The guide to being in care

This website is for children and young people who are “looked after”, sometimes you might hear people say “in care”. 

We put this information together with the help of some young people who are in a similar situation to you. They gave us ideas on what should be included and gave some advice and have drawn the artwork on the different pages. You will see this dotted around in quotes and videos. Thank you to the young people who gave their ideas.

This website gives you information about where you are living, keeping in touch with important people, how you can have your say, meetings, your health and your rights.

This guide isn’t a replacement for talking to people like your carers or social workers but it might help with some questions that you have.

There might be some words people use that you’ve not heard before. You can find these in the A-Z of being in care section.

This may be a difficult time for you. You may feel angry, upset, confused, or you might feel relieved that something is being done about your situation.
 
Your social worker should have explained why you are not able to live at home at the moment and why you are being “looked after” and what is going to happen next. If they haven’t you can ask them.