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You ask for someone can speak for you in meetings

A care leaver or care experienced young person is someone who has been in the care of the local authority and is now living back with family or living on their own.

Some jargon or terminology you might hear is:

Relevant Care Leaver =

Eligible Care Leaver =

Former Relevant Care Leaver

Visits with your birth family, mum, dad, grandparents, brothers or sisters. We like to call this family time or visits.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services

If the council wants to take a child into care to keep them safe, they cannot do it instantly. There is a legal process they must follow. Starting this legal process is called starting ‘care proceedings’.

The first step is to apply for an interim care order (ICO).

The council can apply for an interim care order by going to the family court. They must prove that the child is being harmed, or is in danger of being harmed, and that being taken into care will stop it happening.

If the judge agrees, the child will go into the council’s care.

The next step is to apply for a care order (CO).

If the judge agrees to the care order, the child will stay in the council’s care. There is no time limit on how long a care order can last. The child will stay in the council’s care until:

• they can go back to their parents
• another order is made to say who they should live with
• they turn 18

While an interim care order or care order is in place, the parents share parental responsibility with the council. But the council can make decisions without including the parents, if they think it’s in the child’s best interests.

This is a plan is when you are 16 and planning for living independently.

You might still hear the word “placement”, but we are trying to use better words to describe things. A placement refers to where you are living with foster carers.

This means other children around your age or with similar likes, interests or things in common.

This is when you can go to for a weekend or short visit to another foster carer – we like to call it short breaks.

This is when a plan to go or do something. We check that the people you are with and the activity is safe. It’s about thinking about everything, before you go.

Special Guardianship Order. A Special Guardian is usually a family member or long term foster carer who has applied to care for the child until they are 18 years old and the child lives with them permanently.

This is someone over age 18 , who you trust to listen and support you.  They can be from your school, sports, hobbies, neighbourhood or other activities. Someone you can turn to, if you are concerned or worried.

This is about staying in a safe place when you turn 18. This can mean staying on with your current foster carer or moving to another foster carer who can support you after 18.

When a person’s five basic needs are met – social, physical, emotional, cultural, learning.

This is a Young Person’s Advisor