Children In Care South Tyneside

Information and advice for children and young people cared for in South Tyneside

Who Will Support Me And How

South Tyneside Council provides safe and caring homes for children and young people who are unable to live with their family.

We carefully check, select, train and support Foster Carers and residential staff to look after children and young people.

Cartoon illustration of a man listening through an ear horn.

There are lots of children and young people who live with foster carers, or in a residential children’s home, for lots of different reasons.

We want you to be happy and safe, and understand that you would prefer to be with your family.

Find out about our children’s homes

Foster Carers are all different:

What We Offer

For all our children cared for we will:

While you are living with Foster Carers, or in a residential home, your carers will:

We offer the same experiences to all children and young people no matter your age, gender and ethnicity.

We want to provide the very best homes and experience for all our children cared for, whether you live with foster carers or in a residential home.

Our Promise To You

Everyone involved in your care wants you to:

Corporate Parents

South Tyneside Council is a ‘Corporate Parent’ to all our children cared for and care leavers. This means we will support you now and into your future, showing interest and care, respecting your wishes and feelings, promoting your best interests, and supporting you into adulthood.

The Council promises to:

As Corporate Parents, the Council will do their best to:

Care Leaver’s Charter

Our Care Leaver’s Charter promises that South Tyneside Council will:

Who Will Be Looking After Me?

Care for children in South Tyneside can look different for each person.

This may be:

Some young people aged 16 and over sometimes live in supported housing.

Before you move in with your new Foster Carers or into a residential home, you will be given some information and photos to show:

You’ll also have the chance to meet them before you move.

As well as your main carers, you’ll have:

You can also regularly see an Independent Visitor. This is someone who will meet up with you every few weeks to do something fun.

Children cared for can also get help to have their say from an advocate.

An advocate is someone who can help you speak out. They do not work for the Council.

They will keep what you say private, unless what you tell them puts you or someone else in danger.

For more information on getting an advocate, see help to express your views.

Social Workers and Fostering Officers

All children cared for in South Tyneside have their own dedicated Social Worker.

Your Social Workerwill keep in touch with you and visit you regularly. This is usually once every 6 weeks.

How often they come to visit you might change depending how long you have been in your home, what is happening in your life, and what your views are.

You can always speak with your Social Worker. Your Foster Carer (or Key Worker, if you live in a residential home) can help you get in touch with them, and you can speak to them in private.

All children who have a Social Worker should have one of these cards:

Example of a social worker card.

‘Know your Social Worker’ cards were designed by MAGIC (our Children in Care Council). They tell you a little bit about your Social Worker and show you what they look like. The back of each card tells you what your Social Worker should do for you, and it also tells you their email and phone number.

How we review your Foster Carer

Your Foster Carer will also have a Social Worker.

They are known as ‘Supervising Social Workers’.

They support your Foster Carer to make sure that they are providing you with a good level of care.

Your Foster Carer will see their Supervising Social Worker often to make sure they’ve got all the help they need.

You will also be able to meet your Foster Carer’s Social Worker or ask questions when they come to visit.

Share you views with us

Every year, we review all Foster Carers to make sure they are caring for all children and young people well and to a good standard.

You will be asked for your views about living with your Foster Carers.

It’s really important you share these with us so:

The Virtual School

South Tyneside Virtual School is here to support you with your education and aspirations.

Logo of the Virtual School.

We work alongside schools, social workers and carers to make sure you have the best opportunities throughout your school career.

We provide the support, guidance and reassurance you might need on your journey.

We collect your attendance and progress information regularly from your school or college.

We use Personal Education Plans (PEPs) to monitor your education more closely.

We can offer you one to one support if you are struggling with certain subjects, your overall progress, or your attendance or behaviour. We can also help you access support from other services such as educational psychology, counselling etc.

We also provide activities in school holidays, book packs, links with local universities, competitions, and rewards for achievements throughout the year.

Our People

The Virtual School is made up of the following people:

We Can Support You With

This Is How We Work With You

The Virtual School Offers Access To

We Provide Training For

One of Your Most Important Jobs Involves Your PEP

Here is a super-quick guide to Personal Education Plans (PEPs)……

The Virtual School is responsible for ensuring you have an up to date Personal Education Plan (PEP) and these are updated 3 times each year (autumn, spring, summer)

The PEP holds all your key education information such as:

You will be invited and encouraged to attend the PEP meeting along with your teacher, carer and social worker.

The PEP information is discussed to check that you have everything in place to support you in your education and to agree any actions that are needed to make this all happen.

The completed PEP is then shared with your IRO and care team so everyone is aware of your education plan.

If you have a question or would like any help or support with your education please email VirtualSchool@southtyneside.gov.uk or phone Sarah Hamblin (Lead Advisor) 0191 427 2488

Independent Visitors

An Independent Visitor (IV) is a volunteer who can befriend and support you during your time in care.

They will visit you regularly and support you when you need it.

How an Independent Visitor can help you

An Independent Visitor is interested in you and you only.

They will help and guide you during your time in care, and be someone you can trust and talk to.

Your Independent Visitor will:

How to get an Independent Visitor

Speak with your Social Worker or carer and they will be able to help you.

Planning and Review Meetings

A ‘review meeting’ will take place 20 days after you become cared for, and 20 days after you move in with your new carers.

This meeting is to bring together the people who support you. The meeting is to:

Sometimes reviews will take place earlier if there are significant changes to your plan, for example moving to a new home, or if you are returning to your family.

What happens at your review meeting

Your review meeting takes place every 6 months.

You can decide:

Your meetings are chaired by an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO).

What is an Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO)?

Your IRO will:

Example of a leaflet introducing your IRO.

They chair your review meeting and write a report to tell people how they can help you more.

Your IRO should speak to your or spend time with you before your review meetings to make sure your views are included.

They will write to you after the meeting to make sure you know what happens next.

If you want to talk to someone about your IRO, you can contact Russell.pilling@southtyneside.go.uk. Russell is the IRO Manager and will be able to give you any help you need around your IRO.

My Plan

Your meetings will talk about the ‘My Plan’ you’ll have done with your Social Worker.

‘My Plan’ is a way for you to say what you want to happen in the future.

It’s your plan to get your views across. You can write what you want without being judged. You could include things like:

Example of a Plan (Front Page)

You can create your own plan however you want. It can be:

Example of a Plan (Back Page)

Your Social Worker will talk to you about it to see if your plan is working well for you.

View an example of a ‘My Plan’

Your review, your view documents

Another way to give your views at your review meeting is to fill out a consultation document.

This is a short questionnaire where you can:

View the documents

Your Review, Your View document for under 11s Your Review, Your View document for 11 to 16 year olds

Get help to have your say

Children cared for can also get help to have their say from an advocate.

An advocate is someone who can help you speak out. They do not work for the Council.

They will keep what you say private, unless what you tell them puts you or someone else in danger.

For more information on getting an advocate, see help to express your views.

Care and placement plans

Every young person who is cared for by South Tyneside will have a Care Plan.

This will link with your My Plan and what is important to you.

It also includes information about:

Your Care Plan should be shared with you regularly and updated after you have Care Team meetings.

Your Social Worker will also talk to you about parts of your plan when they visit you.

You will also have a plan which is called a ‘Placement Plan’.

This is completed when you move to a new home and explains what support you need and who will be supporting you.

This also lets your carers know what is important to you, including:

Getting Ready For Leaving Care

As you grow older, you will be supported to learn the skills you’ll need to be able to live independently at a time that is right for you.

These skills can be anything from budgeting, ironing, or travelling on your own.

Your carers will help you to gain the skills and confidence you need.

Leaving Care and Pathway Plans

At age 16 we would like to introduce you to your Personal Advisor (PA).

Your Social Worker and PA will work with you to make sure you’re supported in the best way you can be.

During this time, you will still have support from your Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO).

Your Pathway Plan

Once you turn 18 years old, your PA will take over responsibility for supporting and keeping in touch with you.

Your Social Worker may still keep in touch if this is what you would like.

Once you turn 18 years old

Once you turn 18 years old, your PA will take over responsibility for supporting and keeping in touch with you.

They will also make sure your Pathway Plan is reviewed regularly until you’re 25 years old.

What happens once you leave care

For more information about the help and support available to care leavers in South Tyneside, see Care Leavers Local Offer.

What Is A Personal Advisor?

At age 16, we would like to introduce you to your Personal Advisor (PA).

Your PA will work alongside your Social Worker until you are 18 years old, but sometimes longer if needed.

Once you turn 18, your PA will become your worker, taking over from your Social Worker. Your Social Worker may still keep in touch if this is what you would like.

Your Personal Advisor’s role

Your PA’s job is to support you on your journey to leaving care, and to be there throughout the good and not so good times.

They will help you to develop the skills you need to live independently when you are ready to do so.

They will also be there for you, and able to offer emotional and practical support during your steps into, and after, leaving care if you would like this.

A key part of your PA’s role is to work with you to create a Pathway Plan.

Your PA will also work with others to create and review your pathway plan.

This plan helps you to prepare for leaving care and achieving other goals along the way. It says what support you should get with these things.

Example of a leaflet introducing a PA.

It must include plans for your:

All the help and support available to you as a care leaver is shown in the Care Leaver Local Offer.

More information

If you have any questions about the Leaving Care Team or Personal Advisors, you can contact Lynne Kell (Leaving Care Practice Manager) who will be happy to answer any questions or meet with you: lynne.kell@southtyneside.gov.uk or phone 0191 427 2467.

For a full list of Personal Advisors, see: South Tyneside Council: Leaving care: Personal advisors

Care Leaver Engagement Programme

Our Care Leaver Engagement Programme is a range of activities that are specially provided for care leavers in South Tyneside.

Activities include the Care Leavers Council where you can have your say about the service, as well as fun monthly events like:

Image description: This is an example of the monthly activity programme for November 2023. Text reads: Self care week 13th-19th November 2023. Each week: Monday: weekly wellbeing drop in. Tuesday: weekly job club Thursday: cooking course. Each month: 1st November: Care Leavers Council. 16th November: Movie Night. 22nd November: Games Night. 19th November: Sunday lunch. TBC: LGBTQ+ lunch.
This is an example of the monthly activity programme
Image description: This is an example of the programme for Care Leavers Week 2023. Text reads: Care Leavers Week 2023. Wednesday 25th October to Wednesday 1st November. 25th October: Pictures and pizza. 26th October: What does care mean to you 1-3pm. 30th October: Coffee and cake with Lynne 4-6pm. 31st October: Archery and climbing 9.30-3pm. 1st November: Go karting and care leavers council 12-6pm
Activities for Care Leavers Week 2023

There is also a residential trip to the Lake District every summer.

Image description: Young people dressed in wet suits and buoyancy aids, standing on a rocky shore.
Our annual Care Leavers residential trip to the Lake District (2023)

To find out more, contact your Personal Advisor or email mark.benson@southtyneside.gov.uk

Your Voice And Getting Involved

Your voice is important and we want it to be heard!

If you have something to say about how you are cared for or what is happening in your life, we want you to be able to speak out.

We want to hear your views. You can be sure that you will be listened to, and we’ll tell you what we can do to help.

Here are are some ways you can tell us what you think:

Children in Care Council

The Children in Care Council represents all children cared for and Care Leavers in South Tyneside.

MAGIC (Making A Great Important Change) is South Tyneside Council's Children in Care Council.

It was created by children in care for children in care.

There are three main parts to our Children in Care Council:

Get In Touch

If you want to find out more about any of our Children in Care Council activities, speak to your Social Worker or email participation@southtyneside.gov.uk.

You can also contact:

Mini MAGIC

Mini MAGIC is aimed at children cared for aged 5 to 11 years old.

There is a Mini MAGIC fun event in every half term holiday which includes games, crafts and themed fun activities.

We also welcome children who live with children cared for.

Logo of Mini MAGIC

Flyers are sent out before each event with details of when, where and what we’ll be doing.

To find out more and to book your place, speak to your carer or Social Worker.

Mini MAGIC Reference Group

There is also a Mini MAGIC reference group which takes place every 2 weeks.

This is a small, fun group for children aged between 8 and 11 years old to help plan our Mini MAGIC holiday events.

To find out more, speak to your Social Worker, or email participation@southtyneside.gov.uk.

MAGIC Group

There are two MAGIC groups for young people cared for aged 12 to 16 years old.

These take place weekly.

Logo of the MAGIC Group

MAGIC are involved in lots of projects to help make important changes to the lives of children and young people in care.

They also take part in fun activities, trips, events, and attend an annual residential trip in the Lake District.

Image description: Six young people carry a canoe down a rocky shore to a lake
MAGIC annual summer residential trip to the Lake District

To find out more, speak to your Social Worker, or email participation@southtyneside.gov.uk.

Care Leavers Council

The Care Leavers Council (CLC) is a monthly group for young people aged 17 to 25 years.

Logo of the Care Leavers Council

The CLC aim to make changes and improve services for care leavers in South Tyneside.

The CLC have helped design the Local Offer for Care Leavers web page, booklet and created individual ‘Know your PA’ cards for our Personal Advisors.

Example of a Local Offer leaflet

They have also developed some information and training to help make it easier for young people to access their social care records.

Our Care Leavers Council also enjoys regular meals and fun activities – it’s not all work!

To find out more, speak to your Social Worker, or email participation@southtyneside.gov.uk.

Help To Express Your Views

If you feel you want some extra support to help express your views or feelings about anything, you can get support from an advocate.

This could be for:

An advocate is someone who can help you speak out. They do not work for the Council.

They will keep what you say private, unless what you tell them puts you or someone else in danger.

How an advocate can support you

An advocate can:

If you would like support

If you’d like the support of an advocate, you can ask your Social Worker or Foster Carer to sort this out for you.

You can also contact the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS) by calling 0808 808 1001 or visit NYAS.

Making a complaint

It's always best to try to sort things out by talking things through with someone you trust.

This could be:

If this doesn't work and you feel strongly about something to do with how you are being cared for, you can make a complaint.

How to make a complaint

You can make a complaint by:

For more information, see South Tyneside Council: How to complain.

Help speaking out

If you would like someone to help you to speak out about your complaint, you can get help from someone who will listen to you and help you to be heard.

This is called an ‘advocate’.

You can find an advocate by contacting the National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS).

NYAS is a national children’s charity that provides advocacy and legal representation to children and vulnerable adults when important decisions are being made about them.

The children and young people NYAS work with might:

For more information contact the helpline on 0808 808 1001, or visit NYAS.

Report concerns to Ofsted

Ofsted regularly inspect Children’s Services across the country and say what’s good and what needs to improve.

You can report concerns about the care you receive directly to Ofsted. To make a complaint, get in touch at enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk or 0300 123 4666.

If you complain, they will review the information you provide and contact you to tell you what they will do.

Children’s Commissioner for England

The Children’s Commissioner is Dame Rachel de Souza. Her role is to champion the voices and needs of children and young people, particularly those who are cared for or care leavers.

You can contact the Children’s Commissioner on their website at Children's Commissioner: Contact us.

Magna Charter

The Magna Charter is our commitment to avoid unhelpful changes in your life.

Logo of the Magna Charter

If changes happen, we promise we'll help you understand what's going on and make sure your views are listened to.

Image description: An adult circles a date on a calendar, while a young person watches. Text reads: We will tell you why you are moving / we will involve you in the move.

Promises to our children and young people cared for

The Magna Charter contains some of South Tyneside's key promises to our children and young people cared for.

The promises shown in the Magna Charter were chosen by MAGIC (our Children in Care Council) and include: changes to social worker, school and where you live.

Here's a more complete list of promises that South Tyneside is making to help avoid unhelpful changes in your life.

Image description: A young person looks at a family and says: Let me guess... Maggie, David, Taylor, Jordon, Ruffles and Fluffy? Text reads: We will give you information about all your placements in advance (this will include: name of carers, details and ages of other young people, the place, pets, etc.)

We will:

Image description: An adult uses a grab machine. Text reads: We will value your family relationships.

View the Magna Charter

Download the Magna Charter (3.1MB)

Have Your Say

We think it’s really important that we listen to you and hear what you have to say!

This can be things like:

How we will get in touch

From time to time, we will send you a newsletter to let you know:

We may also send you questionnaires, or give you a quick call to ask you about things. You can choose if you do this.

If you’d like to find out more about our Children in Care Council, speak to your Social Worker or see Children in Care Council.

Exit interviews

We will also get in touch with everyone when they are 18 years old and again at 25 years old for an ‘Exit Interview’.

This is a phone call from our Care Leaver Ambassador, who will ask you some questions about the care you’ve received from Children’s Services (at 18 years old), and from the Leaving Care Service (at 25 years old).

This is your chance to tell us what you think and we’ll make changes to improve the service going forward.

For more information on having your say, see Your Voice And Getting Involved.

Where You Live

Here’s some practical information about where you live.

We want you to be safe, happy and well cared for.

This section includes answers to some of the main questions you have asked us about where you’ll be living.

Moving Into Your New Home

We will always try to tell you about your Foster Carers or your residential home before you move in.

Our residential children’s homes have a handbook for young people.

Moving in With Foster Carers

Most of our foster cares have a leaflet that tells you about them. It usually includes:

Wherever possible, you will get the chance to meet your Foster Carers before you move in.

If you need to move in quickly, it might not be possible to meet your Foster Carer beforehand.

Their home will become your home, no matter how long you stay.

Talk About How You're Feeling

We know that it might feel strange at first and you might be feeling upset, angry, confused, or relieved.

These feelings are not unusual, but it can help if you talk about how you’re feeling.

Your Foster Carer will be there for you and listen if you want to talk.

We want you to settle well and feel safe and secure.

We want you to be able to express your views freely.

Always remember that your Foster Carer must make sure that you are safe and will have some rules for your safety.

Where Will You Stay In Your Home

You will:

Your Foster Carers might need to come into your room from time to time, but they should always knock first.

You should not go into anyone else’s room without permission.

Tell Your Foster Carer About What You Like

It’s a good idea for you or your Social Worker to tell your Foster Carer about what you like and dislike.

This should include what foods you like, what you like doing, and places you like to go.

Short Breaks

At times it might be suggested that you stay with someone else for a short time.

This might be another Foster Carer.

This can be for lots of different reasons.

You should have the chance to have your say on who you will be staying with and meet them before you go, unless this is an emergency.

This is different to having a sleepover with your friends.

You could be staying with them for more than 1 or 2 nights.

Setting Rules And Boundaries

To keep everyone safe and to avoid any upset, there will be some rules and boundaries in place where you live.

This could be things like:

Any rules will be discussed and agreed with you when, or before, you move in.

Having rules doesn't mean your carers don’t want you to have fun.

They just want to keep you safe.

As with any rules, there needs to be consequences if they are broken.

This could be things like:

Your carers will not:

If you are unhappy with any rules where you live, or you think the consequences to breaking rules are unfair, you can speak to your social worker or request an advocate.

For more information on how to get an advocate, see help to express your views.

Pocket Money And Clothing Allowance

Your carer will provide you with pocket money each week.

How much you get depends on your age.

We usually suggest you receive £1 per week for each year of your age. For example, if you are 12, we would suggest you receive £12 per week.

Foster care allowance

If you live with a Foster Carer, they will get an allowance to support you. As you get older, your carer and Social Worker will discuss with you how you can take responsibility to buy the things you want and need.

This will help you to develop skills in managing money.

Once you’re old enough, your carer and Social Worker will also make sure that you have a bank account.

Family Time and Seeing your Family and Friends

We know how important it is for you to keep in touch with your friends and family.

Staying in touch with your friends and family will be talked about and agreed when you first become cared for.

Your Social Worker will regularly:

If you want to stay in touch with your family and friends we will always help you, unless it is unsafe for you.

Staying Over (With Friends)

Overnight stays with your family will usually be agreed in your Placement Plan.

If you are invited to stay overnight at a friend's house, you need to discuss this with your foster carer as soon as possible.

They will do what any parent would do and check this out with your friend's parents before saying if it's okay. If they are not sure, they might also want to check it out with your parent, social worker or even the Police - but this is not always essential and would only happen if it was felt absolutely necessary.

Staying Safe, Well and Healthy

Your Foster Carers must do everything they can to help you stay safe from any kind of harm whilst you are living with them.

We work with all Foster Carers to:

Your Foster Carer can share this with you.

Staying safe in your foster home

The rules in foster homes can be different to what you might be used to with your family.

These rules are in place to:

If at any time you don’t feel safe in your foster home, please tell someone such as a teacher, social worker, or a family member about this straight away.

Keeping in touch with your family and friends safely

We want you to be able to keep in touch with family and friends, but we want this to be done safely.

We will ask your Foster Carers to keep an eye on your mobile phone, to make sure you’re not at any risk or danger.

Missing From Home

If you’re reported missing, someone will come out to see you and have a chat about it.

This is called a ‘Return Home Interview (RHI)’. It is voluntary.

There is nothing to be worried about, and you won’t get told off.

A RHI is all about finding out:

Going missing can be a hard thing to deal with.

The Missing Team know this and are here to help you.

Who comes to you see you

The person who comes to see you will be an ‘independent’ person.

This means they aren’t normally part of your care team.

Try and see it as a chance to talk openly about what is going on for you with someone who doesn’t make decisions about your life.

This person isn’t going to tell you what to do.

They will be ready to hear everything you’ve got to say and will help you to look at ways you can be safer and if needed, better supported.

Bullying

No one has the right to bully you or anyone else.

There are different ways young people can be bullied, for example:

Bullying can be face-to-face, via mobile phones or the internet.

If you are being bullied or see someone else being bullied, please tell somebody!

Your carer or Social Worker can help you put a stop to it.

Respect and Privacy

At home with your carers, you will be treated with:

You can also expect some privacy – for example, in your bedroom.

You will be expected to:

We all have ‘off days’ when we’re not feeling great. If everyone thinks about how they treat the other people in their home, they usually get on okay – most of the time anyway!

Being Healthy

Your health is really important, and we will do everything we can to make sure you are fit and well.

Part of supporting you to be healthy is about learning what's good for you and what's not so good.

Your carers cannot give you permission to smoke, vape, drink alcohol or take drugs whilst you are living with them - they have to abide by the law!

Your carers will help you stay healthy, encourage you to eat healthily, and keep active.

Going to appointments

If you need to see a Doctor, Dentist or Optician, you can do this on your own if you feel like you are able to, and once you have spoken with your Social Worker about this.

You carer can also take you to all your appointments and make sure you are getting any medicines that you need.

When going to health appointments, did you know you can:

You can ask for these things when you go to your appointment, but it’s always best to do this when you book your appointment if you can.

Health assessments

You are invited to have a health assessment every year.

Your health assessment is usually done by a nurse.

You will usually chat about how you are doing, and talk about any issues you have with your health or general wellbeing.

A health assessment can be really helpful - it's a good thing but you only need to have it if that's OK with you.

 

Download the NHS app

If you are 13 years old and registered at a Doctor’s surgery in England, you can download the NHS App on your smartphone.

It is available on the Apple App Store and Android Google Play Store.

What you can use the app for

You can use the app to:

Relationships

We know that your friends and family are important to you, and there may be other people you want to keep in touch with.

We will help you to do this unless it isn’t safe for you.

We know how much having friends and special people in our lives makes us all feel happy.

If you fall out with someone you’re close to

We can all fall out with people, even our best friends. This can be upsetting and painful.

Your carer will be there for you to help you through these tricky times.

What to do if you’re being bullied

If someone is bulling you or making you feel unhappy, don’t be afraid to ask for help, even if you just want to tell someone you’re upset.

No one has the right to bully you or make you feel unhappy.

We know it can happen – maybe at school or clubs, or when you are out with your friends, online or on your mobile phone.

If you are being bullied, or you feel upset about the way someone is treating you, tell someone who you trust.

This might be your carer, Teacher, Social Worker or Independent Reviewing Officer (IRO).

They will help you to work through what you want to happen, and make sure it stops.

Your Life Story

It’s important for all of us to know who we are and where we come from.

This can be really important for children cared for who often find it helpful to know more about their family and life events from before they became cared for, and all along their journey since then.

Life story work can help you to understand your journey, yourself, and your relationships to the significant people in your life.

Seeing Your File

Your file, or social care record, is information that South Tyneside Council holds about you and your care.

It is information that has been written by your Social Worker:

How you can see this information

If you would like to see this information, please speak to your Social Worker.

They will help to explain what:

For more information about what you need to see your social care record, see South Tyneside Council: Accessing information we hold about you.

Life Story Work

Life Story Work can help you make sense of your past experiences and help you have a better understanding of:

What it can involve

Life Story Work can involve:

If it involves more specific support that is planned for you, your Social Worker can ask a Life Story Worker to meet with you regularly to explore your story with you.

Virtual Memory Box

You will have access to your own virtual memory box where you can store things safely and securely. This could include:

We would like to have these conversations with you regularly to capture your life story so that when you leave care, you have a collection of memories and keepsakes about your life.

Useful Contacts

South Tyneside Social Work Teams

0191 427 2830

Use this number if you don’t have your Social Worker’s number to hand, or if you want to speak to another worker or Team Manager.

The Virtual School

0191 427 2490

Also called ‘The PLACE’, use this number to talk to someone about help with your education. Find out information about the Virtual School.

IMO

A voice for teenagers in care and for care leavers.

It is somewhere you can share stories, experiences and achievements, get and give advice, and find loads of great free stuff. They share blogs, vlogs, podcasts and more from teens in care. They link Children in Care Councils in England together around common campaigns. They also share opportunities for care leavers, like jobs and apprenticeships, and give away loads of free stuff! For more information, see IMO.

Kooth

An online mental wellbeing community for young people. Access free, safe and anonymous support. For more information, see Kooth.

National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS)

A children’s charity that provides advocacy and legal representation to children and vulnerable adults when important decisions are being made about them. For more information see NYAS, or call the helpline on 0808 808 1001.

Childline

0800 1111

A free, private and confidential service where you can talk about anything. They’re here for you online or on the phone, anytime. Call 0800 1111 or see Childline.

Become

The charity for children in care and young care leavers.

A charity that can help children in care and care leavers in lots of different ways, including coaching, helping with stressful situations, and providing a friendly space to meet other care-experienced young people. For more information, see Become Charity.

Accessibility Statement for Children in Care South Tyneside

This accessibility statement applies to content published on the childrenincare.southtyneside.gov.uk domain.

This website is run by South Tyneside Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

Parts of this website are not fully accessible. For example:

Feedback and contact information

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille:

In your message, include:

We'll consider your request and get back to you in 5 working days.

Reporting accessibility problems with this website

We're always looking to improve the accessibility of this website. If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, email digital@southtyneside.gov.uk or call 0191 427 7000. The Digital Team are responsible for dealing with these reports.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations'). If you're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Contacting us by phone or visiting us in person

You can get in touch with us by contacting:

Children in Care
MarketPlace
25 – 27 Market Place
South Shields
Tyne and Wear
NE33 1JF

Email: childrenincare@southtyneside.gov.uk

Telephone: 0191 427 2830

Technical information about this website's accessibility

South Tyneside Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard, due to the non-compliances and exemptions listed below.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

PDFs and non-HTML documents

Many documents are in less accessible formats, for example PDF. Non-HTML documents published on or after 23 September 2018 must have an accessible format. This does not meet WCAG 2.1 success criterion 4.1.2 (name, role value).

When we plan to fix these issues

We are urgently fixing content which fails to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard. We will update this page when issues are fixed.

We are making sure any new content or digital services we build meet accessibility standards.

Content that's not within the scope of the accessibility regulations

PDFs and non-HTML documents

Non-HTML documents published before September 2018 do not need to be accessible - unless users need them to use a service.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

We are urgently fixing content which fails to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.1 AA standard. We will update this page when issues are fixed.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 20 October 2022. It was last reviewed on 20 October 2022.

This website was last tested on 20 October 2022. The test was carried out by South Tyneside Council.

We tested a sample of pages on our main website platform, including the following templates:

We carried out both manual checks, and automated tests using the axe accessibility checker.

Residential Children's Homes

There are currently 3 residential children’s homes in South Tyneside. Here’s a brief description of Whiteleas way, East Boldon Road, and Henderson Road. You can click on the tabs below each section to see the young person’s handbook for each.

We're currently working to increase the number of children's homes we have in South Tyneside.

New sites to open in the future include:

Whiteleas Way

Whiteleas Way is a Children’s Home on the Whiteleas Estate. It is a large, detached building with space for up to 4 young people aged 13 to 17 years. Whiteleas Way is very close to local shops and a bus route, so it is easy to get to and from here. Our young people have described Whiteleas Way as ‘a warm, friendly and family orientated. It is a loving and safe place to live’.

Information on Whiteleas Way

East Boldon Road

East Boldon Road Children’s Home is a residential building with space for up to 2 Young People aged 11 to 17 years of age. The home is very close to local shops and a bus route, so it is easy for you to get out and about while you are living here.

Information on East Boldon Road

Henderson Road

Henderson Road is located in the Simonside area and is a residential home with space for up to 4 young people. It’s close to a bus route and is a short walk from a supermarket and other shops.

Information on Henderson Road