Mission Statement Our mission is to deliver a comprehensive social work service in a sensitive fashion which meets the individual needs of children in care, in order to enhance their welfare by providing necessary intervention in the best interest of the children. Working with other professionals and organisations also helps the children develop a positive healthy relationship with their family. The Service The Looked After Children Team shares responsibility with families in need of support, particularly when their children are in need of being looked after, that is, when their children are in care. "Children in care" refers to those children who are living away from their natural family. These children could be living either in a residential home or with a foster family. Foster families can either be related to the child's natural family or complete outsiders who are trained to care for other people's children.

Weekend Monitoring Service To support and monitor children under a Care Order when they are visiting their parents during weekend, with the aim of ensuring their safety and well being and to help them build a better relationship with their families.

This service provides a social work service that promotes family stability with a view of safeguarding or promoting the children's development and well-being within their birth family. If this is not in their best interest, the unit is to safeguard the children's interest when they are looked after, that is when they are in a residential home or foster care.

Aims and Objectives

The service provided by the Looked After Children Team is to be of a high standard, using different methods of social work practice with the aim to achieve the following:

- to provide direct services to children;

- to prevent and/or reduce institutionalisation of children;

- to monitor and support children in care and/or under a Care Order by establishing a care plan;

- to assist in the re-integration of children back into their families if it is in their best interest;

- to where re-integration with birth family is not possible, a suitable alternative family should be found on the grounds that a person should be prepared for independent living to avoid institutionalisation;

- to make sure that any child or young person in care has access to all opportunities as those living with their families;

- to prevent and reduce stigmatisation of children in care;

- when the child leaves care, support should be provided to the family or young person and if required, possible referrals are made.

- to provide an accessible, realistic and user friendly service;

- to attempt to address current difficulties being experienced by looked after children and families;

- to respond in a supportive manner to families where children are being looked after

- to reduce the risk to children by enhancing their family life;

- to develop existing strengths of parents/carers and children;

- to promote parental competence and confidence;

- to enable families to develop strategies for coping with stress;

- to connect families with supportive networks in the community.

To view a leaflet about this service click here.