Care Leavers' Association

Links are divided up into sections to try and direct you to the most useful information. If you cannot find information that you are looking for, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Please note that this page contains links to external, independent websites. The CLA does not necessarily approve of all content contained on those websites.

Legal rights

The Children and Young Person's act 2008

The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000

These provide direct links to the Acts.

Legal Entitlements for Care Leavers

This provides a guide to ten things that the law says you are entitled to when you leave care. The list was put together by the Children's Rights Director, in consultation with various statutory and voluntary organisations.

Care Matters: Time for Change

A young person's guide to the 2007 white paper 'Care Matters: Time for Change', which aims to address the disadvantage faced by young people in care and improve their experiences of care.

Care leavers' organisations

A National Voice

A National Voice is fantastic organisation run by and for care experienced young people in the United Kingdom. It represents children in care and care leavers up to the age of 25. Everyone who is under 25 and is or has been in care in England is automatically a member. All staff are care experienced. If you are over 25 and have been in care, they will be happy for any offer of help or support you can give them. Their aims are similar to ours, even though the age ranges we cover are different. We are happy to work with them whenever there is an opportunity. They are based in Manchester but also have a London office and their National Co-ordinator is Maxine Wrigley.

Care Leavers Reunited

This website is run by the Care Leavers' Association. It is similar to Friendsreunited, but for people who have been in care. You can register your old children's home or register under 'foster care' in a certain area and get back with people that you knew from your time in care.

Care Leavers of Australia Network (CLAN)

P.O.Box 164 Georges Hall. 2198. NSW Australia Leonie Sheedy is the secretary. This is a great site. Australian care leavers have really got their act together and have recently got an official inquiry set up into the abuse that occurred in state child care in Australia. It's worth browsing around this site as they have some useful material.

Care Achievers

Care Achievers has been set up to raise awareness of the many positive achievements made by adults who have had care experience as children or young people.

The Golden Bridge

A history of the migration of children in care from Scotland to Canada between 1869-1939. This website includes photographs and stories as well as facts about the history of the migration process.

Advice, advocacy and support

Citizen's Advice Bureau

The CAB website provides independent online advice about your rights, including benefits and legal advice.

National Youth Advocacy Service (NYAS)

NYAS is a UK charity providing children's rights and socio-legal services throughout England and Wales. They offer information, advice, advocacy and legal representation to children and young people up to the age of 25.

Voice

Voice is a UK-wide voluntary organisation that provides advocacy services for and campaigns for children and young people in public care. They work with many children and young people looked after by the state, including those in children's homes, foster care, secure units and secure training centres, young offender institutions and unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people.

Children's Legal Centre

The Children's Legal Centre is an independent national charity concerned with law and policy affecting children and young people. The Children's Legal Centre has many years of experience in providing legal advice and representation to children, their carers and professionals throughout the UK.

Advicekit

This site provides practical advice and information on areas such as education, benefit entitlements and debt etc. The site is aimed primarily at people living in Manchester but most of the information contained on it is applicable to people across the UK.

The Who Cares? Trust

The Who Cares? Trust do a lot of good work with young people in care. They are best known for their quarterly magazine, which goes to thousands of children in care and which children in care and care leavers help to write. They also publish various guides, especially around education and health. In March 2006 the trust produced a guide for care leavers about going to university. The guide is available free of charge by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

GetConnected

FREE Helpline: 0808 808 4994

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Get connected provides a free, confidential helpline that gives young people in difficult situations the support and information you need to decide what you want to happen next. It could be anything from a listening ear to somewhere safe to stay for the night.

We're free: calls to Get Connected are free from all landlines and mobile phones. Any connection we give you to another helpline is also free.

We'll find you the best help whatever the problem: we can help you decide what sort of help you're looking for and put you in touch with it, whether it's by connecting you to another helpline, emailing you a link to an online service, texting you details of a service or giving you the address of somewhere local.

Support Line

SupportLine offers confidential emotional support to children, young adults and adults by telephone, email and post. They work with callers to develop healthy, positive coping strategies, an inner feeling of strength and increased self esteem to encourage healing, recovery and moving forward with life. They also keep details of counsellors, agencies and support groups throughout the UK.

Careers, education and training

Uni Chat

This is an independent website for all care leavers in higher education or those who are thinking of pursuing study in higher education. The site is sponsored by organisations such as, The Prince's Trust, A National Voice and The Frank Buttle Trust, amongst others.

The Bryn Melyn Group Foundation

Established to run small grants scheme for care leavers aged up to 29. Also campaigns on issues affecting care leavers. Also check out the information on National Care Leavers Week.

The Scottish Institute of Residential Child Care

The Scottish Institute of Residential Child Care (SIRCC) is a partnership of the University of Strathclyde, Robert Gordon University, Langside College and Who Cares? Scotland that was set up in 2000. Our primary aim is to work with young people in care, care leavers and sector staff in order to develop and present high quality research and teaching that is at the very centre of practice.

SIRCC was established in April 2000. We are a partnership of the University of Strathclyde, The Robert Gordon University, Who Cares? Scotland and Langside College, and we are funded primarily by the Scottish Government.

SIRCC acts as a catalyst to influence and improve the quality of care and outcomes for children and young people living in residential care. We seek to do this by:

• Providing learning and development opportunities
• Supporting organisational development and workforce planning
• Establishing a sound evidence base which incorporates the views and experience of young people

Our activities respect and value children and young people and the workers caring for them in residential establishments

 Website: www.sircc.org.uk Contact: National Office – tel 0141 950 3683 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Princes Trust

The Princes Trust targets people from care for a number of its programmes. Although they target 16-21 year old care leavers for grants, education, training and mentoring schemes, many older people from care may want to enquire about other opportunities such as setting up a business (up to the age of 30). Last year, over 2200 people from care used their programmes. As well as the above website, there is also a freephone telephone number: 0800 842 842.

Care homes and records

Barnardo's

This is the official site of the national children's charity. It provides details of their history, the work that they are currently involved in and links to other related websites.

National Children's Homes (NCH)

This is the website for NCH Children's Charity. It provides information on their services and also has a section on leaving care under the 'Help and Advice' section.

Homes Histories

This MSN group aims to collate the history of various homes and the philanthropists who started them.

Fegans Care Homes

This site contains information on Fegan's children's homes in the South East of England. It also provides a free service for anyone who was once a resident at one of the homes, or is a relative of someone who was, who is trying to trace a family member.

Adoption Board (Ireland)

This is the website for the adoption board in Ireland and contains useful information about the board and adoption procedures.

Western Australia Child Care Records

'Signposts' is a new resource for adult care leavers who want to access their records. It covers over 200 institutions in Western Australia. These are almost all residential institutions and it covers records from the 1920s onwards. It has been set up by the government of Western Australia.

Campaigns

ANV 'This Is Not A Suitcase' Fashion Show

This is the official website for A National Voice's This Is Not A Suitcase campaign.

As well as displaying photographs from the fashion show held at the Tate Britain in October 2005, it lists all the local authorities who have signed up to the charter.

Abuse in care

Internations' Justice Federation: Canadian Institutional Abuse Survivors

Run by survivors of institutional abuse in Canada. Has an international focus and is organising an international conference for abuse survivors in October 2005.

NAPAC

NAPAC is the National association for People Abused in Childhood. It has an information line that refers people to relevant groups and support in their area.

Fire in Ice

Merseyside self-help project run by and for the adult male survivors of childhood abuse, especially those who have suffered while in residential care. Its offices are currently closed. Fire in Ice aimed to enable men who have suffered child abuse and their families to make positive change in their lives and to make the care experience safe for children and young people. It offered 1 to 1, group and telephone support in a friendly empathic environment.

Association of Boarding School Survivors

This is a good group for people who have been through the boarding school system. James Foucar, the Secretary of ABSS, addressed one of our Executive Committee meetings earlier this year. Obviously, a lot of their concerns about what happens to children in boarding schools overlap with our own concerns about what happens to children in care.

Survivor Scotland

SurvivorScotland website has been developed by the Scottish Government to improve the lives of survivors of childhood sexual abuse. It provides a wide range of material about abuse, all in one place. It is a networking resource for a wide variety of interested people, and it gives useful links to other websites that may also be helpful.

Survivors Manchester
Survivors Manchester is a survivor-led/survivor-run voluntary organisation that aims to create and facilitate a safe space for male survivors of sexual abuse and rape to work through personal and sometimes painful issues. Their work is concentrated on empowering men to make their own positive life choices and begin their own journey of healing.

Survivors Manchester is a member of The Survivors Trust - a national umbrella organisation for all voluntary services working with victims and survivors of rape, sexual violence and childhood sexual abuse. More information on The Survivors Trust can be found by clicking here.

Postal Address: P.O. Box 4325, Manchester, M61 0BG

Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Survivors on the net

Provides support and information for survivors of childhood abuse, their partners, family and friends.

Association of Child Abuse Lawyers (ACAL)

ACAL is an organisation of lawyers and other legal professionals who are experienced in working with adults who were abused as children. Members of ACAL have helped many care leavers who were abused in the care system. They have been in existence since 1997. The CLA has begun to work with them (from January 2005) in order that we can do more for care leavers who have experienced such abuse. By working together, we hope to bring about positive change for abuse survivors. ACAL run a helpline for anyone who needs legal advice in this area. You can access the details of the site by clicking on the link above. They can recommend a solicitor to you. Check out the rest of their site - it's worth it.

Dr Richard Gartner

This is a U.S. site designed to help male victims of sexual abuse. Dr. Gartner specializes in treating male victims of sexual abuse. He is the author of several articles and books including Betrayed as Boys. The site contains lots of useful information, including links to other related sites.

DABS Pathfinder

DABS pathfinder service is a signposting organization that provides free support all over the UK and the Republic of Ireland to anyone and any organization regarding issues to do with childhood abuse, incest and rape. All the telephone contacts listed on the website are professional counsellors or therapists who work in this field and they are committed to providing confidential help and information.