Children's rights

If you are a child or young person who is Looked After by us, you have the following rights:

Right to care of a high standard

You should live in a place that is clean, comfortable and free of smoke, where you are cared for, encouraged and praised. You should have access to all the things you need to achieve your full potential.

Any rules or decisions involving you should be explained to you in a way you can understand and you should be allowed to ask questions about these decisions and rules.

Right to be safe

The adults that care for you and work with you should make sure that you are not being hurt, scared or intimidated.

By listening to you and making you feel comfortable, you should be able to talk to them about any problems or worries you may have.

Right to contact with the people that are important to you

You have the right to ask to see or speak with those people who are important to you such as friends and family. This is often called 'contact'.

Right to be treated and valued as an individual

You should be recognised, respected and celebrated for being unique, with your own character, personality, background, experiences, likes and dislikes.

You should not be judged by what you look like, what you wear, how you act, what language you wish to speak, where you are from, what you believe in or your views and ideas. You should be treated equally to others in the place you live, in your school and in the community.

Right to be healthy

The people that live with you and care for you should make sure that they:

  • encourage you to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet
  • give you the opportunity to be involved in physical activities, regular exercise and play
  • promote regular and reasonable bedtimes so that you get enough rest and sleep
  • care for you properly when you are feeling poorly
  • make health appointments for you when you need them, and support you in going to them
  •  provide you with health information that is relevant to your age and situation 
 

Right to an education that suits you and your needs

You should be able to learn in an environment that encourages you and helps you to develop and achieve to the best of your ability.

If you are in a school, you should have a LAC teacher who is there to support you with any problems you may be having in school. If you have not been told who your LAC teacher is, you can ask your social worker to find out for you.

Right to information that relates to you

A lot of information is recorded or shared about you such as why you are in care, your background, plans and reports.

You can ask your social worker or your carer/s for a copy of anything that is written about you, including minutes (records) of meetings.

Any information that you ask for should be explained to you by your social worker in a way you can understand, and any questions you may have regarding this information should be answered in a way you can understand.

Right to 16+ services

The service is part of Caerphilly Safeguarding and Services to Children and Young People. It is a service designed to help, support, advise, assist and befriend young people who are in care or are leaving the care system. We work with young people between the ages of 16 to 21 years and sometimes up to 24 if the young person is in further or higher education.

Right to advocacy

If you do not feel anyone is listening to you, or you are not being given the chance to say how you feel, you have the right to an Independent Advocate. An Independent Advocate will listen carefully to you and, with your permission, speak on your behalf in order to get your issues and point of view across. They will never take the side of other adults.

To ask for an advocate, contact the NYAS on 0808 808 1001 or email help@nyas.net.

Right to have your voice heard

When decisions are being made about you, anyone who works with you should always listen to your views, wishes and feelings. You should be given the chance to have your say. You won't always get what you want but people should seriously consider your views, wishes and feelings when making decisions.

 Right to make a complaint

If you are unhappy with something, or you feel that something is unfair, you have the right to make a complaint. You can also make a complaint about any adult involved in caring or working with you. Remember, an advocate can support you in making the complaint, or in helping you put across your issues.

Your social worker and the other adults working with you, should make sure you know how to make a complaint, and should provide you with written information about how to make a complaint. You should never be stopped from making or from finding out about how to make a complaint. If at any point you do not know or cannot remember how to make a complaint, you can ask any adult who works with you to provide you with the information.

To make a complaint, please contact the Customer Services Team.

The team are also happy to receive positive comments about those people who work with you. So if someone has made a positive change in your life, let the team know!

For more information on your rights, please download A Basic Guide to Being Looked After booklet.

If you do not understand any of the information, or there are other questions you would like answered, please contact us. You can also ask your social worker.

If you are unsure about who your social worker is, you can contact the Children's Services Contact and Referral Team.

Contact us