The BERRI SKILS assessment: Helping care professionals prepare young people for independence
A structured way for care professionals to assess and strengthen young people’s independent living skills and knowledge, to support more confident transitions from care to adulthood.Each year, around 10,000 young people leave the care system. Many are expected to live independently far earlier and without the same support networks as their peers, despite additional challenges linked to their care experiences.
For some, this transition starts at 16 with a move into supported accommodation. We know from comparing the BERRI scores of young people in residential care against those in supported accommodation that these two groups have a similar level of needs, but are receiving very different levels of support.
After 18, they may be required to live fully independently, or have an arrangement to stay on in a foster placement, while continuing to receive support from their local authority until the age of 21. According to the Department for Education, there were 50,670 care leavers in England between the ages of 17 and 21 in 2023/24. [source]
Additionally, many children in care do not have access to the same developmental experiences as others their age, and a lack of consistent support makes learning life skills more challenging. There is also a significant group of care leavers with neurodiversity or intellectual disabilities where the path to independence has additional barriers or might not be possible.
For local authority commissioners, social workers and service managers, supported accommodation providers, residential care providers, foster carers, and leaving care teams, this transition can be complex.
How ready is each young person for independence? Which skills are still developing, and what support will make the biggest difference?
BERRI provides a comprehensive psychological assessment framework for children in care. The SKILS assessment expands on this, helping care professionals to build a clearer, data-informed picture of each young person’s life skills and readiness for independence.
Developed by clinical psychologists, the SKILS (Skills and Knowledge for Independent Living Scale) feature allows care professionals to evaluate a young person’s independent living skills in the same secure, evidence-based environment as their wider BERRI assessment.
The tool explores the young person’s skills and knowledge in key areas of independence, including:
Each area includes a list of essential skills, which are recorded on a scale from 0 (unable to do this) to 4 (able to do this independently, and does so consistently).
Results are displayed in a clear visual graph, showing skills that are achieved, developing, or missing. You can also compare this progress each time a BERRI is completed, making it easy to see where the young person could benefit from additional support or education.
“There are often lots of forces pushing young people towards independence they’re not ready for. SKILS helps us recognise who needs more preparation — and where.”
Dr Miriam Silver, Clinical Psychologist and BERRI Founder
Used alongside the main BERRI tool, the SKILS assessment helps to:
“We have had so much positive feedback from social workers and providers. What is particularly helpful is how it’s broken down, because when there are missing or partial skills, it outlines them as areas of focus. You can build on these skills and use them in planning for keyworking sessions. For practical skills, the team can outline for the young person what they need to do and show them how to do it. For more complex skills, the team can offer those opportunities for learning.”
Nicolaas Nel, Practice Lead at Plymouth City Council
Yes, the SKILS assessment is included in the BERRI subscription at no additional cost.
The SKILS portion of the BERRI turns on automatically when a young person reaches the age of 15 years and can be used until that person leaves your care.
If you would like the SKILS portion of BERRI turned on for a particular young person before this age, please speak to your BERRI representative.
SKILS helps care professionals prepare young people for increasing independence and life beyond care — with clarity, consistency, and compassion.
