While you are in our care
The most privileged and important responsibility that we have as County Councillors is to be “corporate parents” to children and young people in our care. Outcomes for young people who are in our care should be at least as good as for other young people in Norfolk. We challenge the whole Norfolk community – businesses, charities and individuals – to be invested in opening-up opportunities and supporting children and young people to thrive and reach their potential.
We will
- Exercise our responsibilities to you with the same diligence and passion as for our own families
- Meet with the in-care council to listen and to be held to account as frequently as the in-care council would like
- Ensure that you are able to access the health care, education, support and social activities that you need to enjoy life, thrive and fulfil your potential
- Be optimistic and have high expectations about what you can achieve
- Celebrate your successes and achievements and speak positively about your strengths and resilience
- Continue to offer Norfolk as a place of sanctuary to children and young people in need of humanitarian protection and accept into our care those who are unaccompanied and seeking asylum
- Quickly acknowledge when we get something wrong, apologise to you and work together to put things right
- Reduce the number of changes of social worker you experience so that you can build a relationship with a key person and not have to keep telling your story over again
- Increase support when you move towards independence. We will work with our housing colleagues to ensure that your housing is of good quality, that you have a warm and safe home with the things that you need to live well.
- You will move in to your home with dignity. We will put an end to moving your possessions in bin bags and moving to a home that doesn’t have the basics. We will work with our voluntary sector partners to ensure that you have the support that you need to successfully manage a tenancy
- Genuinely involve you in the recruitment of foster carers, of adopters and of our staff because you are best placed to know what makes a great carer or great worker