The Promise – DRAFT
The Promise is a list of commitments that we make to all children and young people in care in Devon.
We listened to your experiences, thoughts and opinion to understand what’s important to you. And, working together, we’ve taken your wishes and created a set of promises built around six key areas. You can find all of our promises below.
If you feel that The Promise is not being followed, please talk this through with your carer, social worker or IRO. Occasionally, there are very particular reasons why something might not be possible; if this is the case, this should be explained to you in a way you understand.
My home and those who look after me
You told us that strong stable homes and lasting relationships are so important to you, both now and in your future. Therefore we will:
Do all we can to find you a safe permanent home, where you feel cared about and loved
Ask you about how you feel about your home, what you like about it, and what you may change so that we can work with your carers to make your care the best it can be
Ensure that you have a safe personal space in your home. We will need to see your bedroom so we can be sure that you are cared for properly
Keep important belongings safely for you if you need us to, because we understand that these may have strong connections to your personal history.
Work with you, family members and carers to ensure that you have people in your life who really matter to you and who make you feel loved
Where possible we will give day to day decisions to your carers, so that your life is not complicated unnecessarily
We and your carers will make decisions that keep you safe and that are ambitious for you. We involve you in this decision making as much as possible
We will work with you to ensure that you understand and don’t worry about your post 18 plans, and support you to have made a Devon Home Choice Application between the ages of 16 and 17 where needed
My school and education
Your education is so important to help you to be a successful adult and to be the best you can be. Therefore we will:
Work with you, your carers and other key people to ensure that your learning and time in school is supported as much as possible
Try to avoid disrupting your education as much as possible, and where change is needed we will try to plan this with you
Think about how long you must travel to school and try and get this balance right for and with you
Try to help you to remain connected to friends if you do move school as we understand this is important
Support you to try new things to include different hobbies and activities and to find work experience
Be ambitious for and with you so that as an adult you have the skills and qualifications you deserve to complete further or higher education, enter apprenticeships, or to have good employment that helps you to live independently
My health and wellbeing
You told us that keeping healthy and fit is important to you, not just for your physical wellbeing but also for your emotional and mental health. Feeling good in yourself can help you enjoy life more and achieve your goals. Therefore we will:
Make sure that your physical and emotional health are properly assessed and where needed supported and treated by those working with you. We will help you to understand anything about your health that you or we are worried about.
Behave like any good parent around your access to social media, so that you stay safe but connected
Work with you to remain connected to those people who are important to you, and explain to you any reason why this may not be able to happen
Help you to access activities and try new things
Ensure that you understand your health history when you leave our care and have access to this
Ensure that when you leave care that you receive free NHS prescriptions
We will help you to be able to confidently manage your own health needs when you are independent so that you feel able to make and attend important appointments with support where needed
Feeling welcomed and supported
You told us it’s important for you to understand why you are in care, where your family are, and how you can see them when it’s safe to do so. We also know that stability in your care is so important for your emotional and physical health, education and future. Therefore we will:
Talk to me about why I’m in care and help me understand more about my life story.
Celebrate dates that are important to me and help me celebrate them with others.
Understand, respect, and support my identity, including my religion or beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity, disabilities or health needs and ethnicity.
If I’m moving into a new home, make sure I feel supported and prepared and have enough time to process everything. If possible, staying overnight beforehand and taking the time to become comfortable there really helps. Seeing pictures of the house before I go can also be helpful.
Make sure I have a person I trust who I can speak to for support.
Help me understand well advance what is going to happen when I leave care.
Feeling listened to and heard
You told us that it’s important for you to understand what is happening to you, and be able to share your views on this. We also understand why honesty and trust is so important to you. Therefore we will:
Explain to you decisions that need to be made so that you understand them, and if these change, we will talk to you about this as quicky as possible
Talk about you positively even if you are not there, and talk about your strengths and how people can support any needs that you have
Ensure that you have real opportunity to have your voice heard and if we cannot support or agree with your wishes, help you to understand why
Help you to understand your rights and responsibilities and understand that even when you don't agree with something your views should be heard. We will help you have people who can advocate with and for you when needed.
My support network
You told us that you need workers and carers who get to know you and take time to understand you properly, and who you can trust and turn to when you need support. Therefore we will:
Work with you to build relationships, with people who are kind and respectful to you
Do all we can to ensure that if workers are changing that they say goodbye to you and introduce you to your new worker
Spend time with you and your carers separately and together so that we understand what your life is really like
We will work with all the professionals involved with you and share key information so that you don’t feel you have to repeat your story
Ensure that you know how you can give feedback about the people who work with you, or the care that you receive, whether this is because the feedback is good, or because you are concerned about something about your care or people who are working with you