VMC is made up of young people who have various experiences of the care system.
They are from different backgrounds and have different experiences including:
Our Promise is Northumberland County Council’s pledge to looked after children and young people.
We aim to offer all of the services and support needed by children and young people in our care.
We have developed this promise to you based on:
To get involved in the work that we do at VMC, please just get in touch with us
All local authorities are expected to make arrangements to set up a children in care council to ‘give children in care a forum to express their views and influence the services and support they receive…’ (Care Matters: A Time for Change, DCSF, 2007)
Northumberland’s Children in Care Council was set up in 2009 and they have called themselves Voices Making Choices.
VMC meet regularly and invite guests to come to their meetings to discuss issues and get their views. VMC also meet at other times to work on projects together.
If you as young people have any issues you would like VMC to take up for you, please contact VMC by emailing advocacy@northumberland.gov.uk or you can call/text 07966332280.
The government wants to make things better for young people in care and to have a bigger say in what happens to them. They wrote about their ideas to make things better for young people in care in a booklet called "Care Matters: transforming the lives of children and young people in care".
They asked young people and people who work with them what they thought about our ideas and then made plans to make things better for young people in care. They picked seven main things which would help make things better for young people in care:
All council employees, service areas, departments, directorates and elected members must consider cared for children and young people as if they were their own children and provide services for them accordingly.
All council services will work together, with partner agencies such as health, housing and leisure to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people looked after by Northumberland County Council.
This involves having the best educational and leisure opportunities, ensuring that their health and welfare is taken care of, and that they receive encouragement, praise, support and preparation towards independence.
Elected members (councillors) have an important role to play in overseeing the services provided for cared for children and young people to make sure that the services are improving their outcomes.
They must ensure that the services would be good enough for their own children.
Northumberland County Council has a safeguarding and corporate parenting group which meets regularly. Please click here for more information about the group and its members.
Click here to view the cared for Children and Care Leavers Strategy 2019-22.
For more information on Our Promise, click here.
Young people also have the opportunity to participate in the regional children in care council which brings together young people from across the North East to discuss and look at issues affecting young people that are cared for.
Foster carers are people who want to help care for you, while you are unable to stay with your family. They will do all they can to help you feel safe and cared for while you are away from your family. They will listen to what you want and help you stay in touch with your family and friends. Everyone in children’s services will help your foster carers to care for you properly.
The foster care team prepare, train and supervise our foster carers so they can look after you properly. They and your social worker are part of children’s services and will work with you and your family to give you the best care that they can.
For more information on support for children and young people in foster care click here.
Northumberland County Council offers a range of residential services for children and young people who cannot live at home, either for long or short periods.
Our secure children’s home facility, Kyloe House, is available to support children and young people from across the UK.
More information about Northumberland's residential services can be found on their pages here.
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