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Lifelong Links

Building lasting relationships for young people in care and those leaving care.

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Lifelong Links for children in care

Lifelong Links helps to find and bring together people who care about you.

You can:

  • reconnect with family members and other trusted adults in a safe way. This could be people you already know, people you haven't seen for a while, or relatives you've never met.

  • learn about your family history.

It can provide you with supportive, stable relationships during and after your time in care.

 

Can I take part?

You can take part in Lifelong Links if you:

 

What happens next?

We'll give you a Lifelong Links Coordinator. 

They will:

1. Talk to you about who you want to build relationships with.

2. Help you complete activities to learn more about your background. This might include drawing a family tree, where you have lived and where you go to school.

3. Try to meet with your parents, and find the people you want to have in your life, if it is safe to do so.

4. Always keep you, your carer and your social worker updated on their progress.

5. Arrange a Lifelong Links Celebration Event with you and all the people who care about you.

 

Lifelong Links celebration event

Your Lifelong Links coordinator will invite you, your carer and social worker, family and friends to the conference. 

 

 

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Lifelong Links for care leavers

Lifelong Links is all about connecting you with those who care about you. It can help you:

  • Reconnect with family members and other trusted adults in a safe environment. This might include people you're familiar with, those you haven't seen in a while, or even relatives you've never had the chance to meet.
  • Discover more about your family's story and history.
  • Lifelong Links aims to provide you with strong, supportive relationships after your time in care, offering stability and understanding along the way.

 

Can I take part?

You can take part in Lifelong Links if you are leaving care or a care experienced young adult aged 18-25.

If you're interested in signing up, you can refer yourself to Lifelong Links or WhatsApp the team on 07977 057638.

 

What happens next?

We'll assign you a Lifelong Links coordinator who will:

1. Help you explore your family history using timelines and family trees to identify who you want to reconnect with. 

2. Support you in strengthening your relationships and organising meet ups with your chosen people, whether at 'family celebrations' or smaller, individual gatherings.

3. Develop a Lifelong Links Plan to outline the support your network offers. Your coordinator will always ask for your permission before they speak to people and will regularly review this plan with you and your network.

4. Create a Journey Book for you containing your plan, photos, messages, and important details about your life.

Our coordinators are independent and don't make decisions about your future.

You can always work at a pace which suits you. You'll never have to talk about anything you don't want to and there's no pressure to continue with the programme if you don't want to.

 

Worried about rejection and let downs?

While we can't promise there won't be challenges, coordinators work hard to minimise them. They communicate with you and your family to understand expectations and come up with realistic support plans. If setbacks occur, Lifelong Links offers fortnightly support groups where you can chat things through or spend time with other care experienced people.

 

Care leaver support groups

Lifelong Links support groups give you the chance to meet other people in similar situations. You can bring along your PA for support and chat to a Lifelong Links coordinator over a slice of cake and a hot drink. You don't need to be signed up to Lifelong Links to attend.

Find upcoming support sessions in: 

Online Care Leavers Support Group sessions

When?
We meet online every Tuesday at 4.30-5.30pm.

To access log in details please contact us by email lifelonglinks@hertfordshire.gov.uk or WhatsApp 07977 057638.

Stevenage

Location
Bowes Lyon Young People's Centre
St George's Way
Stevenage
SG1 1XY
View on Google Maps

When?
16 October, 2-4pm
13 November, 2-4pm
27 November, 2-4pm
11 December, 2-4pm
18 December, 2-4pm.

 

Find out more by email lifelonglinks@hertfordshire.gov.uk or WhatsApp 07977 057638.

 

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Get in touch

Privacy notice – Please read before submitting your information >

When you submit a question into the ask us box on this webpage, we need a contact number or email address from you in order to respond to your query.

This information is being gathered and will be processed on the basis that you are giving consent for us to do so. If you wish to withdraw consent at any time you can do so by emailing lifelonglinks@hertfordshire.gov.uk.

The information you give us will be held by the Lifelong Links team in Hertfordshire County Council and will only be used to respond to queries you have raised.

We will not share this information with a third party or use it for any other purpose.

We will only share information with third parties if we are legally obliged to do so, for example if it is necessary to safeguard or protect a child.

We may also share information with the police or other agencies if it is necessary for the following purposes:

  • the prevention or detection of crime
  • the apprehension or prosecution of offenders
  • the assessment or collection of any tax or duty or any imposition of a similar nature

The information that you supply to us will be kept on file until we have responded to your request. It will then be removed.

Hertfordshire County Council will be the Data Controller for this information.

You have the following rights in relation to this data:

  • You have the right to be informed about what information we hold about you and how we use it.
  • You have the right to request copies of any information the Council holds about you by making a subject access request.
  • If information we hold about you is factually inaccurate you have the right to have it corrected.
  • You have the right to object to the way we are using your data.
  • You have the right to request that your data is deleted. However we may be unable to delete your data if there is a need for us to keep it. In this case you will receive an explanation of why we need to keep the data.
  • You can also request that we stop using your data while we consider a request to have it corrected or deleted. There may be some circumstances in which we are unable to do this however we will provide an explanation if this is the case.
  • In certain circumstances you may also request data we hold about you in a format that allows it to be transferred to another organisation.
  • In the event that decisions are taken using automated processes you have the right to request that these decisions are reviewed by a member of staff and to challenge these decisions.

If you would like to request copies of your data, request that your data is deleted or have any other queries in relation to data which the Council holds about you please contact:

Data Protection Team Hertfordshire County Council County Hall Pegs Lane Hertford SG13 8DQ Tel: 01992 588099 Email: data.protection@hertfordshire.gov.uk

You can also contact our Data Protection Officer at dataprotection.officer@hertfordshire.gov.uk or in writing to the address above.

If you are unhappy with the way that Hertfordshire County Council has used your data or with the way we have responded to a request you also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office www.ico.org.uk.

Printable leaflets

If you're a foster carer, take a look at our training, support and policies page.

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