Relationships

Having strong and supportive relationships is crucially important for all Care Leavers as you move on to independent adult life. As part of the support that you are provided with your Social Worker and Personal Adviser will help you form a positive support network. This will include helping you to develop relationships with your family and friends.

Your Pathway Plan will include a focus on your relationships and what support you may require strengthening them.

Your Social Worker and Personal Adviser will also consider if you have access to appropriate services. When required they will make sure that you are supported to access other professionals to ensure that you have the ongoing support you will require once you turn 25.

The Care Leavers Service have started to organise regular meet the team days for young people who have not yet left care and for those who are already working with us. These will be arranged a few times a year where the Care Leavers Team come together introduce themselves and explain a bit about what we do. We will also share this local offer with young people and updates from the service about any new or exciting projects we have running. 

For those of you new to us, this is an opportunity to meet us in a relaxed setting and learn about how we work before your move into adulthood begins. For those who already work with us, this is a great opportunity to reconnect with us and meet other care leavers. 

These are held on the first day of care leavers week every year. We are hoping to offer additional date in 2025.

Care leavers week 

Once a year we get a planning group together made up of young people, Personal Advisors, Team Managers and foster carers to plan care leavers week. Together we come up with ideas for how we want to celebrate this important event. This is often a week full of small activities, trips or even a celebration event. 

Care leavers week is an important time to raise awareness and create a space for the celebration of your amazing achievements, but it is also a time where we can have fun, meet new people and try new things. Care leavers week falls at the end of October each year and our planning group starts to meet in May/ June. Personal Advisors will invite you to these planning meetings close to the time, we hope to see you there!

Maintaining Family Links  

We know the importance of maintaining links with important people. We can fund travel so you can spend time with key people and family members or help you to reconnect with supportive people from your past. All you need to do is speak with your Personal Advisor to work out what support you need.  

Access to files 

You have the right to access the records held by Children’s Services about you. Reading your records may be a positive experience, however, there may be information that you could find upsetting. Talk this through with your Personal Advisor and others who support you. Your Personal Advisor will offer you support if you want this when reading your records. For more information on your rights when accessing your records see:

• The REES Foundation.
• The Care Leavers Association.