What is contact? Isn’t it what I call ‘Family Time’?
Contact is seeing or being in touch with your parents, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends or even former foster carers – anyone who is important to you.
Your social worker and foster carers can help you sort out contact. There are lots of different types – in a contact centre or sometimes out in the community, like in a walk in the park or at McDonalds. Some young people use social media like Instagram or Snapchat to keep connected too.
What is a contact order?
A judge in a court makes a contact order and this sets out which members of your family or other important people you should see or keep in touch with. The order might describe how you can keep in touch, such as by seeing each other face-to-face or through letters or phone calls. The judge may also say that contact should be supervised by someone else, such as your foster carer or social worker.
When are they going to listen to my feelings about contact?
Your care and support plan will include a section about contact with your family and this is usually discussed at your looked after child review meeting. Your independent reviewing officer will talk to you before the meeting to find out what you think about contact.
If you’re not happy with the arrangements, you can speak to your social worker or foster carer at any time.
If you need help getting your point of view across, an advocate could help.
Lots of young people want to keep in touch with foster families that they’ve lived with before. The Fostering Network thinks that this is important too and is campaigning to make sure that all young people are helped to maintain connections like this.
Know your rights!
If you’re in care, you have a right to see your family and other people who are important to you. But this can only happen if it’s safe for you and if it’s what is considered to be the best thing for you overall.
If you want to get in touch with a previous foster family, ask your foster carers, independent reviewing officer or social worker to help.