It can be difficult being in care - there are a lots of adults talking to you and about you. There are lots of different words and terms that get thrown around all the time. You might not understand everything that is going on and it might be embarrassing to ask what things mean. But don't worry now you can use this page as a way of finding out exactly what the adults mean; welcome to....
The Children in Care Council guide to absolutely every single thing about being in care ever,
please click on a letter to enter the magical world of adult-speak
This means that you are looked after away from home - but that your parents have agreed to it. You may also hear the term 'section 20'. This is the section of the Children Act that deals with accommodating children and young people away from home. For more information visit our 'Know Your Rights' section.
Stands for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and is a condition that mostly affects children. It is normally first noticed in schools and can cause a lack of concentration or focus, mood swings and unpredictable behaviour. Sometimes it can be controlled by changing your diet or by taking medication.
Is a legal process that happens to change a child's parents in the eyes of the law. When a child is put up for adoption it means that Bristol is looking for a new set of parents to come forward for the child. These new parents will have to go through lots of tests and interviews and the court will make a decision about whether they can become the new parents in the eyes of the law. If the adoption is agreed then the parents that have come forward become legally the new parents of the child and can make all the decisions on behalf of their new son or daughter. Adoption tends to happen to babies and younger children and can be quite upsetting to older brothers and sisters.
A person who has the job of making sure your voice is heard and helping you achieve what you want whether it is in your best interests or not. Your advocate can help you with all sorts of things; like your LAC review, Child Protection Conference or help you put in a complaint if you feel you have been treated unfairly. They do not have their own opinions about what they think you should do; they will always agree with what you want.
An Ally or Allies are the Bristol name for independent visitors.
Alcohol is any drink which contains a chemical called ethanol. Alcoholic drinks can be divided into beer, wine and spirits and drinking alcohol can change the way people behave. Some people become very happy and occasionally silly, some people become sad and some people become angry and violent. In the UK it is illegal for anyone under the age of 18 to buy alcohol. An alcoholic is someone who has become addicted to drinking alcohol all the time. You may also hear the term 'drinking problem' which means the same as alcoholic.
This is a social worker for foster carers. It is their job to make sure that foster carers are doing their jobs properly and to sort out any problems that might happen in the foster placement that are about the foster placement or foster carer.
In order to become a foster carer or to adopt a child a person has to be approved by a qualified social worker who comes around and interviews them and examines the house. Each foster carer has an approval for a specific number of children or a specific type of foster care. If your foster carer is approved to have two children he or she might have to seek approval to allow a third child to stay, or may want to change their approval status to allow mother and babies to stay with them.
An ASBO is a court order made in civil court that is designed to protect the general public from harassment. The ASBO may set out certain conditions around where people can and can't go, and what they can and can't do. Breaching the ASBO can lead to being taken back to court.
You may sometimes hear people talking about needing to an assessment - and there are many different types of assessment. It means that a professional will come and examine the way that someone else does something, to see how good they are at it and if they could do it well enough on their own.
Many people arrive in Britain because they have run away from their own country, which is too dangerous for them to stay in. Many of the people that arrive in Britain move to cities like Bristol - and sometimes children arrive without an adult to look after them - these young asylum seekers may be taken into care and put into foster placements in Bristol.
Asperger's syndrome is a condition that is on the Autistic Spectrum; people that have Asperger's Syndrome may struggle socially - and find it hard to understand how to behave when meeting people. They sometimes struggle to make friends and have difficulties sharing things or understanding how other people might feel.
People who are 'on the autistic spectrum' are considered to be autistic or to have autistic tendencies. There is no one definition of what autism is and it will vary from person to person. You may find that someone with autism has difficulty speaking, in interacting with others and may get anxious around people. Autistic people sometimes like to do things over and over again or put things in straight lines or patterns. If you know someone who is autistic or would like to know more about autism then you can visit www.autism.org.uk
You might ocasionally hear the word Avonvale, or see it written on papers. Avonvale Road (in Redfield) is where most of the social workers who work with looked after children are based. It also has the commissioning team and some of the strategic managers for children's services.
Behaviour management is part of your care plan and it tells people that work with you how they should reward your good behaviour and how to deal with challenging behaviour.
Your best interests are what your social worker should always be working towards. It means making decisions that are the best for you, keeping you safe, making you healthy and trying to make sure that you're happy. Sometimes you might disagree with your social worker about what is in your best interests - but this is part of growing up that most teenagers go through with their parents.
Is when a person's moods swing from one extreme to the other and it used to be called 'Manic Depression'. People with Bipolar Disorder have times when they are very depressed and other times when they are very happy and feel on high (this is called Mania) A lot of people feel very 'up and down' but Bipolar disorder is very severe form of that.
A budget is a sum of money that is controlled by a person, or a group of people and is set aside to spend on a particular thing. Lots of different sections of Bristol City Council have different budgets and you might hear people saying 'that could come out of our budget' - or 'our budget doesn't cover that'. Because the money in Bristol City Council budgets comes from tax payers, the managers have to be able to say what it is being spent on and why.
Workers who work with judges and the courts when families and children are involved. They get involved in family law such as divorces, bringing children into care and adoption. The Children's Guardian works for CAFCASS
Care leavers are young people who are in the process of leaving care or adults who have left care. You officially leave care when you are 18 and become an adult but care leavers are counted from the age of 16. Bristol City Council has a duty to make sure that they know what is happening to their care leavers and to provide some support. For more information see the 'turning 16' and 'turning 18' sections of this website.
Is the order given out by a judge when he or she is convinced that a child is suffering or is likely to suffer significant harm if he or she did not become looked after. For more on this see the 'Know Your Rights' section of this website.
This is the big document that your social worker writes which tells all the other professionals exactly what is best for you and the way that other workers should be helping you. You should have a copy of your care plan and should read it, it will help you know what is being put in place for you.
Stands for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service and there is one in every local authority. In Bristol the CAMHS service is called 'Thinking Allowed' and you can find out more of what they offer by visiting the 'My Health' section of this website.
Sometimes they mean the thing you sit on. Sometimes they mean the adult who is running the meeting. You might hear things like 'who chaired that meeting?' or 'who was the chair?' - the chair is responsible for making sure that everyone gets a say and keeping the meeting organised. In your LAC review the chair will almost certainly be the Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO).
Is a meeting that happens when social workers are concerned about a child or young person's safety or well being. The meeting is for professionals and families who all discuss how they are going to make life for the child better. At the end of the Child Protection Conference all the professionals will vote whether to put a child on the Child Protection Register. If a young person is on the child protection register then social workers will make regular checks to see that things are getting better for the child.
This a register that has the names of children who are considered to be 'at risk' - if a child goes on the register then social workers will be making regular checks to see that things are getting better for the child through a series of meetings called 'Core Groups' - if things do not get better for a long time then the social workers might decide to apply for a 'care order' and take the child into care. If you are on the register it doesn't mean that you will be taken into care, it is possible to come off the register and go back on.
This a massively thick and complicated document that the government brought out in 1989. It tells local authorities like Bristol exactly what they have to provide by law for all children that live in their area. Children in care have their own sections but the act applies to all children and includes things like education and the general well being of children.
A group of children that meet every month and discuss the issues that they feel are affecting children in care in Bristol; they are often asked what they think about the way Bristol is working. They have someone who represents them sitting on the Corporate Parenting Panel and sometimes send DVDs to tell the adults directly what they think about things.
Children in need are children that are getting help from a social worker or other services but don't need to be taken into care. You may also hear the term 'section 17' - this is the part of the Children Act that deals with children who require help but not care proceedings.
This is a person from the court who works to make sure that your views and best interests are put forward to the judge when there is a court case and you are involved. They used to be called Guardians or Guardian Ad Litems.
These are homes where children that are not living with their parents or with a foster family live. You can learn more about them by visiting the 'Where I live' section of this website - they are sometimes called 'Residential Homes'.
This is a big word that basically means; finding out where there is a need for something and paying someone to do it. Bristol has a 'commissioning team' who are responsible for finding groups of people called 'providers' - these providers then provide a service that Bristol needs. Foster placements are all commissioned.
Every organisation that works with children has to have a complaints service; and it needs to be easy to use. If you want to make a complaint about something that is happening to you, or that has happened to you in the past - then you can click here. 'I'd like to make a complaint' - if you are unsure about how to go about making a complaint and would like some help then you can 'ask for an advocate'. All complaints are taken seriously and it is a good way to change and shape the services that young people are getting.
Confidentiality basically means that 'only people who need to know, should know' - information about you and your life is confidential and shouldn't be known by everyone. You might have confidential workers such as advocates or therapists who don't tell anyone what you have said and keep your relationship private. Most of these workers will agree not to tell anyone what you have said UNLESS you say something which makes them think that you, or another person are at risk of significant harm or if a crime has been committed.
Connexions are a nationwide service that help all young people sort out what jobs they would like to do when they leave school. They offer lots of help and advice and in Bristol they are based in the town centre near Corn Street. You can visit their website by clicking www.connexionswest.org.uk
Consultation is where people are 'consulted' or asked their opinion in a formal way. The children in care council are the main 'consultation group' of young people in Bristol and they are asked what they think about a whole load of stuff. You should be consulted on any decision that affects your life.
You should get a consultation form in the post before your LAC review; this is how Bristol City Council gets your opinion about the way you're being looked after and you should use it to help your social worker and independent reviewing officer know how you feel about things. If you like you foster carer could help you fill it out, or an advocate can help you.
Contact means seeing people you are related or know very well and is a very important thing for most looked after children. Most people want to see their Mum's, Dad's, brothers and sisters whenever they can and it is up to your social worker to arrange how often you have contact and who with. There may be some people that you are not allowed contact with. Contact can be supervised - which means that a social worker may go with you, or that the contact takes place in a centre where there are staff around. Or contact may be unsupervised which means that you will be dropped off and picked up at a set time. You can ask your social worker for more contact if you miss people but sometimes your social worker may decide this is not in your best interests.
You may hear this phrase at a meeting - and it means the back up plan. What the adults have decided will happen if the main plan doesn't quite work.
You may have heard your social worker say 'we are your corporate parents'. When you become looked after - every member of the council from the top to the bottom becomes your 'corporate parent' and they are expected to look after you and to do things to keep you safe and happy.
A group of managers from all over Bristol as well as other people who work with children in care. They meet every six weeks to talk about what they can do to make things better for children in care. The decisions that they make at this meeting are passed down to your social workers and directly affect your life.
Is the big semi-circle shaped building near the cathedral and on college green- it has fountains in front of it. This is where Bristol City Councillors meet to talk about the best way to run Bristol. it is also where a lot of the most senior managers of the Children and Young Peoples directorate work on a day to day basis.
Every year the public in Bristol have a vote to see who they would like to run the city. The people that are voted are called the Councillors and it is their job to run the council. They make decisions about most things in Bristol and make sure the different managers are doing their jobs properly.
You may have heard the term CRB or CRB check. It stands for Criminal Records Bureau and it is a check that all adults that are working with children and vulnerable adults have to have. The check makes sure that those people who are disqualified from working with children in the past are not allowed to work with them again.
Social services and education used to work separately and be managed by different people. Social workers for children used to work with social workers for adults and old people. Not long ago it was decided that it would be better if everyone who worked with children worked together. So what happened was that education and children's social services mixed together and became the Children and Young People's Service. Social Services doesn't exist any longer - but a lot of people still say Social Services when they actually mean CYPS.
This is someone at school who has the job of making sure that looked after children in the school are doing okay, that they aren't being bullied and that they are getting on okay with work. If you are looked after and you're not sure who the designated teacher is at your school then you could ask your form tutor or get in touch with the 'virtual headteacher'.
A developmental delay is where a child or young person is not developing skills at the same rate as most children that age. A developmental delay could be about one particular skill such as talking or writing, or it could be a Global Developmental Delay which means that all skills are behind the average.
The DCSF is the branch of the government in London that deals with all children's services. They publish all sorts of advice and make laws that help local authorities work with children. You can visit their website by clicking www.dcsf.gov.uk
This is the person who is at the top of Children's Services - at the moment it is a lady called Annie Hudson.
A recent piece of legislation called the Disability Discrimination Act has said that a disabled person is someone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long term adverse affect on his or her ability to carry out normal day to day tasks.
Is a tax free payment given to person under the age of 65 who is classed as disabled and needs help to live their daily life. The amount of money can vary depending on how disabled a person is.
Is a genetic condition that occurs in about 1 in every 1000 people. People with Down's Syndrome often have a learning disability and often require extra care. You can find out more about Down's Syndrome by visiting www.downs-syndrome.org.uk
There are many different types of drugs both legal and illegal and many of them are very dangerous. A drug is a substance that may change the way that you think or feel and getting off drugs once you have started can be very hard. People who cannot stop taking drugs are said to be 'addicted' or 'addicts'. You can find out more about drugs in the 'My Health' section of this website.
Dyslexia is a condition that affects young people (and adults) and their ability to read, write and spell. Dyslexia is considered to be a learning difficulty but is not related to how clever a person is. Dyslexia doesn't have one symptom but if you have difficulty with writing, spelling or reading - or get your b's mixed up with your d's, then you may be dyslexic and you should talk to someone about this, either your carer, key-worker or a teacher at your school. There is plenty of help available for people who are dyslexic.
Dyspraxia is a condition that affects young people and adults and their ability to move and coordinate themselves. A person with dyspraxia may have poor coordination and balance, difficulty remembering and following instructions and can sometimes be marked as 'clumsy' - if you think that you are Dyspraxic then you should talk to someone about this and see what help might be available.
An eating disorder is a problem that occurs mostly in young men and in young women. There are many different types of eating disorder but they all involve controlling how much or how little you eat. If you are concerned that you might have an eating disorder or that you know someone who might then you might want to 'contact thinking allowed' to speak to someone or visit the following website www.b-eat.co.uk which gives help and advice.
Stands for the Education of Children Looked After Service. They monitor education standards throughout Bristol and try to make sure that Looked After Children are doing as well in school as they possibly can. They often run trips and provide tutors to make sure that you are getting the right level of support for you. You can read more about them in the 'My Education' section of this website.
Stands for the Emergency Duty Team. Most social workers work between 9am and 5pm but there are a small group of social workers that are on call in case things happen outside these times. If there is a problem late at night then you might need to contact the Emergency Duty Team.
Most usually called Ed Psych - these are qualified psychologists and usually ex-teachers who give advice to schools and Head teachers on how to improve a young person's achievement whilst they are in school. Educational Psychologists may get involved if you need a statement of educational need (SEN)
Stands for the educational maintenance allowance - and is a small amount of money given to young people who stay in education past the age of 16.
Every Child Matters is the latest plan put forward by the government about how children should be treated. It is all about making sure that all children have the best chance to become the best adults they can be. Every child matters doesn't just apply to children in care but also applies to every child. You may have seen the '5 outcomes' posters in your school or college. Local authorities have to show that they are doing things that match the five outcomes and you will see very clearly how Bristol plans to do this if you 'read the pledge'. You can visit the website by clicking on www.everychildmatters.org.uk
Is a meeting that is sometimes organised by social workers as a way of bringing a whole family together to see if they can help solve a problem without a child being taken into care. It involves mums, dads, brothers, sisters, aunties, uncles even grandparents and neighbours and a family group conference can happen more than once.
Family support services are a team of workers that go in to families in their homes and help to keep things settled and happy by helping solve problems. Sometimes you may have a Family Support Worker as well as a social worker.
Fostering is where an adult is paid a set amount of money to look after a child that is not their own. It is not the same as adoption because the foster carer does not ever become the legal parent of the child. Fostering is the main way that most children in care are looked after by Bristol City Council.
A fostering agency is a business that provides Bristol City Council with foster carers and foster placements. Some agencies are very big and some are quite small and what they provide can vary from agency to agency You might hear the phrase 'agency placement' - and this is because some foster carers work directly for Bristol City Council (they are called in-house carers) while others work for an agency. It is generally true that agency placements are more expensive than in-house placements - and agencies often provide specialist carers.
The money that a foster carer is paid for looking after a child. It varies from place to place in the UK and depends on many different factors.
Foster carers are members of the general public who are employed to look after children that are not their own. Foster carers come from all different backgrounds and are all different ages and have different levels of experience. Your social worker will try to match you with a carer that they think you would get along with.
This is where a foster placement has been identified for you and is where your social worker would like you to stay until you are eighteen years old, or whenever you are ready to move out. It is likely that your foster placement will be stable and you may be with the same carer for many many years.
It may be that you are coming into care and returning home, or that you are waiting for a long term carer to be found for you, or maybe that you are going to be adopted. A short term foster carer may look after you for a few weeks or months but the plan will always be for you to move somewhere else, either to a long term carer, into your own place or back home.
An emergency foster placement is exactly what it sounds like. Sometimes emergencies happen and social workers need to have places they can take children in the middle of the night. An emergency placement will probably only last a few days whilst people try and solve whatever problems the emergency has thrown up.
Further education is any education that takes place past the age of 16 whether that is academic (like school) or vocational (in a work place)
The Government is a set of people who can make and change the laws. Every area in Britain sends an MP (member of parliament) to London to sit in the house of commons. It is here that all laws are made. The Government is run by the Prime Minister and his top ranking MP's called the cabinet.
Please see Children's Guardian.
A small amount of money given to students that can demonstrate financial hardship. This can be very important for care leavers who want to access university or higher education.
Health Assessments are checks done on young people by the designated looked after children's nurse or doctor. These checks are more frequent when you're young than when you're a teenager but are supposed to happen at least once a year. It is Bristol City Council's way of making sure that you are (and stay) healthy.
Are doctors and nurses who work to make sure that children and young people are well. There are special medical staff who have responsibility for looked after children and you can find out more about them by opening the 'My Health' section of this website.
Education past the age of 18 that includes a degree, a Master's degree and a doctorate (PhD).
Human Rights are laid down in a document called the 'Human Rights Act' with the idea that every person on the planet is entitled to some basic rights. The document was brought into British law in 1998 and now the British Government and British lawyers have to show that the things they do are supported by the Human Rights Act. If you would like to know what is in the Human RIghts Act then 'take a look inside'
Means working towards living on your own without adults around to look after you. You can start training for independence when you're a teenager by learning useful skills like cooking and budgeting. Towards the end of being in care you might go off to University or go into supported lodgings - these are both steps towards independence.
This is the person that managers your care plan and chairs your reviews. They are the people that check to see your social worker is doing what he/she said they were going to do. They can ask for changes to be made to your care plan and will try to make sure that you know what is happening. You should see your IRO at least twice a year as by law reviews have to happen every six months. If you do not know who your IRO is then you should ask your keyworker, foster carer or social worker.
Independent visitors are volunteers who form friendships with children in care who may not have much contact with their family. The independent visitor and the young person may go out and do things together and the independent visitor doesn't normally get involved with anything to do with being in care. The hope is that every child and their visitor will go on to be friends after the child turns 18 and may be friends for life. In Bristol the Independent Visitors are called Allies and they have many successful matches. If you think you'd like this service then you can 'ask for an independent visitor by clicking here'
Jobcentre plus is part of the department for work and pensions and can help you sort out what sort of job you would like to do and can help you with training and benefits. You can find out more by visiting www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
You might hear this phrase in school - and you might see things like KS2 and KS3 written on documents. It is a stage or a level of work that the government thinks you should be able to achieve by a particular age. There are 5 key stages; key stage 1 starts aged 5-7 and Key Stage 5 is more often referred to as 6th form.
Every child or young person that lives in a residential unit will have a 'keyworker' and it is the keyworker's job to make sure that the care plan is being followed and that the young person is happy and settled in the residential setting.
Means being looked after by a member of your family instead of your parents and supported by the local authority. It can be grandparents, older brothers and sisters or aunties and uncles.
An elected member of the council who has special responsibility for Children in Care within the city. This person chairs the Corporate Parenting Panel.
The local authority is the name given to Bristol Council. Sometimes people mean the whole council which includes all sorts of people like transport and roads, and the press department that have nothing to do with children's services. Sometimes people say Local Authority to mean the CYPS who are corporate parents to all looked after children in Bristol.
Looked after children is the name given to all children that the local authority has some sort of responsibility for. It includes all children that are on a care order and those that are accommodated. It sometimes includes children that are living at home that the Local Authority has responsibility for. There is still some debate about whether young people want to be called Children in Care or Looked After Children and the two terms are used by different people.
Is short for the Looked After Children review and is generally just shortened to 'review'. It is a meeting that includes the young person and is chaired by the Independent Reviewing Officer and is where the care plan is reviewed to make sure that all your needs are being met and that you are happy and settled.
The Local Government Ombudsman is a service operated by central government for those people who have taken a complaint as far as they can within the Local Authority. A local government ombudsman official will deal with complaints where you think that the local authority has not stuck to its own rules and guidelines. You can only go to the LGO by first going through the complaints service.
This is the general name given to any group of children and young people that are being consulted by adults.
A listening culture is an adult way of saying that they are developing a service that listens to what people are saying about the service and encouraging people to respond and give their opinions, instead of just doing what they think is best.
A manager is someone who 'manages' someone else. Your social worker will have a manager and it is this person's job to make sure your social worker is doing their job properly, they also make decisions that your social worker cannot make on his or her own. Everybody in Bristol City Council has a manager who is responsible for them.
Even though your social worker has overall responsibility for you there are many other professionals that are involved as well. Sometimes your social worker may need to meet with everyone to work out what is the best thing for you. When this happens he/she will call a Multi Agency Meeting or a Multi-Disciplinary Meeting; and it means that professionals from all services will meet to talk about how to make things better.
As well as being a chunk of time exactly 60 seconds long, minutes also are a written copy of what was said in a meeting and who said it. If there is a meeting then there will always be someone who is 'minuting' what is said. This means that your social worker or other workers can check back and see who said what. You should get copies of the minutes of any meeting that you were in, such as your LAC review.
The National Curriculum is what the government has set out for schools to teach. There are lots of national curriculum subjects including English, Maths and Science and the National Curriculum makes sure that everyone is educated to the same standard.
An acronym to young people aged 16+ who are not in education, employed or training for work. They are the main target group for Connexions.
A form of qualification that is based on working and work experience rather than sitting an exam.
Sometimes children need to be placed in a different county; this can be for their own safety, or because a suitable placement cannot be found in Bristol itself. If you are placed out of county you are still the responsibility of Bristol City Council and have all the same rights as a young person placed in Bristol.
Parental responsibility is the rights and power of a parent to make decisions about their child. If you are on a full care order then your social worker will make decisions for you, if you have been accommodated then your parents still have the right to make decisions about your life. PR can be quite complicated and confusing, so if you think that you would like someone to speak to you about PR in a lot more detail please click the 'tell me more about PR' link.
Participation is about getting children and young people involved in the decision making processes and participating in changing and shaping the services that affect them. There are many different ways to get involved and the Looked After Children Participation Service includes the Children in Care Council.
Your Pathway plan is a plan that is drawn up around the time of your 16th birthday and it's about your plan for independence and what you are going to do after you leave care. You will work on your pathway plan with a member of the leaving care team. For more information about what your pathway plan is visit the 'Turning 16' section of this website.
This is a person from the leaving care service who will give you advice about what to do from the age of 16 onwards. Your PA gives you personal advice for what to do in your situation and with your talents.
Permanence is making a child feel happy, stable and secure for a long period of time - ideally for most of your childhood and into your adult life. It is the aim of all social workers to give you a sense of permanence. There is no set route for permanence but it simply what is right for you - whether that be a return to your family, adoption into a new family or long term fostering.
The Permanence plan is made after you come into care and is the way that your social worker plans to give you a sense of permanence.
This forms part of your care plan and is a record of how the local authority plans to educate you and help you to learn stuff. It is reviewed once a year, sometimes at school and sometimes it is combined with your LAC review to save time.
Means the place where you are living.
The Placement Plan is a plan made about how your life should be on a daily basis. Your care plan says what will happen to you over your time in care, but a placement plan should tell you and your carers what is going to be happening on a day to day basis. You should have seen your placement plan for every placement that you have been in.
Someone who provides a service - such as a foster care provider; who provides foster carers for Bristol City Council.
A questionnaire is a set of questions sent out with a common theme. It is used to get an idea about what people think about a given subject. It often asks you to tick boxes, or to write a short answer. Sending out a questionnaire to a lot of people is a good way of getting a lot of feedback.
Is an order given by the court that means PR is still shared between the local authority and parents but that a child cannot be moved out of the care of the person who has taken out the residence order. A residence order is almost always made until a child is 18.
Residential units or residential houses are placements that are run by staff instead of foster carers. There are a number of residential houses in Bristol and you can find out more about being in residential care by checking the 'where I live' section of this website.
This is a psychological term that is sometimes used when talking about children. You may have heard the phrase 'High resilience' or heard someone say that a child is 'very resilient'. It is a way of measuring how well a child or young person copes with stress and change, and how quickly they can adapt to new challenges and learn to cope and succeed. High resilience is considered to be good and low resilience can make some adults worry about how you will cope with change in your life.
Please see LAC review.
Please see IRO
Is a document written by social workers and those working with children to highlight any possible dangers and to take steps to minimise that danger. Risk assessments are also written for events and for buildings.
Secure Accommodation is a placement in which the young person is detained and they are closely monitored. This is often for their own safety and can be because of frequently running away. It is always a last resort for the local authority.
Self esteem is a psychology term; and it means how good you feel about yourself. If you have high self esteem then you feel confident about who you are and what you can achieve, if you have low self esteem then you aren't as confident and as happy as you could be. Sometimes people can appear to have high self esteem when they don't.
Special Educational Needs are articular problems or needs that get in the way of education and make learning difficult. If there are a number of concerns then you might get a statement of special educational needs.
see CYPS or Local Authority
Social workers are people who work in services that help support society. There are many different kinds of social workers working with all sorts of different types of people. Some social workers work with elderly people, some with disabled people - it is their job to make sure that people in society who have trouble looking after themselves are cared for. Being a looked after child means that you will probably come into contact with two types of social worker: an access social worker (who may help bring you into care) and a looked after child social worker - who will be your social worker whilst you are looked after.
The 'Staying Put' pilot scheme is one that the Government are testing out on a number of different local authorities - including Bristol and it is about allowing young people to remain in their foster placements past the age of 18. This has been something that young people have been asking for some time - as the age of most children leaving home has gone up in recent years.
A statement of special educational needs; it is sometimes called just 'a statement' is a document that outlines how much extra help you are entitled to at school and how many hours you can have of additional help or tuition; it also outlines how you will get the help you need.
Is a plan made for those who are 14+ and who have a disability or a special educational need - and it outlines what the local authority will do to support your transition from the end of education into the next phase of your life.
Tokenism or being Tokenistic is when a person or group of people are consulted because everyone thinks it is the right thing to do; but what they actually say is not taken seriously.
Is where a social worker will be assessing whether you are able to return home at the same time as looking for a long term foster placement or adoptive parents for you. This is to make sure that there is no long delay.
A young offender is someone under the age of 18 who commits a crime or engages in ongoing criminal behaviour. They may appear in court, get an ASBO and eventually spend time in a young offenders institute.
The Youth Offending Team are a team of people whose job it is to support young people who have committed crime or that are likely to commit crime in the future.
This is a national Youth Parliament with 600 members aged 11 - 18. The group are elected in their own areas and campaign on matters of importance to children. There are 4 young people from Bristol who are members of the National Youth Parliament (MYP) and they take the issues that are important to the youth of Bristol to the national meeting held every year. Votes for elections are held in schools across the UK.
