 be good practice, where possible, for the young person to maintain the same PA from the age of 18 that was allocated to their support when they were an eligible or a relevant child. However, where young people have continued to have a qualified social worker as their PA, their reaching legal adulthood may provide the opportunity to transfer responsibility for supporting them to a PA with particular skills in working with young adults. Any such transfer of support should take place in a planned and managed way; for example, the transfer of support could be timed to coincide with a scheduled review of the young person’s pathway plan, or when the young person becomes more settled following a change of education/training or accommodation. Qualifications and skills 3.20. There is no prescribed professional or occupational qualification determining which professional should carry out the PA function for any individual care leaver. However a PA should normally possess or be working towards a professional qualification. 3.21. Anyone appointed to carry out the PA function should possess a sound demonstrable understanding of human growth and development (in particular being competent in understanding the insecurities faced by looked after children as they make their transition to adulthood). They will also need to have a working knowledge of the range of issues that care leavers might expect to face as they make their transition to adulthood and the legal framework affecting care leavers (in particular the 1989 Act and Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 and related Regulations). 3.22. PAs should work closely with doctors and nurses involved in health assessments and would benefit from training in how to promote both physical and mental health7. 3.23. They should also be capable of