A-Z of being in care (Jargon Buster)

While you're in care, you may hear words and phrases that you don't understand.

See below a list of common ones and what they mean.

If there is something missing or you hear something that may be worth adding to this list, why not let us know.

Home | A |B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J |K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

A

Advocate
An advocate is someone who speaks up for you on your behalf. Your advocate can support you to ensure your views and feelings are heard when decisions are being made about your life. They can also help with talking to professionals if you feel shy or are unsure about what you want to say.

Assessment

Professionals will meet with you to find out about your needs, any problems you are having and what can be done to help you and your family. There are lots of types of assessment.

B

Behaviour management

This may be part of your Care Plan.

It tells people that work with you how they should reward your good behaviour and how to deal with challenging behaviour.

Best interest

Doing what’s best for you to keep you safe, happy and healthy.

Your social worker should always be working towards your best interests, and they are very important to the court when they are making decisions about you.

C

Care Leavers Charter
The Care Leavers’ Charter was drawn up by the Department for Education in October 2012. It sets out a list of promises for central and local government to make to young people moving out of care and into adulthood. It is agreed each year by council.

Care leaver

A young person who is about to leave care, or an adult who has left care.

You officially leave care when you’re 18 and become an adult, but care leavers are counted from the age of 16.

Care Order
A care order is granted by a court and makes the local authority the 'corporate parent' of a child or young person. This means we take the responsibility of looking after you on a day to day basis. A care order will normally last until you are 18.

Care Plan
A care plan describes how we will look after you and what needs to be done to help you grow up happy, healthy and safe. You will be involved in making this plan.

Children Act (1989)

This is the most important law about children who are looked after by local authorities in England and Wales. It describes in a lot of detail what local authorities must do when they plan and review the care of young people they look after.

Child and Family Court Advisory Support Service (CAFACSS)

CAFCASS social workers are called ‘Family Court Advisers.’ Their job is to speak for you in the family courts. They give advice to the court, work to keep you safe, look after your wellbeing and provide information, support and advice to families. The Children’s Guardian works for CAFCASS.

Child Protection Conference
This a meeting between the people who look after your care and your family to plan how best to look after your safety.

Children in Care Council
The Children in Care Council is a chance for you to have a say about things that really matter and affect your life. Whether you live with a foster carer, in a children’s home or have recently left care, your ideas can make a big difference

Children's Home (also called Residential Home)
This is a place where several children can stay. Rather than one family, a different team of people, known as residential social workers, will look after you. There is always someone on duty to make sure you are safe and happy.

Coming into Care guide
This guide is for you to understand what care is about - it gives you important information you need about your life situation. It tells you what you need to know and will help you to organise things that your carers need to know too.

Connected Person
This is when you are not able to live with your parents and instead go to live with a relative or family friend.

Contact
Contact is where you have time with your family. Some young people in care can spend time with their family and others are not able to, which can be for many different reasons. If you are unhappy with your contact then talk to your Social Worker or Personal Advisor, and Independent Reviewing Officer.

Corporate Parent
When you come into care, in most cases a court will make a care order. When this happens, the county council become your corporate parent and has a legal responsibility for your needs and safety.

Confidentiality

Anything that is said in your meetings or kept on your file will only be shown to people that need to know the information.

Consultation

This is when you are asked your opinion about something to do with being a child or young person in care.

Your views are really important and helps us to understand how well we’re managing the services that affect you.

Contingency Plan

You may hear this said at a meeting. It means the back-up plan. It’s something the adults have decided will happen if the main plan doesn’t quite work.

E

Eligible Child
This is one category of care leaver; a 16 or 17 year old who is still in care and who has been in care for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14.

Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP)

This looks at all of your needs across education, health and care.

Professionals from each area, along with your parents and carers, will look at the outcomes you want to achieve, what support you need to achieve them and how that support will be paid for.

If progress isn’t being made an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) assessment will be done.

Emergency placements
This is a type of fostering that involves caring for children or young people who need somewhere safe to stay immediately, usually for a few nights. This can happen at very short notice.

F

Former Relevant Child
This is one category of care leaver; young people between 18 and 21 who have been eligible or relevant children or both. If, at the age of 21, you are still being helped by the local authority, you will remain a former relevant child up to the age of 25. The programme of education or training will be set out in the Pathway Plan.

Foster Carer
Foster carers are people who look after you in their homes, like you are member of their family.

You might stay with a foster carer for a day, a week, a month or even longer.

Foster placement

This is when you are placed with a foster carer or in a care home. It can be short or long-term depending on the reasons for you being taken into care.

Sometimes emergencies happen and social workers need to have places they can take children to in the middle of the night. This is called an emergency foster placement. These usually last a few days while people try and solve the original problem.

Fostering Allowance

Money that a foster carer is paid for looking after a child or young person.

H

Health Plan
This is an initial plan which will be completed by your doctor, along with your carers. It will say what needs to happen to keep you healthy.

I

Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO)
The job of an IRO is to check on your care plan to make sure it is meeting your needs and that you are safe and well looked after. They will make sure that your views are listened to and chair your Child in Care Reviews.

Independence / Independent Living

Working towards living on your own without adults around to look after you. This can involve learning new skills such as managing money or cooking.

Independent Visitor
An independent visitor is a volunteer who will spend time with just you on regular basis. They are someone that you can talk to, get along with and ask for advice.

Interim Care Order
Under an interim care order, we will take temporary responsibility for looking after you and housing you, until a court decides what is best for you

K

Key Worker
The key worker is a member of staff at a children's home who will help you settle in, with any problems and answer any questions you have.

Kinship Care

When you are being looked after by a member of your family, not your parents, and you’re supported by the County Council.

This could be your grandparents, older brothers and sisters or aunts and uncles.

L

Leaving care team
Gloucestershire County Council wants every care leaver to reach their full potential: to be healthy, happy, safe and secure, valued and respected

The leaving care team will support you after you leave care up to the age of 21. We can also continue to support you after 21 if you are training or in education and provide you with support to get into education up to the age of 25.

Looked After Child / Child in Care
If you are a looked after child, the local authority will look after your health, education and wellbeing and provide you with a family or placement where you will be cared for.

Looked After Child Review / Child in Care Review
This is a meeting chaired by your Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) to make sure things are going ok with your care plan and a chance for you to talk about how things are for you.

People that attend the meeting are people involved in your care, it usually it involves you, your IRO, your Social Worker, Foster Carers and Education. Your IRO will talk to you before to see if there is anything you want to talk about in the meeting.

M

Minutes

Notes taken during a meeting so that there is a written copy of everything that is said and who said it.

You should get copies of the minutes of any meeting (such as your child in care review) that you were in.

O

Out of County Placements

If you’ve been placed in another county you’re still the responsibility of Gloucestershire County Council and have all the same rights as a child or young person in care in Gloucestershire.

P

Pathway Plan
A pathway plan will help you deal with your future when you leave care in much more detail. Your plan will be your own and it will be flexible to suit your needs.

Participation

Getting involved in decision-making to shape the services that affect you.

Permanence Plan

This is made after you come into care and is the way that your social worker plans to give you a sense of stability.

Placement

The place where you are living is called your placement.

If you are going to return to your birth parents, a Placement with Parents arrangement is made and monitored.

Private Fostering

When you are looked after for 28 days or more by someone who is not a close relative, guardian or person with parental responsibility.

Private foster carers could be a friend of your family.

Personal Advisor

A personal advisor is there for you from the age of 16 to provide support and improve your opportunities in life when you become an adult and leave care.

Personal Education Plan (PEP)
You complete a PEP with your school and social worker to help plan your education. One of your teachers will be responsible for making sure that what is in the plan happens.

Q

Qualifying Young Person
This is a type of care leaver; young people who in care after the age of 16, but are not eligible because of 13 week criteria. You must be under 21 (or under 25 if you are in further education or training). You may also be a Qualifying Young Person if you are 16-21 and under a Special Guardianship Order.

R

Relevant Child
This is a type of care leaver; 16 or 17 year olds who have been looked after for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14, and who have been looked after at some time after their 16th birthday and who have now left care. This includes young people who have been detained through the youth justice system or hospitalised after their 16th birthday.

Risk Assessment

This is a document written by social workers and people who work with children and young people. It talks about any possible dangers and what steps have been taken to reduce danger.

S

Section 20
A section 20 is when we take temporary care of a child or young person and where they live. This can only be done with the agreement of whoever has parental responsibility for you

Section 31
This is when the local authority is granted a full responsibility for you.

Section 47
This is when we carry out an investigation if we believe a child or young person has suffered harm, or is likely to suffer harm.

Social Worker

Your social worker will be your main contact with us while you are in care. They are trained to help you during your time in care. They will spend time with you, listen to you and make sure that you are happy during your time in care. It is their job to make sure that you are healthy, are going to the right school and are being supported to do the best you can.

Special Guardian
A special guardian is a carer who will look after you if you cannot live with your birth parents. This may be a relative or someone who has looked after you.

Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ)
This helps to find if you have any other needs that you might need help with while you are in care. Some of this will be included in your health plan.

U

Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers (UASC)
When you come into care, specialist advisors will look after you, make sure you have somewhere to live and will give you access to a social worker.

V

Virtual School

This isn’t a real school, but is a record of all of the looked after children in Gloucestershire who are at nursery or school.

Virtual School staff are there to help things to go as smoothly as possible. They also keep track of how all looked after children in education are making progress and achieving.

Y

Youth Offending Service Worker
If you have been found guilty or admitted to a criminal offence (crime), you will have a Youth Offending Service (YOS) Worker. They will work with you to help you change your behaviour and make sure you are completing any punishment