SOCIAL WORKER
You should have your own social worker who will be expected to come and see you often. You’ll be able to talk to them on your own. They will visit you within a week of you moving to a new place, then every six weeks for a year, then at least every three months. At a review meeting it might be decided that you can see them more often – you can ask for that if you want. You should be allowed to phone them from wherever you’re living. If you’re not happy with your social worker, tell them.
SOCIAL WORKER’S BOSS
The social worker will have someone checking on how they do their job. This person can be very important because they can make decisions and if you’re not happy with your social worker this is the person you need to tell. They will be called either a Practice Manager or a Team Manager. It would be useful for you to know who your social worker’s manager is, so that you can get in touch with them if the social worker is away. If you are not sure who to talk to or if you need some help to decide what to do you can talk to the Children’s Rights Officer. You can ask to talk in private.
LINK WORKER / KEY WORKER
Most children’s homes have Link Workers/Key Workers. If you are living in a residential home you’ll be given your own Link Worker/Key Worker. They have special responsibilities for caring for you. They will take a special interest in you, will go with you to meetings and on other occasions, and should be the person you can turn to when you need to talk. It’s good if you like your Link Worker/Key Worker, but if you feel you’d like someone different, tell the Link Worker/Key Worker themselves, or your social worker or whoever is in charge of the home.
CHILDREN’S RIGHTS OFFICER
The Children’s Rights Officer works with you to help you get your rights. They can give you independent information and advice, or help you to take up matters or help you to make a complaint. The Children’s Rights Officer is not the same as the social worker. They do not work for Children’s Social Care. You can talk to them in private, just ask. You don’t need anyone’s permission to use the service. It’s your service and you have the right to use it. The Children’s Rights Officer can be contacted at any time. If they are not there leave a message and she will get back to you as soon as possible.
CHILDREN’S GUARDIAN
If the court has to make decisions about what is happening to you, they ask someone to help them decide what to do. This person is called the Children’s Guardian.. They will come and talk to everyone involved with you. Most important of all, they will come and talk to you, and you need to tell them what you want. It’s their job to decide what’s best for you and then tell the court what they have found out.
