Our promises to children in care and care leavers

From your corporate parents

These promises have been made by Lancashire County Council and our partners to children looked after and care leavers. we promise to do our best to help you achieve your full potential, we are committed to involving you in any decisions that affect your life, we will ask you what you think, we will listen to you and take your views into account.

This is part of our commitment to making sure that children and young people are valued in every aspect of their lives.

Lancashire's promises to children in care and care leavers

• keep you safe and happy where you live
• regular contact with important people
• keep the same social worker (unless absolutely necessary for you to change)
• help you to stay in touch
• support you to have a safe and lasting home
• make sure your voice is heard
• listen to you
• involve you
• encourage you to have good physical and emotional health
• get support from our partners
• help you to do things well independently
• celebrate your achievements
• places to meet 
• meet your religious and cultural needs
• hobbies - continue doing the good things you do or try something new
• meet new people
• work, apprenticeships, university, college, school

Getting involved

There are lots of different ways you can get involved in having a say about the service you receive.

You may have suggestions about what we could do differently or even what’s going well for you, which could have a positive impact for other children in our care and care leavers.

You might be interested in joining Lancashire’s Children in Care Council (LINX and POWAR) or the Care Leaver Forum. The groups are made up of children who are in our care or care leavers. It is another way of getting your voice heard. They provide a great opportunity for you to talk about issues affecting children in our care and care leavers which can be fed back to the Corporate Parenting Board.

The Corporate Parenting Board is there to make sure the council does a good job for you. Attending the Corporate Parenting Board is another way you can raise issues for children in our care and care leavers.

Get in Touch with LINX for more information.

Want to meet an Independent Visitor?

An Independent Visitor (IV) is an adult volunteer who befriends and develops a long-term friendship with a young person in care. This can involve helping young people to develop new interests, skills and hobbies or going on outings such as to the cinema, bowling or just a walk in the park.

More information on the Independent Visitor Service is on the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) or call 0808 808 1001.

Need an Independent Advocate?

This service helps children and young people in our care and care leavers to have a say about what happens in their lives. All young people in the care of Lancashire County Council, aged 0 to 18 years are eligible for the service, including those living at home or with friends and extended family. We also work with care leavers up to the age of 25.

An advocate can support you:

• If you feel your views are not being listened to and want someone on your side
• If you are unhappy with the way you are being cared for
• If you are angry or upset about something that is happening to you
• If you feel you haven’t been treated fairly
• If no one is telling you what is happening about your situation
• If you haven’t been involved in decisions that are being made about you
• To take part in meetings and reviews

Contact the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) on 0808 808 1001 or ask a professional or friend to contact them on your behalf.

How to make a complaint

If you have any concerns about the service and support you are receiving then please raise this as soon as possible with your social worker, personal adviser or their manager, hopefully this will be resolved quickly.

Or you may want to contact the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) to request an advocate, phone 0808 808 1001.

However, if you do want to make a complaint contact the Customer Service Centre on 0300 123 6720.

Mind Of My Own One App

Mind Of My Own One is a way for children in care and care leavers to prepare for meetings, raise problems or ask for something.

You can download Mind Of My Own One as an App for Android or Apple devices or use it on any internet browser device such as a tablet or Xbox.

You can ask for the information you put in to go to a worker of your choice, for example your social worker, personal advisor or the complaints team.

Mind Of My Own One is not an instant messaging service and you will not receive a response back through the App.

The information gets picked up and passed on to the worker during normal working hours, Monday to Friday.

The worker will then contact you by phone or email as usual.

Watch this video for more information:

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