Your help and support offer
Section 5 - Participation, engagement and your voice being heard
We want to make sure, in the same way that any good parent would do for their child, that children and young people are provided with every opportunity to lead fulfilling lives. We need to know what we do well and what we need to do better. You are best placed to help us to do this as you have experienced our care and ongoing help and support. We have developed a number of ways that you can share your views with us.
We need to make sure that you know your rights and entitlements as a young person leaving our care. This, our ‘offer’ to you, tells you what you are entitled to and what else we can do to help and support you.
Comments, compliments and complaints
- You have a right to raise concerns, complaints and compliments about your experience of our care and the services we offer you.
GO TO COMMENTS, COMPLIMENTS AND COMPLAINTS PAGE
Advocacy
- We have our own Advocacy Service with advocates who can help you if you want to raise a concern or a complaint. You can talk to your PA who can refer you or you can email the Advocacy Service directly.
EMAIL OUR ADVOCACY SERVICE
DOWNLOAD OUR ADVOCACY POSTCARD
Accessing your records
- You have a right to access your records. We fully understand that, as an adult, you may have questions as to why you were in our care and about your time in our care. This is natural. We will support you if you want to see your records. Ask your social worker or PA and they will support you or go to the link below.
GO TO SUBJECT ACCESS RECORD REQUEST PAGE
Your newsletters
We have a dedicated webpage for you that has lots of useful information. We also send out a monthly newsletter that is co-produced and co-edited by our young people. This keeps you up to date with the latest news and things such as enhancements to our ‘offer to’ you. You can access previous issues below.
Rights and participation - groups and forums
- We have our own Rights and Participation Service that hosts several groups and forums for young people to join.
You can meet other young people who have been in our care and get to shape services that you receive. We have a dedicated Care Leavers Forum and other groups like our LGBTQ+, SEN and Young People with Disabilities and our Young Parents Project. Most groups meet every six weeks, and you also get to do some fun activities through the year. You can help deliver training, lead workshops and support interviewing senior people and social workers applying for jobs in the Trust. You can also attend meetings like our ‘Takeover’ Corporate Parenting Board to share your experiences of our care. Young people who attend our groups tell us they feel listened to and don’t feel judged. They feel they make a difference to other children and young people in, or those that have left, our care.
- We have six Corporate Parenting Boards a year that have senior people and partners including the Chief Executive of Birmingham Children's Trust, the Director of Children and Families from the council and council elected members. Two of these boards are Takeover Boards run and led by young people. If you are interested in getting involved email us.
EMAIL OUR ADVOCACY SERVICE
DOWNOLAD AN INFORMATION POSTCARD
Young Parents Project
- We have a Young Parents Project. A place for our care experienced parents to meet, make friendships and shape services around them. There are people and services that the group invite that can help being a young parent. There are also fun days out and freebies that are sometimes given out too! Lunch and taxis are provided to support young parents to attend.
Conferences for you
- We hold three conferences for young people who have left our care, one each term. The conference is themed around careers, housing, health, and other topics. The conferences are also supported by many partners, giving advice and guidance. The last few conferences have seen more than 70 young people attend and 25+ partners supporting. We also offer home cooked food and many ‘freebies’. If you need support to attend, please speak to your PA.
There is usually something going on that you can join in with. Look out for these via this website and our newsletters.
Events
Events and activities that usually take place include:
- Birmingham Xmas Dinner for any care experienced young adult 16-25 who may be alone at Christmas. The event is free, and you have a Christmas dinner, presents, a nice atmosphere with good company to enjoy this special day
- Eid Meal for anyone celebrating Eid who may be alone but wants to be with others during this special time of the year
- Eid Family event – we go big with an Eid celebration, free food, activities, music and more!
Our apprentices design and support a range of activities around the Holiday and Food Programme. Some of these are specifically for young people who have left our care and unaccompanied asylum seeking young people. Events have included fun days, sports activities, safari park trips and cooking workshops