Hello there!
You may be reading this because you have just been taken into care. We are also in care which is why we have written a welcome letter which you can open on the right. We also helped decide the contents for a ‘first-night-in-care bag’, so you have have everything you need including toiletries, books, and some toys/soft toys.
Stay calm. The chances are you are in a better place now. It is fine to feel scared but hopefully you will soon feel it is not a bad place at all. You can still have a good time. There are lots of people to help you, support you, give you advice and have fun with!
We’ve made a film for you to watch and we’ve helped write some guides to help you feel better about coming into care.
Children's guides to being in care
Our Children in Care Council film
The Children in Care Council (CiCC) is a group run for our children who are in care. They meet regularly to have fun and talk about their experiences. They made this film in 2019 to help support other children and young people who are coming into care.
Play video 👍
Children in Care Council (CiCC)
The CiCC has two groups for children in care.
Care2Listen: We are a group of young people in care that meet once a month to make sure that we have a voice and are listened to about things that matter to us. Recently, we’ve made a film for other children coming into care, we’ve given talks to social workers, we’ve helped design logos for our groups. The group is run in a fun way, you will get to meet other young people in care, it’s great for your CV, and there are opportunities to get involved in interviews, as well as winning competitions and vouchers.
Care2HaveFun: This is a fun group that meets once a month to take part in activities. We do all sorts like trampolining, football, pizza nights, cinema.
If you are in care and would like to join either group or find out more, speak to your social worker or email us.
Care Leavers
There is lots of support for you as a care leaver in Reading via Brighter Futures for Children and Reading Borough Council.
Care Ambassadors: If you’d like to get together with other young people who have been in care, our care leaver ambassadors meet once a month to discuss things that matter specifically to you. The group is open to care leavers in Reading aged 17+.
Skills 4 a Brighter Future: This is a programme of six sessions over six weeks and covers all the essential aspects of living independently.
If you’d like to find out more about any of these groups or see what social events are coming up, speak to your supervising social worker. Or you can contact francesca.hubbard@brighterfuturesforchildren.org.
We have set up a Reading Care Leavers Facebook group. This is a private group connected to Brighter Futures for Children’s Facebook page so that care leavers can stay in touch and get information and support. If you would like to join, please contact francesca.hubbard@brighterfuturesforchildren.org.
Virtual School
The Virtual School is exactly that – virtual! It isn’t a place or a building.
It’s a group of professionals (including a headteacher, teachers and specialists in education welfare) who will support you to get the best outcomes from your school and college years.
Join @readingyoungpeople on Instagram
Brighter Futures for Children has launched an Instagram account just for young people like you in Reading. It’s designed to support you with everything from finding out about activities for you in Reading, plus information on all our youth services as well as help for wellbeing and mental health.
If you’re 13 or over, join us on Instagram, follow @readingyoungpeople.
