Your rights, support, and Harrow's pledge
Your rights and advocacy
As a child or young person in care, you have a right to
- a social worker
- an independent reviewing officer
- understand why decisions are made about you and be involved in those decisions
- access to independent advocacy
- request access to your social care record.
If you're a looked after child or a care leaver and are worried about any of the decisions made about you by Harrow children's services, you can get help from a Coram Voice advocate. They will:
- give you independent information about your entitlements
- support you in meetings with your social worker or personal advisor
- help you write letters or make a complaint
Practical and emotional support
As well as support from an allocated social worker or leaving Care Service, we may be able to offer you additional practical and emotional support, for example:
- Provide you with a mentor/peer mentor/independent visitor
- Support to reconnect with family where this is in your best interests, including supporting you with the cost of travel to have contact family members in the UK.
- Support you to access the Red Cross Family Tracing Service if your family live overseas.
Harrow’s pledge for children in care
We pledge to work together to provide you the best possible care and support to help you be the best you can be in your life – now and in the future. To do this we will:
- Provide you with assistance and guidance to obtain a safe and secure home
- Provide you with the support you need to do well in education
- Listen to you about things in your own life and about the care that you receive from us
- Be honest with you about things that have happened in your life and the decisions that are made about your care
- Help you to develop good relationships with the people that you care for and the people in your life that are most important to you
- Provide you with support and opportunities to enjoy your life and have interests and hobbies of your own
- Provide you with the support you need when you leave care to become independent and be the best you can be in adult life
- We make this pledge to you and will do our best to always fulfil each one. There are many teams involved in helping make this pledge happens – from children’s services to housing and health.
- We will make sure that we work together to do this.
In addition, we are required by law to support you as your “corporate parent” in the following 7 areas:
- To act in the best interests, and promote the physical and mental health and well-being, of those children and young people
- To encourage those children and young people to express their views, wishes and feelings
- To take into account the views, wishes and feelings of those children and young people
- To help those children and young people gain access to, and make the best use of, services provided by the local authority and its relevant partners
- To promote high aspirations, and seek to secure the best outcomes, for those children and young people
- For those children and young people to be safe, and for stability in their home lives, relationships and education or work; and
- To prepare those children and young people for adulthood and independent living.