A small number of children in Darlington live in the care of the local authority. They are known as Looked After Children. Most of them live with foster carers, some live in their own families and some live in Children’s Homes . We try to provide the very best quality of care for Looked After Children many of whom have experienced major difficulties in their lives.
We provide a range of services for looked after children including the following:
Care Planning Team
This is a team of Social Workers and Child Support Officers who are responsible for working with children, their families , the courts and other agencies to make plans for how children will be cared for during their childhoods safely and maximising their life chances.
The Team Manager is Carol Brunt Contact 01325 346287
Looked After Children Team
This is a team of Social Workers and Contact Support Officers who are responsible for working with children who are being looked after on a long term basis. They support the child’s placement, assist in promoting contact between children and their families, support the child in their education and make sure that their health needs are met.
The Team Manager is Sandra Kirkland contact 01325 346498
Children’s Homes
We have four Children’s Homes in Darlington. They are provided in accordance with the requirements of the Care Standards Act 2002, the National Minimum Standards for Children’s Homes, the Children’s Homes Regulations 2002 the Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004. Each of the Children’s Homes is inspected by Ofstead.
Staff in the Children’s Homes work with young people by providing stable home environments with good quality care and support. Young People attend local schools and access local health services when required.
The Manager of the Children’s Homes is Jean Langthorne Tel 01325 346239
Independent Reviewing Service
All Looked After Children have their care plans regularly reviewed in accordance with the Children Act 1989 and Adoption and Children Act 2002.Reviews are usually held in the child’s home and attended by themselves, their carer, their parents and their social worker.
The Independent Reviewing Officer is Tracy Nesbitt Tel 01325 388801
What do the Children & Families Teams Do?
Information for Parents (pdf document)
Your Looked After Review (pdf document)
Looked After and Safe (pdf document)