Social workers support children and families, and together, make some of the important decisions that affect your life.

Every young person in care has a named social worker who will make sure they’re well looked after.

You will have your own social worker and, together with your carers, they will:

• give you the help you need protect you from harm
• treat you with respect
• ask what you think about things
• help you take part in making decisions about your life

What your social worker will do

Your social worker will find you a place to live to suit you. They will talk to you about where you’ll live, so you know what it will be like. Social workers will also work with your family and your carer to make sure you know why you’re in care, what’s going to happen and how long you might be in care.

The first thing they’ll do is to create a plan for you to make sure you’re settled and you feel secure. This is called your care plan. It covers everything from where you live and when and how you see your family, to where you go to school, and how we care for your health needs.

To make this plan, your social worker will talk to your family, the important people in your life and, most of all, you. Once it’s written, they will make sure that your care plan is followed and that you are well looked after.

When will you see your social worker

You’ll see your social worker regularly. They must visit you:

• within the first week of coming into care
• then at least every six weeks for the first year
• then every three months after that

If where you live changes, they’ll start the process again.

They may visit you more often than this, to sort out any problems, or just to get to know you.