If you are a child in care, being in touch with your family and friends is called ‘family time’.
When you go to live with a foster family or in a children’s home, it’s important that you still have some time with your family. Your social worker will make sure this happens.
Your care plan will say what family time you should have, and we’ll look at this again at every review. If the Family Court is involved, it may decide what this looks like.
What you think and feel about seeing your family will be listened to and is important in what’s decided. We’ll also have to think about what’s going on with your family when we talk about who you see, when, where and how often.
If you have brothers or sisters and they’re not at the same place as you, we’ll make sure that you see them regularly.
Sometimes, the Family Court decides that cared for children and young people shouldn’t see some members of their family. If this happens to you, your social worker will explain it to you. If there’s someone you don’t want to see, tell your social worker. They need to know how you feel so they can make the right plans for you.
You might meet your family in a few different places. Some people go back to their family home for family time, while others meet at a children’s centre or on an outing.
If you stay at the same school, you’ll still be able to see your friends there. If you move school or you have special friends you want to see from outside school, you can talk to your social worker, carer or key worker about seeing them. You might also be able to stay in touch using email, phone or text messages.