Some young people who are in care live with carers who are family members or friends of the family. These carers are supported by Children and Young People Service to look after you.
Foster care is when you live in your foster parent’s home with them and their family. All our foster carers have been carefully chosen and trained to look after you.
Some young people will not live in Wolverhampton but in different parts of the country.
Residential homes are also called Children’s Homes, you live here with other young people and have staff who support you. Each young person living there has a keyworker who will look after their day to day needs.
This is a boarding school. You live at the school and you may go home or to a placement at the weekends or during school holidays.
This is when you stay in a foster or children’s home for a set period of time only and is to give your parents or carer support or a short break if they need it.
Young People only move to secure accommodation when there is a very serious risk of harm to themselves or to other people. Social workers will always work very hard to deal with any issues before this happens.
Some young people will come into care for short periods of time throughout the year. You might stay with a foster carer or one of our Short Break Children’s Homes.
Adoption means belonging to and growing up with a new family when you cannot live with the family you were born into.
A court makes something called an Adoption Order, and you are then legally part of your new family and not in care any more.
When a court makes the Adoption Order, the adopters will become your new parents.
Not all children will be adopted, if this is something that is being thought about for you your social worker will talk to you about it.
If you are unsure about anything to do with adoption you can discuss this with your social worker.