We love hearing your feedback, views, wishes and feelings about the services you are receiving and how you think we are doing as your Corporate Parent. If you would like to make any comments, complaints or compliments there are a variety of ways you can do this.
Firstly, you can speak to your Social Worker or Personal Adviser. If you would like to escalate anything further, you can do this by requesting to speak to the Advanced Practitioner, Team Manager or Independent Reviewing Officer.
If the complaint, comment or compliment cannot be resolved in this way, you can make a complaint via the Local Authority's Compliments and Complaints Team.
The details are:
Children's Compliments and Complaints Team St.Helens Council 2nd Floor Gamble Building Victoria Square St.Helens WA10 1DY
The Futures Team are always looking for feedback on how we can develop our service. This can be done in person at the Hub or via your PA. Alternatively you can email futuresteamfeedback@sthelens.gov.uk
Independent Reviewing Officer
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When you are a Looked After Child, you have an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO). Their role is to ensure your views are taken into consideration and the Local Authority as your Corporate Parent are doing everything they should be doing. They do this by being in regular contact with you and holding your review meetings to monitor how your plan is coming along.
Previously, you would have had an Independent Reviewing Officer until the age of 18. St.Helens Safeguarding Unit have made a commitment that if you would like your Independent Reviewing Officer to stay in your life after you're 18, you have this choice. They will review your plan twice per year and you can agree to how they want you to do this. This may be by paper or by having a meeting with those you would like there. If you do not want your IRO to stay involved but they think that the Local Authority have not completed all of the actions for you, your IRO will give special consideration to reviewing your plan.
Also, if you decide that you don't want them to remain in your life at 18 but you change your mind later, this is okay. You are able to have your IRO until you are 21 or even up until you are 25 if you choose to.
For more information, you can speak to your Independent Reviewing Officer, Social Worker or Personal Adviser.
Children in Care Council & Care Leavers Group
"A safe place." "Helps children and young people to have a say." "Where you will be listened to." "A place where you can share things." "Where you can change things for all young people." "Where senior managers have to listen." "An opportunity to have a go at things." "A chance to go on activities." "Talking to people who can change things." "Where everyone is friendly, you can make more friends." "Good to be with other who have experienced the same things - you don't have to explain."
Why does the group meet?
To make things better for all children and young people looked after by St Helens. Our Children We Look After Council (CWLAC) want:
Children we care for to have a say in things that affect their lives
Children we care for know what pieces of work the group have agreed to work on and what has been made better
To work with other people/groups to make changes for all children we care for
To make sure that the views of children we care for make a difference
Celebrate the good things that children and young people do
Who is on the group?
Our group is made up of children and young people, over the age of 7, who are looked after by St Helens Council, but may live either in St Helens or out of the area. Some of us live with Foster Carers, some in Children's homes, or the older young people may live on their own. When someone leaves the group, the adults helping us make sure that other people are asked to join the group.
Who do we link with?
Councillor Nova Charlton, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Children and Young people
Hilary Brooks. Strategic Director of Children's Services
Paula Swindlehurst - Senior Assistant Director
Managers who run services
All these people help us to get our views to the right people and make changes.
What happens at our meetings?
Take time to catch up with each other
Hear what has happened with the things we said at the last meeting
Break into small groups so that everyone gets a chance to speak
Work on a new issue and write down what we think
We feed this back to the whole group and decide what needs to happen next
Ask if there are people we want to invite to our next meeting
Who helps us at meetings?
There are adults who help us from across People's Services, Health and Advocacy Focus.
Ground rules As a group, we made our ground rules for working together so we are all respected:
Listen when other people are speaking
Get involved
Speak up
Turn your mobile phone off, or onto silent
It doesn't matter how we spell things to begin with, we sort that out later
Help each other
Be respectful
Have fun
Ask questions
Look at people when they are speaking
When will this information be looked at again and updated?
This information will be looked at and changed every September. Next due September 2024
For more info or to ask any question please get in touch with:
Helen Sharratt, Children and Young Peoples Consultation Officer 01744 671866 helensharratt@sthelens.gov.uk or futuresteam@sthelens.gov.uk
As a group they engage in lots of different activities and projects, such as:
Creating a template for a 'good meeting'.
Gaining resources for children and young people to have at meetings.
Developing information for children having supervised contact with their families.
Developing foster carers' profiles.
Engaging in craft activities, quizzes and trying new instruments.
Canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding and a BBQ with the youth service.
Christmas parties and summer activities such as trampolining, Inflata Nation and Rock & River.
Organising the children and young people's celebration event.
Giving their views about what makes a good school, social worker and carers.
It is a great chance to meet other Looked After Children and make your voice heard! We will support you with transport if you need to get to the CICC.
We recognise that Care Leavers have the most valuable views about your experiences being looked after in St.Helens and how we can make positive changes for you and other children/young people.
The Care Leavers Forum is for Care Leavers aged 16-25. The group meet on a monthly basis and sometimes more frequently if there are specific projects they are working on. We meet primarily at the hub which is based at The Beacon in the Town Centre and we have undertaken a range of activities and projects:
Played in the North West Care Leavers Football Tournament.
Tried boxing at Parr Sports and Community Centre.
Enjoyed kayaking, paddle boarding and canoeing with St.Helens Youth Service.
Attended the IRO scrutiny panel.
Attended the Corporate Parents forum.
Delivered Signs of Safety training.
Attended the Children in Care Council Network Meeting.
Attended a retro gaming event.
Been bowling and to the Cinema.
Been to watch the rugby league world cup at Saints.
Almost escaped from an escape room :)
Organised the St.Helens Care Leavers Local Offer Event.
Attended the Pride of St.Helens Business Awards.
Developed and completed training to potential foster carers.
Participated in a Fostering Panel.
Trained police officers.
Helped design the lifeskills package.
Arranged the Children and Young People's Christmas Event.
Arranged the Children and Young People's Celebration Event.
Engaged in the 'Take Over Challenge', taking over the jobs of the St.Helens Council Chief Executive, Strategic Director and two MPs for the day.
Interviewed for staff from Personal Advisers to the Director of Children's Services.
Designed and painted the old hub at MD Creatives on Barrow Street.
Mindfulness and craft sessions at the Hub.
Trip to watch Saints
Lazerquest activity
Updated the pledges for 23/24
Requested and were successful in uplifting the setting up home allowance
