Children Looked After
Sometimes it is safer or more suitable for a child or young person to live with people who are not part of their immediate family. When this happens, the child is described as being ‘in care’.
If the plan is for a child to stay in care for a longer period of time, a social worker from the Children Looked After team will become involved. The social worker will support the child, their family, and everyone else involved (for example other family members and support workers from other agencies) to help make sure the child’s experience in care is positive.
When a young person who has been in care turns 18, they may still need support. The Care Leavers team will provide a worker who can help them as they move into adulthood.
While a child or young person is living with a foster family and is in our care, we also work with their school and teachers to help them get the best out of their education. This work is carried out by the Reading Virtual School. Click here to read more about what they do and help answer many other questions young people may have about being in care.
To contact the Children Looked After team, please call:
0118 937 3641 (Option 4)
We’ve also produced some guides for children aged 3-7 years old, children aged 8-11 years old and young people (12-15 years old) who have come into care. Click on the images below to read these.
