Your A-Z guide

We know Children's Service's staff can use lots of strange words, some of which will be new to you when you become looked.

We have tried to explain some of them here but if there are others, then please email us at scscomment@wandsworth.gov.uk and we'll try our best t answer your query.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A

• Accommodated – This is a voluntary agreement where a child is looked-after by their Local Authority, and are not subject to Care Orders.
• Advocates - Advocates support a child or young person to help them to put across their point of view.

C

• Care Order - A Care Order is issued by the courts when they believe that your mum or dad cannot provide you with the proper care you might need. You will stay on a Care Order until it has been agreed that there is no longer a risk to you living a safe and happy life. A Care Order stops when an Adoption Order is made or lapses when a young person reaches 18.
• Care Plan - A Care Plan is done when you first come into care. It outlines what support you need and how we are going to give it to you. You should be involved in writing this plan and it considers your day to day arrangements and long term arrangements including education, health, and contact with family, interests and hobbies and much more.
• Childcare review meetings – are meetings chaired by an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) which happen to make sure the plans that are made for you are working out and to think about whether changes need to be made to these plans.
• Children Looked After (CLA) - Children Looked After is a term which refers to a child or children who are either in care (subject to a Care Order) or accommodated by a Local Authority.
• CLICK - Children Living In Care Kouncil - A group set up by young people looked after for any Wandsworth young person who has lived in care. The group meets reguarly for activities and to talk about issues which are important for young people.
• Corporate Parenting – This is the responsibility of the whole Council to provide the best possible care and protection for children who are looked after. As a Corporate Parent, the Council and its officers should act in the way we would if the child were our own.

D

• Designated Teacher – A teacher in your school who has responsibility to act as an advocate for children and young people looked after.

F

• Family Resource Centre/ Children's Home - A House or unit where a number of young people may live together, looked after by a team of staff. You'll have a key worker who you will get to know and they will provide you with the support you need.
• Foster Carer – the person/ people who provide care for you on a regular basis in their home. 

H

• Health Assessment – A check up every year for children looked after to assess their health needs.

I

• Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO) – The IRO chairs childcare review meetings and reviews the care plan of each looked after child. The IRO meets with you directly to ensure you have time to say what you think and have your views taken into account as plans are made for your future care.
• Independent Visitor - Adults who volunteer to spend some of their free time regularly with a child or young person who may have little or no time contact with their family. They make friends with you and encourage you with your interests.

L

• LAC or CLA - This is short for looked after children or children looked after, whichever way you might look at it.

P

• Pathway Plan – Every young person who is in care or leaving care is to have, when they turn 16, a Pathway Plan, which sets out a clear plan for them to independence.
• Personal Adviser – someone who supports a young person as they leave care, helps to support and coordinate provision and assits a young person to meet their needs.
• Placement Agreement – This is a written document that says what will happen from day to day where you live. It includes living arrangements, it says times in and out, travel, pocket money. You should be involved in writing this plan.

R

• Red File – A file which your foster carer looks after, where you are able to keep all important information documents.
• Residential worker – These workers provide support to children looked after in the Family Resource Centres/ Children's homes.

S

• Social Worker – The people who work with you, your first point of contact, the person who visits you and arranges meetings.
• Supervising Social Worker – This type of social worker is allocated to the foster care who they will support ,visit and speak to regularly.

U

• UNCRC – United Nation Convention on the Rights of the Child. An international agreement that sets out a comprehensive set of rights for children and young people.