Knowing your rights

The Department for Education published the care leavers’ charter in 2012. It was written by young people and sets out principles that enshrine the aspirations and needs of young people leaving care. In Dudley, we have signed up to the charter and are committed to these principles. The Dudley Charter for Care Leavers is designed to raise expectations and understanding of what care leavers need and what the local authority should do to be a good corporate parent. We promise:

• We will celebrate your individuality and respect you as a valued member of your community.
• We will value and support your important relationships and help you manage changing relationships or come to terms with loss, trauma or other significant life events.
• We will support you to express your identity positively to others.

• We will value your strengths, gifts and talents and encourage your ambitions.
• We will help you to recognise and fulfil your potential and encourage and support you to pursue your goals in whatever ways we can.

• We will take time to listen to you and respect your view.
• We will place your needs, thoughts and feelings at the heart of all decisions about you, negotiate with you, and show how we have taken these into account.
• If we do not agree with you, we will fully explain why. We will provide easy access to complaint and appeals processes and promote and encourage access to independent advocacy whenever you need it.

• We will give you information whenever you need it and present it in a way that you want, including information on legal entitlements and the services available to you.
• We will keep your information up to date and accurate.
• We will ensure you know where to get current information once you are no longer in regular touch with leaving care services.
• We will make clear to you what information about you and your time in care you are entitled to see.
• We will support you to access information and to manage any feelings that you might have about the information. If you disagree with what you have read, we will record this.

• We will provide any support you are entitled to including information, advice, practical and financial help.
• We will advocate on your behalf to ensure you get what you are entitled to from other agencies.
• We will support you if you change your mind about what you want to do.
• We will continue to care about you even when we are no longer caring for you.
• We will make it our responsibility to understand your needs. If we cannot meet those needs, we will find someone who can.
• We will help you learn from your mistakes; we will not judge you and we will be here for you no matter how many times you come back for support.

• We will help you think about the choices available and to find accommodation that is right for you. We will do what we can to ensure you are happy and feel safe when you move to independent living.
• We recognise that at different times you may need to take a step back and start over again.
• We will work in partnership with other agencies to help you sustain your home.
• We will do our best to support you until you settle into your independent life.

• We will always support and encourage you.

We will ask you if we can share information about you to other professionals. Your PA will talk through the about the kinds of information that will be shared if you give your permission.

The Care Leavers Association provides a range of useful information about leaving care and your rights and entitlements. for more information.

A Forum of over 130 local authority leaving care teams, working together to share good practice & improve services & support for care leavers.

• For more information visit the website https://leavingcare.org/
• Rees Foundation - https://www.reesfoundation.org/

Under Data Protection Law, you are entitled to ask Dudley MBC for a copy of all the personal information which it holds about you. Your entitlement to have this information is known as the “Right of Access to Personal Data”. For more information visit our Rights of Access Available to the Citizen page or speak to your PA.