Next stop:
your own place.
Your future. Your choices. One step at a time.
Growing up and moving on can be exciting, but it can also feel like a lot. Kithstep breaks it into short stops you can actually do: money, a new home, your health, your first job. Start wherever you are, and go at your own pace.
Been in care? Your own copy of any pack is free.
- Ready to go
You are here - Moving in
Keys, routines, feeling at home - First bills
Where the money goes - Staying safe
Know what's OK - First shift
From application to day one
Every stop is one activity. About 20 minutes each.
See what your council owes you
Every council gives care leavers extra help, and a lot of young people never claim it. Find your council to see what you could get.
- Money to set up your first home
- Help with council tax
- Free gym or leisure passes
- Help with rent and deposits
- Travel passes
- Driving lessons
Three steps. That's it.
- 1
Pick a stop
Choose the thing that's on your mind right now. You don't have to start at the beginning.
- 2
Do it in 20 minutes
Short, plain-English activities. On your own, or with a worker, carer or someone you trust.
- 3
Tick it off
Colour in the stop and move on. Come back to the rest whenever you're ready.
More than a name
Kith is an old word for friends and the familiar people around you. You might know it from "kith and kin".
Step is progress, however big or small.
Put together, Kithstep means this: independence doesn't mean doing everything alone. It means moving forward with confidence, knowing support is still there when you need it.
Pick your line
Each pack is a line with its own colour. Every one can be printed or used on a screen, and comes in large print and a screen-reader version too. Every pack also has notes for supporters, a progress record, a contacts page, useful numbers and a certificate. £12 each, or all nine for £59, for home use. Using them at work? See plans for services.
Ready for Independence
The basics, minus the boring bit.Everyday life skills, making your own choices and asking for help without it feeling awkward. Written for 16 to 18 year olds.
Listen to this packLook inside
- Plan a simple meal
- Problem-solving: one step at a time
- Get ready for an appointment
- Plan a public transport journey
- Home safety: what could I do?
- Cleaning routine: my plan
Example page: stop 1£12 Buy nowMoving Into Supported Living
New place, new keys, new routine.Getting ready for the move, building routines and making a new room feel like yours.
Listen to this packLook inside
- My moving checklist
- Getting to know my new home
- My week
- Making my space feel like mine
- Living with other people
- Who's who and who to call
Example page: stop 1£12 Buy nowHealthy Relationships & Boundaries
Know what's OK. Know what's not.Talking things through, consent, staying safe online, self-respect and knowing when to reach out.
Listen to this packLook inside
- Healthy or not?
- My boundaries
- Saying no and being heard
- Consent: checking in
- Staying safe online
- My support circle
Example page: stop 1Worried about someone controlling you? Feeling safe in your relationships has the signs to look out for and free helplines.
£12 Buy nowMoney, Budgeting & First Bills
Where does it all go? Let's find out.Money, bills and everyday spending, shown in pictures and small steps.
Listen to this packLook inside
- Needs and wants
- Where my money comes from
- My monthly budget
- Understanding a bill
- Bills I'll need to pay
- When money goes wrong
Example page: stop 1Aged 15 to 17 and in care? A free online course could add up to £750 to your savings. Find out about Stepladder.
£12 Buy nowJob Ready for Young People
From the application to day one.Applications, work routines, feeling confident at work and getting through the first few days.
Listen to this packLook inside
- What I'm good at
- Jobs I could try
- My CV builder
- Applying for a job
- Getting ready for an interview
- My first week at work
Example page: stop 1£12 Buy nowHealth & Wellbeing
Look after your body and your mind.Registering with a GP, knowing where to go when you're ill, sleep, food and your mental health. Includes a medication chart and a refill stop so you never run out.
Having a hard time right now? Free, private help is here.
Listen to this packLook inside
- Registering with a GP and dentist
- When I feel unwell: where to go
- My medication and prescriptions
- Looking after my mind
- Sleep and daily routine
- Eating well on a budget
Plus two extra pages: Remembering my medication, and My medication chart.
Example page: stop 1Can't afford period products? Find out where to get them free.
£12 Buy nowMy Tenancy & Home
Your place. Your rights. Your rent.Tenancy agreements, who fixes what, reporting repairs, paying rent, neighbours, and what to do if your home is at risk.
Listen to this packLook inside
- Understanding my tenancy agreement
- My rights and responsibilities
- Reporting a repair
- Paying my rent
- Being a good neighbour
- If my home is at risk
Example page: stop 1£12 Buy nowEveryday Living
The jobs that keep a home running.Shopping on a budget, planning meals, doing the washing, kitchen safety, buses and trains, and sharing out the cleaning.
Listen to this packLook inside
- Food shopping on a budget
- Planning a week of meals
- Doing my laundry
- Kitchen and food safety
- Getting around: tickets and passes
- My cleaning week
Example page: stop 1£12 Buy nowAlcohol, Drugs & Getting Support
Honest, no judgement.Drinking, drugs, pressure and feelings, spotting the warning signs, worrying about someone else, and knowing where to turn if things get hard.
Look inside
- When drinking becomes a problem
- Understanding drugs
- Spotting the warning signs
- Alcohol, drugs and my feelings
- Worried about someone else?
- Getting help without feeling judged
Example page: stop 1£12 Buy nowAll nine lines
The whole map. Saves £49.Every pack, so you've got whatever comes up next. That's 54 activities in all. Print as many copies as you need at home.
£59 Buy all nine
Short pages. Big tick boxes. No essays.
Every activity fits on a page or two. There's a bit to read, a bit to do, and space to write what you decided, in your own words.
Workers get short notes on how to start the conversation and when to stop and follow their own procedures.
Bills I'll need to pay
- Rent
- Gas and electric
- Council tax (ask your PA)
- Phone and wifi
What I'll do next: set up a reminder for rent day
Full pack or young person's edition?
| What's included | Full pack £12, or with a plan for services | Young person's edition Free for care-experienced young people |
|---|---|---|
| Six one-page activities (stops) | Yes | Yes |
| My contacts page and useful numbers | Yes | Yes |
| Certificate at the end of the line | Yes | Yes |
| Large print and screen-reader versions | Yes | Yes |
| Notes for supporters | Yes | No |
| Skills progress record for reviews | Yes | No |
| Links to pathway plan areas on every sheet | Yes | No |
| Can be used at work | Yes, with a Practitioner, Setting or Organisation plan | No, personal use only |
What makes Kithstep different
There's no expectation to know everything, no pressure to get it all right, and no single route everyone has to follow.
Written for care leavers
Not a school lesson with "independence" stuck on the front. It covers the moves, the paperwork and the first weeks young people leaving care actually face, and every pack ends with a page for their own contacts and useful numbers.
Made for everyone
Plain words and short pages. Every pack also comes in large print and a screen-reader version, and you can listen to every stop. Press "Easier reading" at the top to make this site bigger and calmer.
Support still matters
Every activity has room to bring in someone you trust. Independence is about knowing where to find help, not doing it all alone.
One price, every young person
Services pay once a year and use the packs with everyone they support. No per-learner fees, no joining fee, no VAT on top.
Your area, built in
Organisations get a local contacts page in every pack, with their own leaving-care team, housing and local services on it.
Try before you pay
Ask for a free sample activity and use it with a young person first. If it doesn't work for you, you've lost nothing.
Been in care? Your own copy is free.
Every activity, in our young person's edition, free for your own use. No proof needed. Just ask for one pack at a time.
Having a hard time?
Free, private help for young people. Ways to calm down, a plan for difficult days, words for telling someone, and people you can talk to, day or night. No sign-up, no payment.
Need someone right now? Call Samaritans on 116 123, any time.
Independence work made easier for professionals
Structured, ready-to-use activities for direct-work and key-work sessions. Each one leaves a simple record of what was covered and what the young person decided, in their own words.
The full packs include notes for staff, a skills progress record, and links to the areas covered in pathway plans, so the work can feed straight into reviews.
- Children's residential homes
- Leaving-care teams
- Supported accommodation
- Local authorities
- Foster carers
- Alternative education
- Colleges and SEND
- Youth workers
Free three-month pilot
We're looking for five services to use Kithstep free for three months in return for honest feedback. Leaving-care teams, supported accommodation, colleges and fostering agencies are all welcome.
Ask about the pilotWhy I started Kithstep
I'm a children's residential support worker. Through my work I've seen how much there is to learn before moving on, and how much it matters to have encouragement and someone to turn to.
Independence work isn't only about learning to cook or manage money. Often it's about building confidence, managing emotions, making decisions, spotting unhealthy relationships and learning to trust yourself. That's what I've tried to build into every pack.
Not every young person has the same support around them. Kithstep is my way of making those first steps feel more manageable, so nobody feels they have to face it all alone.
It's small and new, and I'm working with the first pilot services to get it right. If something in a pack doesn't work for the young people you support, I want to hear about it.
The founder of Kithstep
An important note
Kithstep offers practical educational support. It doesn't replace safeguarding procedures, statutory guidance, professional assessment, therapy or clinical advice.
If a young person tells you something that worries you, follow your own organisation's safeguarding procedure. If someone is in immediate danger, call 999.
Got a question? Ask a real person.
Get in touchFind your next opportunity
Jobs, apprenticeships, courses and discounts just for young people who've been in care, plus £3,000 if you start an apprenticeship in England.
See what's out there