young persons guide to hythe house support ltd independent

YOUNG PERSONS GUIDE TO HYTHE HOUSE SUPPORT LTD

INDEPENDENT FOSTERING AGENCY WITH INDEPENDENT SCHOOLING AND THERAPEUTIC SUPPORT

This guide can be made available in other languages.

Last updated December 2013

www.hythehousesupport.co.uk

WELCOME TO HYTHE HOUSE SUPPORT LIMITED

We are sure you will have many questions about being a child in care. We hope to answer many of them in this booklet.

WHAT IS HYTHE HOUSE SUPPORT?

Hythe House Support is a privately owned Fostering Agency, and a limited company. It was started in 2003 by Margaret and John Duffy, along with their sons, David, Gary and Robert. The family had previ-ously fostered lots of children and wanted to do more for other children who needed this help.

WHERE IS HYTHE HOUSE SUPPORT?

We are based in the town of Sittingbourne, in an area of Kent called Swale. Hythe House school is based in the town of Sheerness. If you dont know the local area, Sittingbourne is a medium sized town of about 55,000 population, and Sheerness is a small town on an island, called the Isle of Sheppey, which is connected to the mainland by two bridges.

The Hythe House Support office59 Staplehurst RoadSittingbourneKentME10 2NY

Tel :- 01795 438634Fax :-01795 438643www.hythehousesupport.co.uk

Hythe House Education19 Marine ParadeSheernessKentME12 2APTel :- 01795 581006Fax :-01795 668728

WHAT DOES HYTHE HOUSE SUPPORT DO?

It is our job to find foster families for children who need to be ‘in care’ and make sure they take care of those children properly.

Hythe House Education is a small independent secondary school located on the Isle of Sheppey, right opposite the beach. It is attended only by young people who are being looked after by Hythe House Support, so at any time there are no more than 20 pupils.

There are two main classrooms, an art and craft room, a design and technology workshop, library, IT Suite, kitchen and garden.

Class sizes are very small so pupils receive a lot of staff support in a friendly, caring environment. We can even provide a bus to and from school from your foster home.

Your work will be based on the national curriculum and you will be able to sit a variety of exams ranging from ASDAN which promotes life skills and employment skills, through to GCSEs depending on your age and academic level.

At Hythe House Education we try very hard to promote pupils independence and where possible you may be re-integrated into mainstream education.

WHAT IS HYTHE HOUSE EDUCATION?

ABOUT BEING LOOKED AFTER

Why am I being looked after by Hythe House?This happens when you cant live with your own family and Social Services make other arrangements to take care of you, so you live with someone who is not your parent or close relative. Your social worker will have spoken with us and asked us to find a foster family for you to live with.

There are many reasons why children cannot live with their real families. If you are not sure why you are living with a foster family, then speak to your foster carer or social worker and they will explain it for you.

Who will I live with?Before you go to live with your new foster family we will give you some information about them. This will include photographs and a description of who is in the family, where they live and things they like to do. Sometimes though, it is not always possible to provide you with this information before you move, but we will always try to get this to you as soon as we can.

What is a foster family?A foster family might be made up of just one person or a couple, and they may have children of their own. Sometimes, but not always, there might be other children living with the family who are also be-ing looked after, like you.

All families are different, of course. They will enjoy doing different things together, and they may have pets or not. Your foster family may eat the same kind of food as you or have favourite family meals you may not have tried before. They may celebrate the same special days like Christmas, Enid-Al-Adwa (a Muslim celebration) or Passover (a Jewish festival). Even when your carers do not share the same inter-ests, or perhaps the same religion, they will do all they can to help you feel at home and to meet your needs, beliefs and wishes.

Your foster carer will do lots of things that most parents do, like cooking, washing your clothes, taking you to school if you cannot go by yourself and helping you with homework. They will also make sure you are kept healthy, take you to appointments at the doctor or dentist, on outings and give you support with any hobbies or interests you might have.

How long will I stay?Hythe House families can provide a home for different lengths of time, depending on what you need. Sometimes it may only be for a few weeks, but sometimes it is much longer. Shortly after you arrive at your foster family, there will be something called a Placement Planning Meeting. This is where people like your social worker, your foster carer and the Hythe House Support Team will talk with you about how long your stay will be. You may be invited to this meeting, but if that’s not possible, it will be ex-plained afterwards.

We want you to be well cared for and happy during the time you are with your foster family. We know that not all children like or want the same things. Working with the information we have received about you, we have chosen a family we think you will feel most comfortable with and get along with.

Everyone in the family over the age of 16 has undergone a number of checks so that we know they can provide a safe home for you.

How do I keep in touch with family and friends?

We believe it is very important for you to keep in touch with all the people who are special to you. When you see your family, and which members you see, will depend on what is considered in your best inter-ests. There are many things that your social worker and team will have to think about when deciding what is best for you, like whether there are any people it is not safe for you to see. These things will be talked about at your review meeting and, before any decisions are made, you will be asked what your feelings are.

If you feel worried about seeing anyone in your family, or your social worker thinks you may be in dan-ger, then you will have someone with you when you visit.

Know your rights!

Everyone has rights, including children and young people. During your stay with your foster family you have a right to expect:To be able to say what your wishes and feelings are and to know they will be taken notice of.To be listened to if you are having any problems.To be protected from harm and kept safe.To be kept healthy and provided with health care to suit your needs.To get the most from your education.To have your privacy and confidentiality respected.To be treated appropriately and with respect for who you are, what you believe in and for any special needs you may have.To be valued and not discriminated against for any reason.To be given information about your family and other important people in your life and to have contact with them, or a clear explanation of why this is not possible.To be told clearly what you can do and what you are not allowed to do.To be given opportunities to develop your skills and interests.To be encouraged to participate in making decisions and plans for your future and to be prepared for life as an adult, with the necessary help made available to you while you do this.To know how to complain if things go wrong and for that complaint to be dealt with properly.

During your stay, our foster carers, social workers, teachers and others will all work together to make sure that your rights are respected.

We will do our best to help you to reach your full potential, by building on the skills you already have and by treating you with respect and consideration.

What is a Child in Care Review?

A CIC Review is where all the grownups involved in your care can talk about what is best for you and make plans for your future. You may be invited to go, or you will be asked to let someone know what you want and feel. You could either write this down, record your comments or perhaps do a drawing.

How often are these meetings?

Your first CIC Review meeting should happen in the first month of arriving at your new foster home. Your next CIC Review meeting is three months later, but only if you are still living away from home. After that, the meetings are held every six months, although they can be more often, if there is a need for this.

What about school?

We believe that learning is very important and if it is at all possible you will carry on going to the same school as before. If this cannot happen, perhaps because you have moved too far away, then we will arrange a new school for you. Going to a new school can be worrying, but we will do everything we can to make sure you settle in.

It might be that you will be offered a place at Hythe House School until you can go to a mainstream school. This is a small, friendly school close to our office that we own and run.

Moving on.

Some children are able to move back home after a short period in foster care. Others may move to an adoptive family, or begin an independent life in a home of their own. It all depends on your circum-stances, your age and also what you want for the future. Moving on can be a difficult and anxious time, but we will help you to deal with the challenges.

Wherever you are living, and also after you have left foster care, you will always be welcome at Hythe House, to come in for a chat. Many of the children we have known still visit us here and we are glad to see them and hear about how they are getting on.

DID YOU KNOW?

You may not be aware that many well known people and celebrities have been where you are now, and have lived with a foster family. These include:

Eddie Murphy, actor and comedian

Maya Angelou, writer

John Lennon, Beatle

Nelson Mandela, civil rights leader and former President of South Africa

Ice-T, rap musician

Coco Chanel, fashion designer

James Dean, film actor

Goldie, musician

Harry Potter, wizard

John Fashanu, footballer

Marilyn Monroe, film actress

Neil Morrissey, actor

Cher, singer and actor

Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, Inc Superman, superhero!

A LIST OF WORDS YOU MAY HEAR PEOPLE USE

Sometimes people who work in childcare use words that you may not be familiar with, which can be confusing, so we have explained some of these for you:

AdvocateThis is a person who helps children and young people by putting forward their views, or speaking on their behalf when they cant be present. They might stand in for you in a meeting if you cant be there.

Care planThis is an agreed plan of action made at your Child in Care Review Meeting. It will include details of your needs, now and for the future so we can be sure you are going to be looked after properly.

Child Care ReviewThese are meetings where the adults in your life talk to you about your plans for the future.

Childrens GuideThis is the information you are reading now! It was created by Hythe House staff to help you under-stand why you are here and how we can help.

Complaints OfficerSomeone whose job it is to deal with any complaints that are made, in a fair way.

Foster FamilyA family that has been specially chosen for you to live with, when you are unable to live with your own family.

Independent Reviewing OfficerA person who takes charge of child care reviews. The name of your IRO is .......................................

Local AuthorityThis is the local government office for a town or area, and each Local Authority includes a Social Services Department whose role includes making provision for children who cannot live with their own families.

PlacementAnother name for the place where you will be living with your foster family.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY

What to do if you want to complainMaking a complaint means letting people know that you are unhappy about something. You can do this in different ways. Always begin by trying to let your foster carer know what is wrong and they will try and help. Even if you feel shy or worried about doing this, it is important that you speak up to some-one you trust. If they feel they need to get others to help, they will speak with someone at Hythe House, or your Supervising Social Worker. They will always ask your permission to do this. However if you tell them something that is very serious and means you need to be kept safe, then they cannot keep this secret and they must tell someone.

If you feel you cannot share your problem with your foster carer, then your Supervising Social Worker, family member, teacher or friends may be able to help you. If you are still worried, or unhappy, then you can contact an Independent Complaints Officer. It is their job to help children with their problems and being independent means he or she does not work for Hythe House so will make sure your com-plaint is dealt with fairly. Your social worker can give you the address for this.

There are also other people you can contact for advice. Their telephone numbers are included in the last section of this booklet. While your complaint is being looked into, you will always be told what is hap-pening, and why.

Your Supervising Social Worker should also have given you a copy of your local authority complaint leaf-let, which will give you more information if needed.

Will I be in trouble for making a complaint?If you have a complaint then you must let someone know that you are unhappy. If you are being truthful you will not get into trouble. Remember, you should never be afraid to say something is wrong. We are here to help and support you.

Never make a complaint about something or someone that is not true. This will only cause upset for eve-ryone involved and it can be very difficult to get things back to normal afterwards.

BullyingNo-one at Hythe House will tolerate anyone being bullied, for whatever reason, so we want to make sure you know what to do if you, or someone you know, is being bullied. Here is some guidance for you.

What is bullying?Bullying can be described as anything that causes pain, distress, anxiety, embarrassment, or humilia-tion to one person, by one or more other people. This might be done by doing something physical, like hitting you, or taking something that belongs to you. It can also be verbal and they might say hurtful, or horrible, things to you. It might also mean being left out of doing things, or people not speaking to you. Sometimes this is called sending someone to Coventry.

What are the signs of bullying? Here are some examples:

Threatening, hitting, pushing or spitting on others.Stealing, hiding, damaging or destroying someones property like a school bag or lunchbox.Calling someone horrible names.

Teasing someone, over and over again.Telling stories about someone, or their family, that are not true.Writing notes, or graffiti, that is nasty and unpleasant.Making degrading comments about where a person comes from, or their religion or culture.Making fun of how someone looks.Making someone do something they dont want to do.Encouraging others to do any of the above.

Using mobiles, the internet or social media sites such as Facebook to make fun of someone or make them feel bad is also bullying.

What should I do about bullying?

If you are being bullied the first thing is to tell an adult. This could be your foster carer, teacher or social worker, someone you trust. If you have a friend to support you, ask them to come with you.

If you know someone else who is being bullied:

Try to be a friend to the person being bullied.Dont rush in and try to take the bullies on. You might get hurt, or others might think you are the one doing the bullying. Talk to the person being bullied. Tell them you know what is happening and encourage them to tell an adult.Think about going with them to give them support, when they speak with an adult.

If you think you have become involved in behaviour which might be considered bullying to someone else, then again, talk to a trusted adult about how this can be changed and how you can avoid doing so in future.

The only way to stop bullying happening is to talk about it, so speak up!

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS AND ADDRESSES

This is the website for the Children’s Rights Director for England and his name is Roger Morgan. The website address is www.rights4me.org

Roger and his team listens to the views of children who live away from home and he reports what they have to say to government so that they can be considered when decisions are made about howchildren should be looked after in the future.

Why not have a look at the website.

OfstedHythe House Support is visited regularly by Inspectors who work for an agency called Ofsted. It ’s their job to go around and look at all the places where Children in Care are living, to make sure they are safe and being well cared for. If you are unhappy about your care, or something that Hythe House is doing, or not doing, then they will listen to you. You can write to them at:

OfstedPiccadilly GateStore StreetManchester M1 2WD

[email protected] Telephone : 0300 123 1231

ChildLine is a free 24-hour helpline for children and young people in the UK where you can talk about any problem, at any time - day or night. ChildLine Counsellors are there to help you find ways to sort things out.

ChildLine is confidential - which means they won't tell anyone about your call, unless you want them to talk to somebody for you, or you are in danger. They also produce leaflets about all sorts of things that you might find interesting.

Their telephone lines can often be busy, but if you keep trying you will get through.

You can write to:ChildLineFreepost 1111London N1 OBR08001111

Website :- www.childline.org.ukEmail :- [email protected]

The Children's Legal Centre is run by lawyers and other people with experience in child law and is an independent national charity concerned with law and policy, affecting children and young people. The Children's Legal Centre has a lot of experience in providing legal advice to children, their carers, and other people like social workers, across the United Kingdom. Write to them at:

Website :-www.childrenslegalcentre.comTelephone :- 01206 873820

Childrens Legal CentreWivenhoe ParkColchester

The Who Cares? Trust is a national charity, working to improve the care for around 60,000 children and young people, who are separated from their families, living in residential or foster care.

They promote the interests of children and young people in public care in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland and around the world. You can write to them at:

The Who Cares? TrustKemp House152 -160 City RoadLondon EC1V 2NP

Website :- http://www.thewhocarestrust.org.uk/Telephone :- 020 72513117

The Voice for the Child in Care is committed to campaigning for improvements to the lives of children and young people in care and empowering them to speak out for changes in their lives. It also offers a service for children and young people that provides access to 'immediate advice and telephone ad-vocacy', through their team of trained telephone advocates, based in their London headquarters. It will also provide a local VCC advocate to meet and support you if they feel this is right to do so. For more information you can download a leaflet from their website:

Website :- www.voiceyp.orgEmail :- [email protected] :- 0808 800 5792 (children and young people only)

Kidscape is a childrens charity that gives practical advice on bullying and keeping safe. Website :- www.kidscape.org.uk08451 205 204

The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children is a large national charity that promotes a society in which all children are loved, valued and able to fulfil their potential. It has run a campaign to encourage young people to find someone to turn to, if they have a problem, and produces a booklet called Worried? Need to talk? which contains help and advice for young people, on abuse, bullying, rac-ism, family relationships, being in care, drugs and alcohol. If you would like a booklet you can get one by going to their website or calling the free 24 hour Helpline.

Website :- www.nspcc.org.uk 24 hour hotline :- 0808 800 5000

Frank provides free and confidential advice and help to anyone affected by drugs or alcohol.

Website :- www.talktofrank.com24 hour helpline :- 0800 776600Or text a question to 82111 and they’ll text you back an answer.

If you have worries about alcohol, you can also check out:

Alcohol Concernwww.alcoholconcern.org.uk0207 5669800

Drinkline0800 917 8282

Sexual health and relationships

Relationships can be a difficult part of growing up. Sometimes you just dont know where you are with people, or find yourself falling out all the time. When it comes to sex, you also have to make sure youre fully informed before you make decisions. Advice on all aspects of relationships is available at the Radio 1 OneLife website. Brook and the FPA have loads of commonsense information and advice about sex and contraception.

Websites: www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/advicewww.fpa.org.ukwww.brook.org.uk

Safety on the internet

Everyone enjoys using the internet but it ’s important to be aware of how to stay safe online. There is masses of information available on the thinkuknow website about staying safe and in control online, and what to do if youre worried about something or someone contacting you.Website: http://www.thinkuknow.co.uk/

THINGS TO DO IN AND AROUND THE LOCAL AREA

ODEON Complex Maidstone Lockmeadow, Barker Road, Maidstone, Kent ME16 8RG

Cineworld RochesterMedway Valley Leisure ParkChariot WayStroodKentME2 2SS

www.cineworld.co.uk

Scout GroupsThere are a total of 15 Scout groups in and around the Sittingbourne area :

IwadeMilton RegisNewingtonBapchildHalfwayKemsleyLower HalstowSittingbourneTeynhamMinsterBobbingUpchurchMurstonEastchurchSheernessCheck out www.scoutbase.org for more information

Girl Guide GroupsFor information about Girl Guide groups local to you, take a look at their website: http://www.girlguiding.org.uk/

Army CadetsFor information about Army Cadets groups local to you, take a look at their website:http://armycadets.com/

Sea CadetsFor information about a Sea Cadets group local to you, take a look at their website: http://seacadets.ms-sc.org/

Swallows Leisure CentreCentral AvenueSittingbourneKentME10 4NTTel : 01795 420420

Facilities include: 25 Metre Swimming Pool with Beach, Waves and Flume Learner Pool with Beach Area 6 Badminton Courts Table Tennis Swimlife Swimming Lessons Full disabled access

Sheppey Leisure CentreOff the Broadway, Sheerness, Kent, ME12 1HHTel: 01795 668652

Facilities include: 25 Metre Swimming Pool & 15 Metre Learner Pool Adventure World 4 Badminton Courts Table Tennis 3 Flood Light Tennis Courts Swimlife Swimming Lessons

The Ice BowlAmbley RoadGillingham Business ParkGillinghamKentME8 0PU

Tel: 01634 388477Fax: 01634 374065

Open all year round, 7 days a week for public skating. Also home to the Invicta Dynamos, if you’re interested in ice hockey.

Bayford Meadows Kart Circuit LtdSymmonds DriveEurolink Industrial EstateSittingbourneKent ME10 3RY

Tel: 01795 410707Fax: 01795 423814

Ice Skating

Go Karting

One of the country’s premier outdoor floodlit karting circuits, featuring an 1100m MSA licensed circuit set within a 12 acre landscaped site. It is also considered as one of the leading competition kart circuits for owner drivers in the country, thanks to the fast and consistent asphalt racing surface.

HOW TO LOOK AT THE INFORMATION WE KEEP ABOUT YOU

We hope you are happy whilst at Hythe House Support. We will do everything we can to make this a positive time for you and to help you in any way possible.

We keep a file with all your information. Please remember that you have every right to see this file, and we would encourage you to access these records. Your foster carer fills out a monthly report which goes to Hythe House and your local authority. There is a section on this report for you to fill out, and again we encourage your input.

You are always welcome to come into the Hythe House office at 59 Staplehurst Road, Sittingbourne, and speak to anyone at any time. We are usually there Monday to Thursday 9am-5pm and Fridays 9am-4pm, but it would be a good idea to telephone beforehand to check that the person youre after is in; our number is 01795 438634.

young persons guide to hythe house support ltd independent

Documents