Being in Care Listen 4 a change!
We have tried to make sure that this guide will answer all your questions about what to expect while you are looked after by Nottinghamshire County Council. Please let us know if we’ve missed anything!
What does being looked after mean?
How long will I be looked after for?
Do people take any notice of what I want to happen?
What if I don’t agree with what’s happening?
What does my Social Worker do?
Will it be like living with my own family?
What's it like in a Children's Home?
What about clothes and pocket money?
What happens if I behave badly and what punishments can be used?
What if I've got a hobby or sport I'm interested in?
What about keeping my things safe?
How do I find out about my early life?
What happens when I'm old enough to leave my foster home or Children's Home?
Young people are looked after for all sorts of reasons. It’s important that your Social Worker and carers explain to you why you’re being looked after. Your views have to be taken in to account when they make plans for the future.
What does being looked after mean?
When young people can’t live with their families, they can live with foster carers or in a Children’s Home where they can be cared for. The law calls this being looked after by the County Council.
Most young people live in foster homes. Some young people prefer the idea of a Children’s Home rather than living with another family. And of course, it depends where there are places at the time.
It’s really important for you to keep in touch with your family if that’s what you and your family want. So your Social Worker and the people caring for you will help with the arrangements and do whatever they can. Sometimes young people don’t want to see their families because of what’s happened before, or the Courts will say it’s not safe. But mostly young people keep in touch.
How long will I be looked after for?
Everyone’s different, but the aim for most young people is to get them home as soon as possible. It depends on you and your family, and how things work out, so it can happen quickly or may take longer.
Lots of young people go back to live with their families once things have sorted out. Some young people stay with foster carers or live in a Children’s Home till they’re older and they leave to live on their own. If this happens, you get help to plan what you want to do in the future, and there are people there to help and support you after you leave.
Do people take any notice of what I want to happen?
The law says we have to take notice of your wishes and feelings. And anyway we know it’s right for you to have a say and that things work better if you’re involved. So it’s important for you to say what YOU want when your Social Worker, your family, and the people caring for you are making plans.
What if I don’t agree with what’s happening?
If there are things you’re not happy with, it’s best to talk to your carers or your Social Worker who can usually sort things out. And you can always contact the Advocacy Service for support.
But if it’s serious, or you’ve asked and people haven’t sorted things out, you can make a formal complaint. Contact our Customer Relations Service on 0845 330 4216. They’re independent and will investigate your complaint. If you need help to contact them, ask your Social Worker or ring the Advocacy Service.
NYAS is a national organisation that is completely independent of the County Council. They can talk to you if you’re not happy about the care you’re getting, or a decision that’s been made. And they’ll help you choose what you want to do about it, and support you if you want to complain. You can contact them by ringing the freephone number 0800 616 101 Monday to Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 10am-4pm
It’s important that you and everyone involved with you know what’s happening, and what the plans for the future are. That’s your Care Plan. It’s agreed and written down and you will have a copy if you want one.
What is included in a Care Plan?
Your Care Plan includes all the different things that matter in your life. Things like:
- Where you’re going to live
- How you’re going to keep in touch with your family
- How long you’re going to be Looked After
- Your school and your health
- Your friends and what you like doing in your free time.
The law says you must have regular Reviews where you and everyone involved talk over what’s been happening, and what’s going to happen in the future. Then you can all decide if your Care Plan needs changing.
The law says that you have to have a Review:
- Within 4 weeks after you start to be Looked After
- Within 3 months after that
- At least every six months after that.
What does my Social Worker do?
Your Social Worker is the person who’s responsible for making sure you’re properly cared for, who visits you, keeps you in touch with your family, and who’s there to help if you have problems.
Foster families are all different, but the one thing they have in common is that they want to care for children and young people who need to be looked after. Foster carers are carefully chosen and trained, and they are supported by their own social worker who specialises in working with carers.
Many foster carers have their own children, and living with them means that while you’re getting used to them, they have to get used to a new family member as well. While everyone will be helpful and friendly, it can take time, effort and understanding all round to settle in.
Will it be like living with my own family?
Families are all different. They each have different house rules and expectations, and it will take a little time to work out what you can and can’t do in your new home. For example, you won’t know at the beginning if you can just help yourself to a drink or if you have to ask first. If you’re not sure about anything, just ask your carers what normally happens.
What’s it like in a Children’s Home?
Living in a Children’s Home is very different from foster care where there are one or two foster carers who may have children of their own living with them. In a Children’s Home, there may be a few more young people and residential social workers care for the children living there. The residential social workers work on different shifts so there are always some around. This means that they come and go during the day.
Because of these daily changes, each young person has a keyworker. This is a member of staff who takes a special interest in you and what’s happening in your life, and who makes sure that your social worker knows what’s going on, that your education is taken care of, and so on. If there’s something you want to talk about, it’s usually best to wait till you next see your keyworker but if they’re not around you can talk to any of the staff you feel comfortable with.
What about clothes and pocket money?
Whether you’re living in a foster home or a Children’s Home, your carers will receive money from the County Council to provide you with clothes and give you regular pocket money. And of course, you’ll more than likely have your own clothes you want to take.
When you need new clothes, your carers may go shopping with you or let you buy your own depending on your age and the situation.
What happens if I behave badly?
Wherever you live there are rules to help people to live together. We all get upset or angry sometimes, and your carers will understand that. But if you behave badly, you’d expect something to happen.
You need to be told the rules. Sometimes your carers might tell you off. Sometimes they may add something like extra jobs around the house, or taking some pocket money to pay for damage, or moving your music out of your bedroom if it’s causing a problem. Whatever happens, the punishment has to fit the misbehaviour.
You might be sent to your room, but you can’t be locked in it.
What about holding me if I get angry?
Your carers can hold you tightly to stop you hurting yourself or anybody else if you’re out of control. They can’t hit you or handle you roughly.
Are there punishments they can’t use?
Yes. There’s quite a list. For example, they can’t:
- swear at you or threaten you
- stop your meals (although if you’re late, you might have to make do with a sandwich)
- make you wear the wrong clothing (like keeping you in pyjamas during the day)
- stop you seeing your family simply because you misbehaved
- stop you seeing people who need to see you (like your Social Worker or solicitor)
- stop your medicine or make you take unsuitable medicine or treatment.
Carers all know what can and can’t be done, but If you think something’s unfair or unreasonable, check it out with your Social Worker.
What if I’ve got a hobby or sport I’m interested in?
Everyone has interests and things they like to do in their spare time. If you need help to join a club, or you need to travel somewhere to follow up your interest, ask your carers or Social Worker.
What about keeping my things safe?
It would be nice if we always knew that we could leave our things and they’d be there when we came back. Unfortunately life isn’t always like that! So if there are things you want to keep safe, you can always ask your carers to look after them for you.
How do I find out about my early life?
Most people like to know about their family and their life when they were younger. Usually our families tell us about these things but if you don’t live with your family or don’t see them often, it can be more difficult.
You have a right to know about your family and your early life, and your Social Worker may be able to help with some of it. They will understand that some parts may be painful and difficult and they will help you to deal with this.
Some people keep life history books which hold photographs, cards, and written pieces about people and things they’ve done. If you’d like to do this, your social worker or carers can help.
Some children can’t live with their families anymore, and want to join another family permanently. If that’s what they want, then we try to find an adoptive family for them. This is a good thing for some children, but not for others who will return to their own families at some time. Even if they can’t live together at the moment, the feelings for each other mean that a temporary place is all that’s needed for the time being.
What happens when I’m old enough to leave my foster home or Children’s Home?
Everyone needs opportunities as they’re growing up to slowly learn to do things for themselves and to take responsibility for their own lives. Wherever you’re living, you should be taking more control of decisions that affect you, both big and little ones.
We want you to stay in your foster home or Children’s Home till you’re ready to leave. As you get older, your carers and Social Worker will be helping you to look at your plans for the future when you leave. Because people are talking about it with you, that doesn’t mean the move is soon. It’s just that it’s best to have plenty of time to think about it, to prepare, and to learn the skills you’ll need. You may be going back to live with your family or moving to live on your own.
When you’re 15 or 16, you’ll be introduced to the Aftercare Social Worker and a Personal Advisor who will help with the preparation towards living independently. They support young people who’ve left care so know what’s needed.
At some point you and the adults involved with you will decide that you’re ready to move on from where you’re living. They’ll help you to sort out a place to live, your education or job plans, money to live on, and will make sure your health, friendships and all the other issues are planned with you.
When you’re living on your own, your After care Social Worker and the Personal Advisor will keep in regular contact to offer support.
Sometimes it’s not possible to keep living with the same foster carers or in the same Children’s Home. This can be for all sorts of reasons. If a move is being thought about, this should be discussed with you so that you know what’s being planned and you can say what you want to happen. It means that if you do move, you can tell your friends and everyone can get used to the idea first.
