Young Persons Guide Above 12 - Rainbow Fostering Agency

1. YOUNG PERSONS GUIDE TO RAINBOW FOSTERING SERVICES

2. CONTENTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Being Looked After About Rainbow Fostering Achieving Good Standards in Foster Care What rights do I have? Living with Foster Parents Looking after your Education Looking after your Health Do you have a Disability? Bullying Your Race, Religion, Culture and Language Preparation for Leaving Care Facts about Drugs and Alcohol that you should know Becoming Resilient (strong) Keeping in touch with your Parents, Relatives and Friends Pocket money and other Allowances Attending Your Reviews Complaints Useful Contacts Testing your knowledge on the complaints procedure

3. WELCOME Welcome to Rainbow Fostering. This Guide has been prepared for young people who are looked after by Rainbow Foster Carers. It gives you information about Rainbow Fostering and about what it means to be looked after. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. Being Looked After About Rainbow Fostering Achieving Good Standards in Foster Care What rights do I have? Living with Foster Parents Looking after your Education Looking after your Health Do you have a Disability? Bullying Your Race, Religion, Culture and Language Preparation for Leaving Care Facts about Drugs and Alcohol that you should know Becoming Resilient (strong) Keeping in touch with your Parents, Relatives and Friends Pocket money and other Allowances Attending Your Reviews Complaints Useful Contacts Testing your knowledge on the complaints procedure If you do not understand anything that is written in your Guide please call us at the number at the foot of this page or talk to your Supervising Social Worker. We are always pleased to help you if you feel worried or confused about anything. There are many people who will be involved in caring for you. We are not Social Services, but we are a private fostering agency called Rainbow Fostering Services. We work very closely with social workers, teachers, doctors and other people who will also be working with you. We want you to feel safe in your placement and to understand that as a young person you have the same rights as other children who are not looked after. Aijaz Ahmad [Registered Manager] Tel: 020 8427 3355 Mob: 07891173961

4. 1. Being Looked After Being looked after could mean you live with family, friends, foster carers or in a residential accommodation. In both cases the arrangement authority will have with you and your parent/s is voluntary and the court does not get involved. However, at times the court will make a Care Order so that Children's Services will share the responsibility with your parents for looking after you. The Children Act became law in all of England and Wales in 1989 and its aim is to do the following things for children and young people: children's home or in the secure local • Provide a safe place for you to live • Protect you from all forms of abuse • Talk to you about your wishes and your feelings • Help you keep in touch with your family and friends • Monitor how you are getting on at school • Make sure that you are in good health • Make sure that you are involved in leisure activities • Make sure that you have people like social workers to talk to • Have meetings to look at your progress and plan for your future. If you want to know more about what the Children Act says please ask your social worker or the social worker who visits your foster parent/s from Rainbow Fostering.

5. 2. About Rainbow Fostering Rainbow Fostering is an independent fostering agency. This means that we are not connected to Children's Services. We find people in the community who are interested in fostering young people. We have foster carers from all cultural groups so that we can meet your needs. Sometimes foster carers are single people and sometimes they are couples, it just depends on their circumstances. We have a fostering panel, which will tell us if the people we have found are suitable to foster young people. People who foster must not have criminal offences on their records. We try to find people who have experience and who can offer young people a warm and caring home to live and become part of a family.

6. 3. Achieving Good Standards in Foster Care The Government made it law for agencies like Rainbow Fostering to ensure that they meet standards of care. The Care Standards Act 2000, Fostering Services Regulations and National Minimum Standards in Foster care came into force in 2000 and were revised in 2011. It means that we must ensure that your needs are met and that we look after your welfare whilst you are living with our foster carers. Minimum stan- dards means that we will: • Help you to make sure that you understand your rights as a young person in care Tell you about how you can make a complaint Make sure that we help you to achieve at school or college We will help you to do the leisure activities that you enjoy Help you to keep healthy by visiting your doctor when necessary Help you to keep your teeth in good condition by visiting your dentist regularly Help you to keep safe • • • • • • • 4. What rights do I have? All human beings have equal rights, so you have the same human rights as any adult. The Convention on the rights of the child say that you have a right not to be discriminated against because of your ‘race’, colour, religion, culture, gender, your sexuality or any form of disability. • You have a right not to be bullied • You have a right to an education • You have a right to express your views and opinions

7. But with rights also come responsibilities. You have a responsibility to respect other people’s rights and not to discriminate against others. This is a right you will have at age 10: To justice and fair play This is a responsibility you will have at age 10: Not to commit an offence against others If you commit an offence you can be arrested and detained by the police • The police could take your finger prints and take photographs ofyou • You could be charged with an offence under the law This is a respo Not to steal or falsify the use of another persons signature. This is a responsibility you wi nsibility you will have at age 12: ll have at age 12: This is a right you will have at age 14: - -You can have a Saturday job and work for someone else - -Only 2hrs each school day or Sunday not before 7am or after 7pm, if you get a job during your holidays you are only allowed to work 5hrs per day and no more than 25hrs per week. This is a right you will have at age 14: This is a responsibility you will have at age 14: To attend school and study for your examinations. This is a responsibility you will have at age 14: These are the rights you will have at age 16: • Get your National Insurance number • Legal age to leave school – You can leave school on the last Friday in June if you’ll be 16 by the end of the summer holidays. You must then do ONE of the following until you’re 18: • Stay in full time education, e.g. at a college or sixth form • Start an apprenticeship or traineeship • Part-time education or training (as well as being employed, self- employed or volunteering for 20hrs or more per week • Choose your own doctor • Give consent for your medical examination These are the rights you will have at age 16:

8. These are responsibilities you will have at age 16: • Make decisions about your future • Seek help and advice and ask others for help • Make sure that you keep yourself safe • Learn a trade/skills to help you move on to adulthood These are responsibilities you will have at age 16: These are the rights you will have at age 18: • Get married • You can vote • You can sit on a jury • You can answer to a criminal court if you commit an offence These are the rights you will have at age 18: These are your responsibilities at age 18: • To take responsibility for protecting yourself and others • To show awareness of how sexual diseases are transmitted and have safe sex • Take up your duties as a citizen • Take care not to harm others These are your responsibilities at age 18:

9. 5. Living with Foster Parents Foster parents have a very special job to do in looking after you. We ask them to make sure that they take care of your needs. They must provide a room for you to live in. You can take your personal belongings with you. We expect foster carers to include you in their family. They may take you on holiday with them if your social worker gives permission for this to happen. Foster carers will expect young people to treat their home with respect and to obey house rules. They will tell you to be home for a certain time. If you do not like something that a foster carer is asking you to do, you are entitled to talk to your social worker about it. 6. Looking after your Education All young people have a right to receive the best possible education to prepare them for life and for the world of work. We ask our foster carers to provide a place in their home for you to study and to support you in your education. You are entitled to have bus fares to get to school and money to buy your lunch. Because you have the same rights as other young people who are not fostered, you are entitled to be educated and not be regarded as a non-achiever. If you feel that you are being treated differently to other young people in your class, please do not keep it to yourself. Your foster carer or your social worker will attend special meetings to discuss any problems that may arise for you.

10. 7. Looking after your Health Your health is very important. The more you are able to look after your health now, the better health you are likely to enjoy when you are older. There are certain types of behaviours that will affect your health. For example, smoking, taking drugs, not exercising, over or under eating, drinking alcohol excessively or sexual activity. These are just some examples. I am sure that you could think of others. Our foster carers receive training to help them talk to you about ways of keeping healthy. There are five aspects to your health (a) Physical (b) Psychological (c) Emotional (d) Social (e) Spiritual Here is an exercise for you to complete on how you can keep healthy: • Your physical health – how your body works. Name two things you can personally do to keep your body functioning well and two things that a foster carer could do to help you keep healthy __________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________ • Your Mental Health – This is how you develop psychologically, emotionally, socially and spiritually. Name two things under category that you or your foster carer could do to keep you healthy. Psychologically ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Emotionally ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Socially ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ Spiritually ___________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

11. 8. Do you have a Disability? Some young people have a disability. If you are disabled, you have the same rights as any other child to enjoy a good standard of living. Remember that we have a duty to make sure that you are properly looked after. 9. Bullying Young people who are looked after can be bullied as well as bully others. Bullying is a form of aggression and it can make others feel bad and put down. Let’s look first at what happens when someone is bullied. Bullying can come in different forms, it may start as a practical joke but it makes the person who is being bullied feel very bad about themselves, it can make them loose confidence in their ability to stand out for themselves. The typical behaviours that a bully will adopt are: • • • • • Name calling Poking fun at others they believe will not stand up to them Hitting the victim Shouting and swearing Being aggressive in actions and behav- iours Threatening that something bad will happen to you if you tell others Withdrawing speech or excluding you from a group • • If any of these things happen to you, you do not have to suffer in silence. Your foster carer/s, social worker, Rainbow social worker or teach- er will help you. Are you a bully? Do you recognise any of the above behaviours as things that you do to others? If you are a bully you will also experience difficultiesand

12. maybe even feel guilty aboutwhat you have done. People who bully might have been bullied in the past and learnt this type of behaviour. If you do any of the things I have mentioned above you can get help to stop it before it gets out of control. Talk to your foster carer, or social worker and they will suggest some ways in which you can get help. Now time for an activity: Use a blank sheet to write down your ideas about types of behaviours that put people down and types of behaviours that praise them along with a feeling for each behaviour you can identify. PUT DOWN FEELING PRAISE <---> <---> e.g. Being laughed at for a new pair of trainers not being in fashion. Feeling being : Sad e.g Being praised for a good school report Feeling being : Proud, pleased to share the news. 10. Your Race, Religion, Culture and Language The Children Act 1989, says that when we are providing placements for young people we must take account of their ‘race’/ethnicity, religion, culture and linguistic needs. The best way of doing this is to place you with a foster carer who understands you. They may come from the same racial/cul- tural background as you, practice the same religion as you or speak the same language as you. We will try to make sure that we match you with foster carers who can meet your needs.

13. 11. Preparation for Leaving Care Under the LeavingCare Act, we must help young people prepare for leaving care. Some young people may findthis very hard, but it is important that you are able to do as much as is possible for yourself before you leave foster care. Other young people who have been in care have said that because they were not prepared for leaving care they found it very difficultto cope alone. Some young people may feel lonely, or may not know whom to turn to for help and advice. Some may not know how to manage a bank account; some may not know how to look after a home. It is important that while you are living with foster carers that you are given opportunities to learn how to become independent. We ask our foster parents to help you learn how to do tasks at home like taking responsibility for keeping your room tidy, washing dishes, doing hoovering and general chores around the home. We ask our foster carers to assist you in planning for your future. There are Connexions services in your areas. Connexions help young people to develop their talents, build their skills, self- confidence and self-esteem. They also provide opportunities for you to get involved in sports, cultural activities, volunteering and work experience. If you are between 13 and 19 then the Connexions services is for you. Here is the National Helpline Number: 0800 100 900 or you can go on their website www2.cxdirect.com/home.htm 12. Facts about Drugs and Alcohol that you should know People take drugs for many different reasons, whether they are in care or not. However if you have used drugs or experiment with drugs you need to know as much information as possible about how drugs and alcohol will affect your health. Different drugs can produce differenteffects on your body, but it all depends on how much and how often drugs are taken. If you want to know more about the types and effects of drugs you can get information on the National Drugs Helpline 0800 77 66 00 or you can call this 24 hour helpline 020 7609 8654. You can also talk to your doctor, social worker, and foster carer or to staffat Rainbow Fostering who will be able to help you.

14. 13. Becoming Resilient strong Young people who have been in care will have had some experiences that other children might not have. Some young people can findways of getting over adversity and move on to become successful. This is called resilience. At Rainbow Fostering, we aim to help you overcome problems by o?ffering you the opportunity to talk to people who can help you work on any problems you may be facing. When you become resilient you will feel good about yourself and this will help to build your self-esteem. We all have talents, its just a matter of finding out where our talents lie. These are some ways in which you can become resilient: • • • • • • Develop your own interests and talents Get involved in leisure activities, like sports, playing an instrument, or Something that you would enjoy doing Talk to people who can support and help you Try to keep out of trouble at school and with the police Complete the box below and explore your talents. WHAT ARE YOU GOOD AT? WHAT THINGS DO YOU ENJOY DOING MOST? WHO DO YOU FEEL CLOSEST TO? WHO COULD GIVE YOU SUPPORT? WHAT THINGS DO YOU DO FOR YOUR LEISURE? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE OTHERS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU?

15. 14. Keeping in touch with your Parents, Relatives and Friends The Children Act 1989 states that young people who are looked after have rights to see their parent/s, relatives and friends. Contact can range from telephone calls or letters, to face-to-face visits. Depending on your circumstances, contact could be at your parent’s home, in a neutral place or at your foster carer’s home. The social worker will tell us what we need to ask your foster carer to do to help you keep in touch with your family. Young people can decide whether or not they want to see their parents. Wecannot force you to see anyone you do not want to see, but we always advise that it is good to keep in touch with your family and friends. This will help you after you have left care. However, much depends on the types of experiences you have had and how you feel. We need to make sure that contact is safe and that you will not be harmed in any way. Please talk to your foster carer if at any time during contact you do not feel safe. Remember that you have the right to feel safe. We try to provide foster carers in the local area where you live so that you can maintain contact with the people who are most important to you. If Social Services tell us that you cannot see your parents alone, we will arrange for your foster carer/s to help you see your parents in a safe way.

16. 15.Pocket money AND other Allowances All young people who are looked after receive pocket money, bus fare, and clothing allowances. These allowances are given on the basis of your age and your needs. Foster carers are asked to encourage young people to open their own bank or Post Office account where they can save regularly. Again this helps you in your prepara-tion for leaving care. When you are placed with a Rainbow Foster carer we will save £10.00 in a central fund on a weekly basis on your behalf. You will not be able to get access to this allowance. We will pass it to your social worker if and when you leave your foster carer. They will decide when you will receive this money. It is most likely that you will receive it when you are no longer looked after by Social Services. We hope that it will help you in setting up in your own home. 16. Attending Your Reviews Reviews are meetings that are held by social workers to plan for your future. Because it is your meeting, you should attend. However some young people findit difficult to talk when there are many adults at a review. If this is how you feel, then you can tell your foster carer about your views and ask for these to be discussed at the meeting. If you attend your review you should be given an opportunity to say how you feel and give your agreement to plans that are made about you. The best way to prepare for your review is to talk to your foster carer before the day of the review and to think about what you want to say at the meeting. You can write down on the review form so that everyone will know what is important to you. You can contact the Independent Reviewing Officer who has responsibility for chairing your review meeting. You can ask your social worker or foster carer for their number and write down their number here:

17. PLACEMENT MEETING A placement meeting is where you, your foster carer, your social worker and if possible your parents meet to decide how on a day to day basis you will be looked after. The meeting will discuss many different parts of life in the foster family including: PLACEMENT MEETING − Family contact arrangements − Foods you enjoy eating − School arrangements − Routines - bedtimes, meal times, homework times, mealtimes, curfew times. − Hobby arrangements - sports, interests, clubs − Medical needs All of the above will be noted and everyone will have a copy of your placement agreement.

18. 17. Complaints If you are unhappy about something do not let it make you upset. Please tell someone about it. You are entitled to make a complaint and must not feel that you will upset others by making a complaint. This is how you can make a complaint: There are three stages that you will have to follow, but if your complaint is resolved at stage one or two then you will not need to go to stage three. If you feel unhappy about anything at all whether it’s about your foster carer/s or staff? that are employed at Rainbow, please talk to someone about it. You can also use this booklet to write down your thoughts and feelings. These are the people who can help: • Your social worker • Your family • Your friends • A school teacher • A social worker from Rainbow Fostering: 020 84273355 • The Child line service: 0800 1111 Stage 1: You begin by writing your complaint down and then contacting us at Rainbow or by talking to your social worker. Who will help me with my complaint? The Assistant Director will make contact with you and will arrange a time to sit down and talk to you about your worries and how to try and deal with your complaints. You are entitled to have support from a family member or friend who can come with you to the meeting. We will try to sort out your problem and we will either write to you or meet with you to tell you how we have managed to resolve your complaint. If you are happy then no further action will be taken. What if I am not happy? Stage 2: We will move to stage 2. This will involve asking an independent person to listen to you and try and findout why you are still unhappy. The independent investigator will be asked to deal with your complaint within 4 weeks. When the independent investigator provides us with a written report we will make contact with you and let you know what actions we will take to put things right. If it happens that it is our fault, we will take responsibility for it and we will try to take actions so that it will not happen again.

19. You can also make a complaint to the Children's Commissioner by writing to: Children's Commissioner for England, 20 Great Smith Street,Sanctuary Building, SW1P 3BT, Tel: Tel: 0207 783 8330 Email: Email: advice.team@childrenscommissioner.gsi.gov.uk What if I am still not happy with the independent investigator’s findings What if I am still not happy with the independent investigator’s findings? ? Well, we willgo into stage 3: At this stage we must arrange for your complaint to be heard by a panel of three people. This will involve the Director and two other people who have not been involved in your complaint. You will be invited to the panel meeting to express your views. You can bring someone who will support and help you through this process. This can be anyone you feel would have your best interest at heart. Some people who would be able to help are as follows: • A member of your family • A mentor • A school teacher • A social worker • Someone from an voluntary organisation working with young people You will be advised of the outcome of the panel’s decision verbally and then in writing. But I am still not happy, so can I do anything else? But I am still not happy, so can I do anything else? Yes, you can contact Ofsted using the contact details below. Ofsted Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD Email: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk Tel: 0300 123 1231 Ofsted is responsible for inspecting all fostering agencies and they will contact us because they have their own complaints procedure and they will then look into your complaint for you.

20. 18. Here are some useful contacts for you to keep in a safe place. 020 7017 8901 between 10:30am and 3pm, Monday to Friday 0800 1111 • Who Cares Trust • Child line • National Youth Advocacy Service 0808 808 1001 • Voice: 0808 8005792 • NSPCC 0800 800 5000 • Children’s Legal Centre 0808 802 0008 OTHER USEFUL INFO: Child's Law advice(Mon-Fri 8am-6pm) Family Law - 0330 330 5480 Educational Law - 0330 330 5485 OTHER USEFUL INFO: www.nyas.net/ National Youth Advocacy Service - Gives a voice to children, young people and vulnerable adults. www.nyas.net/ www.youngminds.org.uk people. www.youngminds.org.uk - info on mental health/well being for young

21. If you wish to tell anyone else about the level of service Rainbow is providing, you can contact OFSTED on: 0300 123 3155 (Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 6.00pm) Or Email: whistleblowing@ofsted.gov.uk If you wish to tell anyone else about the level of service Rainbow is providing, you can contact OFSTED on: Or Email: Or write to: WBHL Ofsted Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD Or write to:

22. 19. Testing your knowledge on the complaints procedure 1. What can you do if you have a complaint? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 2. Who can help? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 3. What happens at stage 1? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 4. What happens at stage 2? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________ 5. What happens at stage 3? _______________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________

23. 10 Churchill Court, 58 Station Road North Harrow, Middlesex HA2 7SA Tel: Fax: www.rainbowfostering.co.uk 020 0844 8427 358 3355 3013