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Children’s Guide The Fostering Service aims to provide the very best foster placements for children and young people being ‘looked after’ by carers in South Tyneside. How we do our best to achieve this is set out in a document called the ‘Statement of Purpose’. If you would like to see this, please ask your Social Worker (or anyone from the Fostering Service) to give you a copy. We want you to be happy in foster care – and we do understand that if everything were OK you’d probably prefer to be at home. While you are living with foster carers, however, we will do everything we can …
It makes no difference to us whether you are a boy or a girl, whether you are black or white, what your background is, or, if you have a disability. Everyone is treated the same because we believe in equal opportunity. We want to provide the very best foster placements for all! Your ‘Care Plan’ and ‘Placement Plan’…Every young person in ‘Care’ has a Care Plan. This sets out basic information about who you are and what the arrangements will be to look after you properly. Another plan - called a Placement Plan - will be made with you when you go to live with foster carers. This will set out how things will be organised for you in the foster home and include what the arrangements are for you to visit your family and friends while you are there. The Placement Plan will be made at a Placement Agreement Meeting. You will be invited to this meeting and asked how you feel about what goes into the plan. Planning Meetings and Review Meetings…One month after you move in with foster carers, a Review Meeting will be held to see how things are going and decide if any changes need to be made to your Placement Plan. There will be another Review Meeting three months after the first one and every six months after that. Other meetings – called Planning Meetings - may be held from time to time if there are things that need sorting out for you in between Review Meetings. You will normally be invited to Planning Meetings and Review Meetings that are about you. If for any reason you cannot take part, you will always be asked for your views and either your Social Worker or your foster carers will make sure these are passed on. Moving into placement…You will be told about your foster carers before you meet them. Whenever possible you will be given the chance to get to know them before you actually move in. The only exception to this is if you have to move somewhere quickly - for example, in an emergency. You will be asked how you feel about going ahead with the placement and when you think it should begin. Staying safe…Your foster carers are expected to do everything they can to help you stay safe from any kind of harm while you are living with them. If at any time you do not feel safe in your foster home, please tell somebody straight away ( e.g. a parent, your Social Worker, a teacher ) Social Workers and Family Placement Officers…You will keep your own Social Worker when you move in with foster carers. They will have a Social Worker too – called a Family Placement Officer – from the Fostering Service. Your Social Worker should keep in touch with you and visit you in your foster home. How often they come and see you will depend on how long you’ve been there and how happy and settled you are. You always have the right to speak to your Social Worker in between visits and your foster carers are expected to help you to get in contact with him/her if you want to. For example, you can telephone your Social Worker at their office – or your foster carers can ring for you. Contact with family and friends…We know how important this is. Arrangements for you to keep in touch with your family and friends should be discussed and agreed with you at your Placement Agreement Meeting and written into your Placement Plan. You will be helped with your bus/Metro fares if you go to visit and will also be allowed to use the foster carers’ telephone to keep in touch. Staying over (with friends)…Overnight stays with your family will usually be agreed in advance and written into your Placement Plan. If you are invited to stay overnight at a friend’s house, you will also need permission - so tell your foster carers as soon as you can. If they are happy with the arrangements for this and are believe you will be safe, they can give you permission. If they are not sure, however, they have to ask your Social Worker to decide. Relationships…We hope you will both keep in touch with your friends and make new ones while you are in foster care. We know how much having relationships with people we like helps us to feel happy – including those with boyfriends / girlfriends (when they are going well !) Your foster carers are expected to be ‘there’ for you to talk to if you are having problems with any relationship. They can also help with advice around sex and contraception; don’t be afraid to ask. Pocket money and clothing allowance…You will get pocket money every week while you are in foster care – unless you are working and have an income of your own. How much you actually get depends on your age – ask your Social Worker to find out for you. Foster careet money to buy you clothes. As you get older, you should be rs also ggiven the chance to choose/buy your own clothes (when this will actually begin will normally be agreed with you at a Planning Meeting or Review Meeting) Respect and privacy…While you are living with foster carers, you can expect to be treated with respect; this also applies to your possessions. You can also expect some privacy – for example, in your bedroom. In the same way, you will be expected to treat your foster carers, and their home, with respect – and allow them some privacy too. We all have ‘off’ days, but if everyone thinks about how they behave (and how what they do could affect other people around them) they usually get on OK – most of the time anyway ! Boundaries…Obviously there has to be some rules – for example: coming in times, bedtimes, how loud you can play your music, etc. These should be discussed and agreed with you before you move in. If you deliberately break these rules, or get into trouble outside of the foster home, you may be punished in some (reasonable) way – for example, ‘grounded’ or stopped from watching TV for a while. You will never be hit, however, and never stopped from making an arranged visit to see your family. Running away…Everyone feels like running away sometimes, but it doesn’t help sort things out ! Because we want to keep you safe, if you ever do run away your foster carers have to inform the Police (as well as tell Social Services, of course) If you are likely to be late getting back to the foster home anytime, it is a good idea to telephone and let your carers know – in case they get worried and report you ‘missing’ ! Bullying…No one has the right to bully you – whether you are in foster care, or not ! We know it can happen, however – maybe at school, or when you are out with your friends. If you are ever bullied, please tell somebody – then your Social Worker and/or foster carers can help you work out what to do to make sure it stops. Foster carers cannot give you permission to smoke (if you are under 16), drink, or take drugs while you are living with them - they have to abide by the law too ! They are also expected to help you to stay healthy. If you do smoke, you will be expected to agree where (in the foster home) this is OK i.e. once you are 16. This probably won’t be your bedroom, as it could be a fire risk. You can ask to see some of what is written about you on your file – usually those comments made by your Social Worker and your foster carers. In many cases what is written down will come as no surprise as it will have been shared with you anyway. If you want to see your file, you will need to ask your Social Worker to arrange this for you. You also have a right to add your own views about what is written. It’s always best to try and sort things out by talking to your foster carers or your Social Worker. If this doesn’t work, and you feel strongly about something to do with how you are being looked after, you have the right to make a formal complaint.
Ros Watters, (a Complaints Officer) will look at your complaint quickly and will get in touch with you to discuss it. Ros is based at Kelly House in Campbell Park Road in Hebburn and can be contacted on (0191) 4271717. You can also get help to complain from NYAS (National Youth Advocacy Service) who will assign you an advocate. An advocate can speak on your behalf, attend meetings with you and support you tpo get your message across. If you would rather speak to someone ‘independent’ (who doesn’t work for South Tyneside Council) about how you are being looked after, the government has set up an organisation called the National Care Standards Commission who have an office at doesn’t work for South Tyneside Council) about how you are being looked after, the government has set up an organisation called the National Care Standards Commission who have an office at: St Nicholas Building We want you to enjoy good health while you are in foster care. You will be provided with any medical/dental treatment you need and will be given the chance to have a medical (with your own doctor) each year, to make sure you stay fit and well. Your foster carers will help you get to either school or college, provide you with either dinner money or a ‘packed lunch’… and even help where they can with your homework! We want you to do as well as you can at school and/or college, as this should help you to get a better job eventually. If you have problems at school or college, your foster carers and your Social Worker are expected to help you try and sort them out. Everyone needs a break now and again! Your foster carers are no different and have the right to some time on their own. It may be suggested that you stay with someone else (maybe, other foster carers) for a short while. You will always be told about this in advance and should be given a say as to what happens, who you stay with etc., while your carers have their break. Leaving ‘Care’/placement and ‘Pathway Plans’… Well before you are due to leave ‘Care’, you will be introduced to a Social Worker from the Leaving Care Service who will make a plan with you – your Pathway Plan – towards when you move out. You will be given advice and help with accommodation when the time comes + any financial help you are entitled to. Social Services will continue to offer you some support when you have left ‘Care’/placement i.e. until you feel OK about being on your own. |
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