Sometimes Social Services arranges for children and young people to live away from home. This may be with the agreement of your parents or because we think it is safer for you. When we arrange for children and young people to live away from home the law calls them ‘looked after’ children. When children and young people become looked after they tell us that they have lots of feelings and can be worried about what’s going to happen next. It is different for different people.
If you would like to send the service a message or complaint, please use the tabs above to do so or contact us by telephone.
Whatever you are feeling right now there are some important things you should know:
Care plans and care orders
When the local authority gets involved in looking after you, they have to write down what they will do to help you. This is called a care plan. It says what they're going to do to support your health, education, religion, culture and hobbies. The care plan also tells you how they can help you have contact with family and friends and maybe how your parents or guardians will help to look after you.
Your parents or guardians and social worker should be involved in writing your care plan and placement agreement. You will be involved if you are old enough, and can understand what is happening. A care plan and placement agreement should be written within ten days of you being looked after. Once they are written, you, your parents or guardians and the people who are looking after you will be given copies.
Placement agreement
The placement agreement will say what happens day to day where you live. It will include things like your living arrangements, allergies and health issues. It will also explain who you will be able to see or not see, pocket money allowance, times in and out and travel. If you agree with your plan, you will be asked to sign a form. You do not have to agree with the plan.
Having a care order
Some people who are looked after have a care order. Sometimes a care order is made by a court, which gives the local authority responsibility for caring for you. Your parents or guardians can keep their parental responsibility too. This means that your parents or guardians and the local authority share legal responsibility for you for as long as the care order is in place.
If you have a care order
Your parents or guardians cannot take you home unless the local authority agrees. Your parents or guardians have the right to apply to the court to end the care order.
If you do not have a care order
There is no care order when your parents or guardians have arranged for the local authority to look after you. Your parents or guardians may take you home at any time. It is best for this to be planned by talking with your social worker and the people who are looking after you.
Care Plan
There should be a clear plan for any child or young person who is looked after. This is called a care plan. It will say:
You should be given a copy of your care plan.
Placement Agreement Meeting
This is the meeting where your care plan is agreed. It is run by your social worker’s manager. It should happen just before you move to your new placement or, at the very latest, in the first week that you are there. You will be invited to this meeting with your parents and carers. Sometimes your carers’ own social worker will also come to this meeting. You should be asked for your wishes, feelings and views. These should be listened to. This doesn’t mean we can always do what you want. However, what we can promise is to explain the reasons for any decisions that are made.
Placement Information Record
This form is used to write down what needs to happen to make sure you get what you need on a day-to-day basis.
The forms cover:
You will help decide these things with your social worker and carer. You will be given copies of these plans.
Review Meetings
Review meetings happen to make sure the plans that are made for you are carried out and to think about whether changes need to be made to these plans. Your first review should happen within 4 weeks of you moving to your placement. Then another review happens 3 months later and then every 6 months.
Your social worker should speak to you before your review to ask you
Whether you want a person, like an advocate or friend, to come with you to help you say what you want to say
Who will be at my review
You are the most important person to be there and you should come to every one so that you can have your say. We want you to feel able to talk at your review so we try to keep the meeting as small as possible.
This is a list of other people who usually come to reviews:
The independent reviewing officer takes notes of the meeting. Everybody who is there gets a copy of these once they have been written up. If you or your parents don’t come to this meeting, you still get to have a copy of the notes.
What happens if I am an older teenager
Planning for leaving care takes time and you won’t be expected to move on until you are ready.
When you reach 16 the law says you should have a personal advisor whose job is to help you prepare and plan for your future. Your personal advisor will usually be a social worker.
Your personal advisor will help you to complete a ‘pathway plan’. This helps you think about what you need to do to get ready to leave care. The plan covers:
If you leave care after you are 16, Childrens Services will help and advise you until you are 21 (or 24 if you are in full-time education)
What are my rights
You have a right to:
Your social worker must:
What should I do if I want something stopped, started or changed
Your social worker is there to help you and should work hard to sort out any problems or concerns that you have. This doesn’t mean they will always be able to do what you want. However, they should be able to explain the reasons for any decisions that have been made.
If you want something stopped, started or changed you can talk to your social worker, carer, an advocate or anyone else who you think might be able to help.
What is an advocate
An advocate will:
Advocacy can help get something stopped, started or changed.
How do I get an advocate
NYAS (National Youth Advocacy Service) is the local children’s rights and advocacy service. It is independent and is not part of Childrens Services. It is free and confidential.
When you start to be looked after you will be given a leaflet and details of how to contact NYAS. Alternatively, your social worker can contact them on your behalf.. You may find it useful to talk with an advocate before each review, to discuss if there is anything they can do to help you to have your say.
If you want to contact an advocate at any other time phone 0300 30 3131 or ask your social worker to get in touch for you.
NYAS also have a website: www.nyas.net
How can I make a complaint
If you are concerned about the way you are being treated or any of the decisions that are being made by social services and you can’t sort this out, then you have the right to complain.
You can do this by filling in a complaint form which you get from your social worker or reviewing officer or you can get in touch with the Childrens Rights and Participation Officer, the details of which are on the contacts tab.
If you don’t want to complain but do have a suggestion about how we could do things better, the Childrens Rights and Participation Officer would also like to hear from you. Even small suggestions can make things a lot better for you or other children and young people please email the Childrens Rights and Participation Officer . They would also like to hear from you about the good experiences of being looked after and the workers who you have really helped you or who you have enjoyed working with.
You can also do this by clicking on the 'Make a Complaint' tab at the top of the page.
What happens next
If you make a suggestion or comment of any kind about social services, we will make a note of what you say and get in touch to explain what we do with that information.
If you make a complaint about Childrens Services, the complaints manager will contact you, to let you know your complaint has been received and what will happen next.