Identity

Identity:

Cultural needs:

You may have cultural needs that you would like support with. This may include supporting you with practising a specific religion, eating a specific diet and/or going to a place of worship. Your carer, Social Worker and/or Personal Adviser will support you in identifying any support you require.

Stereotypes and Labelling

You have spoken to us about feeling labelled for being Looked After or a Care Leaver. You are not alone with having these feelings and being Looked After or a Care Leaver forms your identity. We have attached a clip that explain Care Leavers' views about being in care and the views society holds. 

Nationally, there are lots of organisations that are engage in projects for Care Leavers and this is a great opportunity for you to make changes for Looked After Children and Care Leavers nationally.

Here is the link to the Care Leavers Foundation 

Here is a link to the Care Leavers Association

As a St.Helens Looked After Child/Care Leaver you have the oppoortunity to be part of the CICC (Children in Care Council) and/or the Care Leavers Group. You can find details of both groups in the listening to you section of the Care Leavers Local Offer. You have the opportunity to meet other young people that have shared similar experiences and make changes for other Looked After Children/Care Leavers in St.Helens.

Identification

You should receive a passport when you become looked after in St Helens. Your IRO will check that you have your passport at your review meetings. The local authority will pay for your passport while you are in care and you will also receive a passport when you are a care leaver.

If you have had a name change and you need a deed poll certificate, the local authority will fund this for you.

The local authority will fund your driving licence as a form of identification for you. This will also allow you to start driving, which we help you with. If you are a care leaver aged 17-25 and you are in education/employment and training for at least three months, the local authority will fund 20 driving lessons, one theory test and one practical test.

If you are a care leaver who has been granted asylum in the UK, the local authority will fund your residence permit.

When you are looked after by the local authority, you should receive life story work from your social worker to understand your life story. This may be during visits or you may receive a book.

A lot of young people, when they are older, want to access their social care records to answer questions that may not have been answered when they were a child. If you want to access your records, please speak to your personal adviser. They will give you details of how to do this and will support you when you receive this information.