Ginny Dixon, 16, had never lived on her own before a two-week stay in Bournemouth Council's training flat for young people in care.
"The first night was horrible," she says. "I kept having nightmares."
But Ginny, who was previously in foster care, soon settled into the one-bedroom flat on a local council estate and began enjoying the freedom of having her own place.
"I liked having my friends round and the fact I could do what I wanted," she says.
The flat is designed to give looked-after young people a taste of independent living and was set up as part of the authority's Right2BCared4 pilot in 2008.
It was furnished by a children's worker, who was only allowed to spend the equivalent of a young person's setting up home allowance of £1,500.
Young people helped out, scouring Ebay, car boot sales and Ikea.
Consistent success
"It's a nice-looking flat that shows with a bit of planning you can do it," says Gill Bishop, Bournemouth's lead for corporate parenting.
The flat gives young people the experience of living alone, including "emptying rubbish bins and remembering that light-bulbs don't change themselves" and "being lonely", she explains.
They are given a weekly budget equivalent to Jobseeker's Allowance.
Bishop believes this dose of real life is what makes the project a success.
"One boy said he had wanted to live independently - but after two nights in the flat he said he got it wrong. It helped him realise he wasn't ready," she says.
Many other young people who have used the flat have been offered tenancies by local housing providers through an agreement with the project.
"We are in year three and we haven't had one fail yet," Bishop reflects. "Every young person is still in a tenancy and in education or employment."
Another reason for success is that young people don't have to leave their placements once they are in the flat, and can return to carers if they don't feel ready for independent living. Placements are available up to the age of 25 if necessary.
Stays in the flat range from two to three days up to three weeks, and there is "someone at the end of the phone" to support them during the trial.
They are also visited by a leaving care worker who can teach them independent living skills.
Self-esteem boost
The project has highlighted the importance of getting care leavers to think about the future at an earlier stage, says Bishop: "Some providers do very little to prepare young people for adulthood. The project has changed our practice in looked-after children reviews - we start asking children about their aspirations at 16."
She is confident there is enough local enthusiasm to take the project to the next stage, with funding secured until the end of the financial year.
Social worker Nicky Bratcher has worked with several young people who have used the flat.
"I think it has a massive impact," she says. "It shows them the reality of life outside care even if they're just learning small things like using an electricity meter or washing machine.
"It gives you an opportunity to gauge where they're at, what they know and the skills they need to learn. Some are shocked at how well they manage and that lifts their self-esteem."
She believes the flat helps social workers support young people who will be leaving care.
"Loneliness is one of the biggest issues for someone living on their own for the first time," she says.
"This helps me assess a young person's support networks. Have they got friends outside the care system and activities they can do? Or do we need to work on that with them?"
For Ginny it has been a worthwhile experiment. She has now moved into supported lodgings and is due to start college this month.
When she left the training flat, she and Bratcher tidied up and completed a full inventory - just as if she was living in private rented accommodation.
She is positive about the future: "I've learned it's not so hard living on your own. I think it's going to work out."
Further reading: Ofsted's Support for Care Leavers report can be downloaded at www.cypnow.co.uk/doc
KEY POINTS
- Bournemouth's training flat was launched in January 2008
- Young people are given a weekly budget equivalent to Jobseeker's Allowance plus a folder of tips from young people and another containing advice and guidance
- The project was set up under Bournemouth's Right2BCared4 pilot scheme. The pilots were launched as part of Care Matters and designed to give care leavers aged 16 to 18 a greater say in decisions around leaving care
