Next stop:
your own place.
Moving out is a big journey. Kithstep splits it into short stops you can actually do: first bills, settling in, staying safe, your first job. Hop on wherever you are. Take a break whenever you need one.
- 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.
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.
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. £12 each, or all eight for £49.
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.
£12 Ask about itMoving Into Supported Living
New place, new keys, new routine.Getting ready for the move, building routines and making a new room feel like yours.
£12 Ask about itHealthy 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.
£12 Ask about itMoney, Budgeting & First Bills
Where does it all go? Let's find out.Money, bills and everyday spending, shown in pictures and small steps.
£12 Ask about itJob Ready for Young People
From the application to day one.Applications, work routines, feeling confident at work and getting through the first few days.
£12 Ask about itHealth & 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.
£12 Ask about itMy 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.
£12 Ask about itEveryday 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.
£12 Ask about itAll eight lines
The whole map. Saves £47.Every pack, so you've got whatever comes up next. Print as many copies as you need at home.
£49 Ask about it
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
Made for this journey
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 we can arrange audio or braille. Press "Easier reading" at the top to make this site bigger and calmer.
You choose the route
No set order and no tests. Start with whatever's worrying you most and skip what you already know.
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.
Ready-made sessions for the young people you support
Pick up an activity between other jobs and get something useful out of 20 minutes. Each one leaves a simple record of what was covered and what the young person decided, which you can point to in a pathway plan review.
- Support workers
- Personal advisers
- Foster carers
- Supported living
- Colleges
- SEND teams
- 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 work with young people in residential care. I see how much there is to learn before moving on, and how little of it fits in a pathway plan meeting. Kithstep is my way of making those first steps a bit easier.
It's small and new, it's run from West Lancashire, and I'm working with the first pilot services to get it right before it grows.
If something in a pack doesn't work for the young people you support, I want to hear about it.
Victoria Hewitt, founder
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.