Links

We hope that you find these links and contacts a good resource. The links are in alphabetical order and include charities, organisations, trusts and relevant groups. If you want us to add new links to this page please contact us

A

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B

  • Barnardos helps the most vulnerable children and young people transform their lives and fulfil their potential. Our website will tell you more about what we do and our work with children and young people as well as how you can help us to continue our work.
  • British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering is a membership organisation for agencies and individuals concerned with adoption, fostering and work with children and families.
  • British Association of Social Workers is an association concerned with all aspects of Social Work
  • The Bryn Melyn Group Foundation provides much needed help to care leavers. We want to extend some of the support, encouragement and financial assistance that most of us take for granted from our parents to those who begin their adult lives with no family to fall back on, or even to care what happens to them.
  • Bullying On Line is a charity which provides advice for parents and children
  • BYC (British Youth Council) is the national youth council for young people in the UK aged under 26. BYC represents and involved a unique coalition of young people through their involvement as individuals or through their youth organisations. BYC brings together young people to agree on issues of common concern and encourages them to take collective action.

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C

  • CareLaw is an information site for children and young people in care in England and Wales. It covers many topics from your rights in care to what happens when you leave care - including education. The information is given in a question and answer format and is updated every 6 months. The site has now been updated to include the Human Rights Act.
  • Care Leavers Association (CLA) is an evergrowing union of Care Leavers and their members are all from Care, the CLA is similar to A National Voice except our members are all under 25 years old.The CLA have recently launched a campaign designed to improve access to records for children in care and care leavers. This site also has a link to Care Leavers Reunited.
  • CEOP (Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre) The Government has set up this parents' and carers' area as part of its new Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre - also known as CEOP. The aim of the website is to help you understand some of the new technology that young people love to use, update you on some of the risks they may come into contact with and empower you to get involved in helping them be safer in their online experience.
  • Childline is the free, 24-hour helpline for children and young people in the UK. Children and young people can call our helpline on 0800 1111 about any problem, at any time - day or night. Children who are deaf or find using a regular phone difficult can try our textphone service on 0800 400 222. ChildLine's counsellors are there to help you find ways to sort things out.
  • The Children Act 1989
  • The Children (Leaving Care) Act
  • Children's Law Centre Helping young people, their parents and professionals work with and understand laws which affect children.
  • Childrens Legal Centre This website provides valuable information on all aspects of child law for parents, carers and professionals in a 'user-friendly' style.
  • (CRAE) Children's Rights Alliance for England monitors developments in children's rights; advocates for laws and policy to be fully compatible with the Convention on the Rights of the Child; and disseminates information to professionals and the public (including children and young people).
  • The Children's Society Children and young people are shaped by the communities they live in, and by the people who surround them. Their prospects can become bleak when these influences let them down. The Children's Society concentrates its resources on tackling the root causes of the problems these children and young people face.
  • (CSCI) Commision for Social Care Inspection is the new independent inspectorate for all social care services in England. Our goal is to make social care better for people.
  • Connexions This is a new Government Initiative to help all young people with career, training and educational advice.
  • CROA (Childrens Rights Officers and Advocates) is a membership organisation for children's rights officers and advocates, children's participation officers and individuals working to promote children's rights and participation in England and Wales. The majority of our members provide rights, advocacy and participation services to children and young people 'looked after', 'in need' and those involved in child protection procedures. They are, in the main, employed by one of the children's charities working in partnership with individual local authorities.

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D

  • DfES Main Website Welcome to the Department for Education and Skills. Our aim is to give children an excellent start in education, enable young people to equip themselves with life and work skills, and encourage adults to achieve their full potential through learning.
  • (DfES) Children and Families Children, young people and families websites for practitioners and parents.
  • DfES Research and Statistics Gateway Welcome to the Research and Statistics Gateway produced by Analytical Services within the DfES. Analytical Services aims to influence, inform and improve DfES policies by embedding truly evidence-based policy making in the Department. Analytical Services does this by producing challenging and rigorous analytical work which addresses key questions and makes a difference. This work informs Government colleagues and the wider public, through high quality and timely publications and effective provision of facts and findings.
    The Research and Statistics Gateway brings all of these publications, facts and findings together via one easy to use searchable interface. The Gateway also provides quick access to key information products.
  • DfES Young Peoples Gateway Information, resources and advice for young people and for people working with young people.

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F

  • The Fostering Network, formerly the National Foster Care Association, is a UK-wide charity for all those involved in foster care.

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J

  • The Joseph Rowntree Foundation is the UK's largest independent social policy research and development charity. It supports a wide programme of research and development projects in housing, social care and social policy.

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M

  • The Mentoring and Befriending Foundation The national body for mentoring and befriending aims to:
    Provide leadership for the mentoring and befriending movement
    Encourage organizations to use mentoring and befriending
    Provide capacity building support to programmes through a national and regional body infrastructure
    Promote quality and standards in training
    Develop and share best practice in mentoring and befriending

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N

  • National Care Leavers Week is an annual awareness campaign run and supported by a coalition of charities who seek to improve the life chances of young people leaving the public care system.
  • (NCB) National Childrens Bureau promotes the interests and well-being of all children and young people across every aspect of their lives. We advocate the participation of children and young people in all matters affecting them. We challenge disadvantage in childhood.
  • National Council of Voluntary Child Care Organisations is the umbrella organisation for voluntary child care organisations in England.
  • The National Leaving Care Advisory Service (NLCAS), formerly known as First Key, aims to promote the interests of care leavers among government agencies, service providers and others involved with care leavers.
  • National Literacy Trust This organisation promotes all aspects of reading and writing. This link will take you to their section about young people from care.
  • NCH works with over 89,000 vulnerable children, young people and their families through more than 460 projects.
  • NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children) The NSPCC is the UK's leading charity specialising in child protection and the prevention of cruelty to children.
  • NSPCC Inform This site has been developed specifically to share information with researchers, trainers and practitioners working to protect children.
    We believe that by providing access to the most current and comprehensive information on child protection in the UK we will help support those working to end cruelty to children.
  • (NYAS) The National Youth Advocacy Service is a 'not for profit' children's charity which offers socio-legal advocacy services to children, young people, parents, carers and professionals. NYAS provides independent representation and advice, ensuring that the voice of children and young people can be heard in all matters affecting them.
    NYAS is a 'young person led' organisation. We routinely seek feedback from the children and young people using our service.

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P

  • Parents Centre
  • Prince's Trust Every young person has potential. But many don't have the opportunities to fulfil it. The Prince's Trust helps provide those opportunities.We work with 14 to 30 year olds who face disadvantage - offering them the support, encouragement and basic financial assistance they need to achieve their goals.
    See also the Prince's Trust Care pages

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Q

  • Quality Protects The Quality Protects Programme is a key part of the Government's wider strategy for tackling social exclusion. It focuses on working with some of the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children in our society. Those children looked after by councils; in the child protection system; and other children in need.

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R

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S

  • Save the Children is a charitable organisation which works to improve the lives of children and young people.
  • Social Exclusion Unit (Children in Care) Children in care, as a group, have poor experiences of education and very low educational attainment.' A Better Education for Children in Care' is a report by the Social Exclusion Unit that examines the barriers that prevent children in care achieving their full potential and sets out a plan of action to improve their life chances
  • Social Exclusion Unit (Children and Young People) The Unit's ongoing work in all areas of exclusion retains a strong emphasis on the needs of children and young people and on finding ways to help them overcome disadvantage and fulfil their potential.

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T

  • ThinkUKnow This website is brought to you by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection (CEOP) Centre and contains loads of information on how to stay safe online. All hot topics are covered - including mobiles, blogging and gaming sites - and you can tell us if you feel uncomfortable or worried about someone you're chatting to online.

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U

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V

  • VCC (Voice for the Child in Care) is committed to achieving change for children and young people in the care system by:
    Empowering children and young people in care to speak out for changes in their lives.
    Campaigning for improvements to the lives of children and young people in care.
    Supporting the active participation of children and young people in our services and campaigning work.

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W

  • The Who Cares? Trust is a national charity working to improve public care for around 60,000 children and young people who are separated from their families and living in residential or foster care. They produce a regular magazine for young people.

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Y

  • Young Minds This site is all about issues relating to the mental and emotional health and wellbeing of young people.

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Advocacy Standards

Local Authorities must ensure that all young people from care have access to an Advocate when making a complaint about the services they receive.

An Advocate is an independent adult who will speak up for you.

Find out more (DfES site)

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