Care plan
Every child or young person in care will have a care plan. The care plan is created with your social worker, your parents (where possible) and you, your wishes and opinions should be listened to. However it is important to remember that not all of your wishes will be possible. Your care plan will include decisions about:
Where you will live
What you need
Your education
Contact with friends and relatives
Your health needs
Your care plan will be reviewed at every Children Looked After review meeting.
Your Children Looked After (CLA) Review
At this meeting we look at your care plan. Your CLA review meeting is chaired by your Reviewing Officer (RO) and will include most of the adults that are a part of your life, like your parents (where possible) social worker, carer etc.
Arranging the meeting
Your social worker will organise your CLA review meeting, they will discuss with you before the meeting:
The date, time and place of the meeting
The purpose of the review
The people that will be at the review
The main areas of your care that you would like to discuss
How to make the most of your review
Our advice to you
Your review is your opportunity to have an impact on how you are being cared for. This is your opportunity to have a say about what happens to you now and in the future, the plans made will be discussed in future meetings to see how those objectives can be achieved. It’s important that you use your meeting to tell us everything you want us to know.
You should:
Fill out the review forms that you are sent before the review. This will help you to think about the things that you want to discuss, you can see a copy of the form here.
Speak to your RO before the review
Be brave enough to let everyone at the meeting know what you think at the review
When adults use words that you don’t understand, please remind the adults present to use words that you will understand
Discuss with your RO how you could co-chair the review with them
Pathway plans
When you turn 16 years old, your social worker will begin to work on your pathway plan. Your pathway plan is like your care plan; it will include all of the topics like your care plan but also look at how you are being prepared for independence. Your pathway plan will be discussed at every CLA review meeting until you turn 18. After you turn 18 your CLA reviews will become your Pathway Plan Reviews. Remember it’s important that you participate in all of them if you want your opinion to be taken into account; it is a good way to show all of the people involved that you like to be a part of the important decisions being made about you.
Placement Plan
We want all of our children and young people to be happy in their placements, therefore we put together a placement plan with you, your carers, social worker and parents (where possible). Your placement plan will include:
Where you will live and how long for
Who will look after you
Exactly how you are going to be cared for
When you will see your family/ how often you will see your family