals, social workers and other organisations are also welcome to contact us to discuss potential referrals.

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🌟 Building Skills. Building Futures.

For us, Pathways is about giving young people more opportunities to do things for themselves, make their own choices, experience their community and recognise what they are capable of.

There will be support when it is needed, encouragement when something feels difficult and plenty of opportunities to have fun along the way.

Because adulthood isn't one big step.

It's hundreds of little ones.

And every young person deserves the opportunity to take those steps at their own pace, in their own way. 💙💚

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If you think Pathways could be suitable for a young person you support, we'd love to hear from you.

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📞 01452 228760
📧 paige@connections2independence.com

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Complete the enquiry form below and a member of our team will be in touch to discuss the young person's needs, current support requirements and suitability for the programme. Completing an enquiry does not guarantee a placement, as all referrals are considered individually.

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