Your friends, family and pets
Seeing your family and friends
We support you to see the people who are important in your life such as family and friends.
If you are under 18
Your social worker will have a plan in place to keep you in touch with family members and other important people to you.
If you are not seeing the people you want to see, talk to your social worker or conference reviewing officer.
When you turn 18
We can help you keep in touch with people you've had arrangements to see before you were 18. For more information see the allowances and assistance for care leavers page.
Other important people
For other important people in your life, your personal advisor (PA) will support you to think through and overcome any barriers to keeping in touch.
Seeing family and friends overseas
We know many young people are not from the UK and will have family they will want to see. We understand that family members are important to you and we will help you to stay in touch by supporting you to:
- overcome any barriers to keeping in touch remotely if your family are in a different country
- locate family members in this country
- get help from the Red Cross to make contact with your family members outside of this country
- look at all your options should you wish to visit your family in a different country
Your own children
You can find all of our help, information and advice for care leavers who are pregnant or have children in our pregnancy and parenting section.
Pets
We know for many of you pets are really important. You may already have a pet or want one in the future. We want to make sure you are fully informed and ensure you can independently provide and pay for the care it needs when you turn 18.
We will help you understand what they need, how much exercise they will need, feeding them, insurance, and vet bills. Sadly, we can’t make the decision about whether you can have a pet with you. This decision will be made by whoever you live or rent from.
Having a pet could impact what housing choices you have and where you may live in the future. We will help you think this through.
Online relationships
We know you may meet people online. The internet is full of great stuff and you can catch up with friends, chat and play games.
However, you need to be careful about what you do and what information you reveal about yourself. Get the most out of your online time by following the safety tips on Your Space.