Advocating for you and your rights: care leavers local offer
We have to keep written records of your care history. These records must be kept for 75 years. Children over 13 years can request to access their records and as a care leaver, you can do this too. You do not have to read through the information on your own. It can be upsetting or confusing to do this alone. Your personal adviser can support you or you can ask a friend.
If you want to see your records, you need to make a written request, called a Subject Access Request under the Data Protection Act 2018, and have some personal ID documents to prove who you are. We must then respond to you in writing giving the timescale, but it must happen within 30 days. If the records are large or complex, we may need longer to provide these to you, but we will inform you of this and the reason why.
You may find that some of the information is not available for you to read. This is because some of the information in your records may identify other people, known as third parties, and so will be hidden. Additionally, if there is information that may seriously harm your physical or mental health it may not be given to you. Find out more about this process.
How else we can help
Our care-experienced community has asked us to consider how we share your records with you as we know it can be upsetting and distressing. If you would like to meet with a member of our Data Protection team to talk about what your records may look like or how they may be sent to you please ask for this when you make your request. You can meet them with your personal adviser or a friend or you can ask for a member of our Corporate Parenting team to be with you to support you.
All children in care have an independent reviewing officer (IRO) who monitors the plans made for them until they turn 18. However, we have heard that some young adults want to continue to work with their IRO and we do this where possible. If you would like this, please speak with your personal adviser or IRO before you turn 18.
Our Family Meeting and Advocacy team can provide you with an advocate if you are a child in care or a care leaver to make sure that your rights are respected and protected, and your views and wishes are always heard, listened to and properly considered. An advocate is independent, which means they work directly for the you, not your carers, social worker or personal adviser. An advocate can support you to:
- express your wishes and feelings in meetings
- contribute to the plans and decisions being made about you
- help understand their rights and make sure their rights are being respected
- make a complaint
Our Family Meeting and Advocacy team is also available for care leavers to help them maintain and rebuild links with anyone who would be a support for them into and throughout their adult lives. This could include helping care-experienced young people reconnect with family members/ex support or key workers/carers /anyone from their lives that they may have lost touch with or want to stay connected with. You can ask your personal adviser for information or contact the service:
Telephone: 0300 300 5788
Email: familymeetingservice@centralbedfordshire.gov.uk