I’m in care – what to expect! » What does it mean to be “looked after”?
What does it mean to be “looked after”?
The words ‘looked after’ means that Lambeth Council has a say about where you live and what happens to you. Some people call this ‘being in care’. On this website we will use the words ‘looked after’.
You can be ‘looked after’ from when you are a baby anytime up until you are 18 years old. This is always different for each person and will depend on your circumstances. If you have a disability, you can be looked after up to the age of 19.
You can come into care in two different ways:
- A care order: the courts could have decided this
- Accommodated: your parents could have agreed this
What’s the difference?
Care Order - decision by the court:
At all times Lambeth Council and the courts have to make sure children are safe. They can make a decision for children to live away from home if they are worried about their safety. This is called a Care Order and is part of the law called the Children’s Act 1989.
When the court has made this decision, it is the job of your Social Worker to make sure you are well looked after, safe, and enjoy a good and happy childhood.
Your social worker will work with your family to make important decisions about your care including where you will live, where you will go to school and how often you will visit your family. It is your social worker’s job to make the final decisions about this to make sure it is the best thing for you. You should be involved in all of these decisions made about your life.
Accommodated: Agreed by your parents
Sometimes children and young people become looked after but are not on a Care Order. This is called being ‘accommodated’. This means that the Council are helping your parents to look after you. If this happens, your parents still make decisions about you, including where you live and where you go to school.