Guidance Care.


Staying connected with the people who matter.

A child moving into residential care can bring questions, uncertainty and strong feelings for the people who love them. You may want to understand everyday life, know how they are getting on and find your place in the arrangements around them.

At Guidance Care, we recognise the importance of family and other supportive relationships. We work with children, families and social workers to support those relationships where it is safe and appropriate, in line with each child’s placement plan and risk assessments.


How contact works.

Contact is planned around the individual child. There is no single arrangement that applies to every family. What is possible depends on the child’s plan and the decisions made with the people responsible for their care.

Ask the child’s social worker and home team to explain the current arrangements. Useful questions include:

Who can the child have contact with?

What forms of contact are agreed, and when?

How are visits or calls arranged?

Is any support or supervision needed?

Who should we speak to if something changes?

Please check those arrangements before making plans. If something is unclear, ask for it to be explained. The child should have an opportunity to share how they feel about contact too.


Keeping you informed.

Knowing how you will hear about a child can make a difficult time easier to manage. The arrangements for updates need to be clear for everyone involved.

Ask the home team and social worker to agree who gives you updates, what can be shared, how you will receive them and when you should expect them. Ask who to contact if you have information to pass on or have not understood an update.

Information sharing needs to take account of the child’s privacy, their care arrangements and decisions about who may receive information. Different people in a child’s life may have different arrangements. If you are unsure what this means for you, ask the team to explain.


Helping relationships grow.

The people who know a child can help staff understand their story and what matters to them. You may be able to share familiar routines, interests, cultural or religious traditions, and ways you have helped them through difficult days.

Staff support positive relationships and work to repair and strengthen relationships where appropriate. The child’s feelings and wishes are part of that work. You can share what you think would help, while recognising that contact needs to follow the agreed plan.

Everyday details can matter: a favourite activity, an important celebration or a way of explaining something that the child finds reassuring. Discuss these with the team.


When you have a concern.

You can raise questions about care, contact or communication with the home team and the child’s social worker. Ask for the complaints procedure if you want to make a complaint. The public Statements of Purpose explain that families receive complaints information when a child is admitted.

You can also ask about raising a complaint with the Responsible Individual, Ofsted or the independent Regulation 44 visitor who visits the home.

For a care enquiry or a request for the relevant documents, email referrals@guidancecare.co.uk. For an existing placement, use the contact arrangements agreed with the child’s team. Avoid sending a child’s detailed personal information in an initial enquiry.


If you need to talk to someone now.

You do not have to be in danger to ask for help. If something is worrying you, you can talk to someone who does not work for Guidance Care. These services are free and private.

Childline 0800 1111 Anything at all, if you are under 19. Free, day or night. The call will not show up on the phone bill, and you can ring even if you have no credit. You can message them online instead if that is easier. childline.org.uk.

Help at Hand 0800 528 0731 If you are in care, living away from home, or you have a social worker. Free advice from the Children’s Commissioner’s own team. They can help you sort something out when you feel stuck. childrenscommissioner.gov.uk.

Shout Text SHOUT to 85258 If you would rather write than say it out loud. Free text messages, day or night. Nobody has to overhear you. giveusashout.org.

SafeCall Call or text 116 000 If you are away from home, thinking of leaving, or someone is putting pressure on you. Free, and they will not judge you. safecall.org.uk.

If someone is in danger right now, call 999.

You can also tell any adult in your home, your social worker, or your advocate. Telling someone outside Guidance Care is allowed, and nobody here will be cross with you for doing it.