Children Looked After (CLA)

About

Children and young people in care deserve the same chances, experiences and support as anyone else. In Cardiff, we want to make sure children and young people in care feel safe, happy and have every opportunity to do well.

What is a 'Corporate Parent'?

When a child or young person comes into care, Cardiff Council becomes their Corporate Parent. That means they take on the role of the parent, making sure the young person is looked after, supported, and listened to.

Our responsibilities as a Corporate Parent

Cardiff Council has a plan called the Corporate Parenting Strategy which young people in care were involved in creating. This strategy can be accessed here;

English – Corporate Parenting Strategy ENGLISH

Cymraeg – Corporate Parenting Strategy CYMRAEG

The plan sets out five things we promise to do for children and young people in care:

1. Support their emotional health and wellbeing

2. Help them build strong relationships and stay connected

3. Make sure they have a comfortable, safe and stable home in care and after

4. Support their education, employment and training

5. Involve and celebrate our children and young people

There are lots of services and activities for children and young people in care to get involved in. From work experience and placements to social events. You can find out more and get involved on this page.

“I’ve been busy gaming with Cardiff Youth Service, and it’s been a lot of fun playing Rocket League and Fortnite. I’ve made new friends, and the staff are great. The highlight for me was getting to play against Tadpole, a Rocket League gold medalist.”

– Young Person attending Esports Course

Your Rights and Entitlements

You have rights to

Be safe and cared for
Be heard and respected
Know your background and identity
Have your views listened to
Get the support you need (health, school, people)
Meet your family and keep contact
Complain if things aren’t right
Have your care regularly checked and planned for your best future

You Should Always

Be listened to and treated fairly
Understand what’s happening
Have someone you trust on your side
Speak up if you feel unsafe or unhappy

What You Can Do If You Need Help

Talk to your social worker or carer about any worries

Ask for an advocate – an independent helper

Tell someone if you think something’s not right

Learn about your rights so you can ask for what’s fair

“I was shocked that we were going to the WMC – I’ve seen the building a lot and always wanted to go inside. I absolutely loved it, I thought the singers were miming along to a backing track until one of the others told me they were actually singing. I can’t believe how good they were! I felt really happy after the show.”

– Young person attending a Wales Millenium Centre musical

Watch KT's Story

“My PA is absolutely brilliant, she has been such a massive help to me and really supported me with my barbering, and I’ve learned so much with my PA by my side. On top of that, she is helping to take care of sorting out my ID and passport too. Without her it would have been too overwhelming for me to do on my own . My PA has done loads more besides that , and I honestly don’t know what I’d do without her. I am very grateful for everything she has done for me.”

– Young person

Your Voice

This section is all about you having a say in the things that affect your life.

Whether it’s through joining a group, speaking to an advocate, or sharing feedback, there are ways for you to be heard and get involved.

Bright Sparks Club

The Bright Sparks Club is a participation group for looked after or care experienced 11 to 25-year-olds in Cardiff. It can offer you advice and guidance about where to access support and a platform to have your voice heard.

The club:

arranges meetups in person and online
discusses things that are important to each individual
offers many free and fun activities
is a safe and supportive environment led by young people, for young people.

The club meets regularly online and at Grassroots, Charles Street Cardiff. To find out more about the club or to come along, you can contact lucy.thomas2@cardiff.gov.uk.

Independent Advocacy

Advocacy is about making sure your voice is heard, especially when decisions are being made about your life. It helps you understand your rights, speak up about what’s important to you, and get support when you need it.

In Wales, if you’re aged 5 or over and in care, you must be told about your right to advocacy. This is called the Active Offer, it means you’re entitled to information about how to get help from an independent advocate.

Advocates can support you with things like:

Where you live
Seeing your family
Leaving care and planning your future
Attending meetings and making complaints if something isn’t right

They’re independent from children’s services, which means they’re always on your side.

In Cardiff, NYAS (National Youth Advocacy Service) provides advocacy for children and young people in care. They’ll help you understand your rights and support you to speak up and make informed choices.

If you would like to speak to an advocate or find out more, call 0808 808 1001 or email help@nyass.net

or visit Advocacy | What is Advocacy? | Child and Family Advocacy Services | NYAS.

Have your say!

Listen Up! Is an online platform where you share your thoughts and feedback with your social worker, independent reviewing officer or someone else within Cardiff Council. You can access Listen Up! here.

Health, Wellbeing and Support

Everyone needs support sometimes, there are people and services ready to help you with your wellbeing, health, and future plans.

Personal Adviser Service

If you’re aged 16 to 21 and getting ready to leave care, you’ll have a Personal Adviser (PA) to support you as you move towards adult life. If you’re in full-time education, this can continue up to age 25.

Your PA is there to listen to you, understand your goals, and help you plan your future.

Your PA can help with things like:

Making sure you know about and can use services
Helping you with things like housing, money, education, jobs, staying healthy, family and living independently.
Connecting you to other services that can support you
Speaking up for you and making sure your voice is heard and your rights are respected

Youth Service

Cardiff Youth Service works with young people aged 11 to 25, helping them to build confidence, learn new skills, make friends and gain valuable life experiences.

How do you access Youth Services?

If you would like to access information and support to help you connect with local youth clubs and projects email cardiffyouthservice@cardiff.gov.uk

You can also visit our Events Page New Events Page – Cardiff Youth Service to see the latest opportunities available for young people across Cardiff.

Online Youth Clubs

Would you prefer to connect with Cardiff Youth Service online?
Our Discord online youth clubs are safe, welcoming spaces where young people can:

Get support from trained youth workers
Meet and chat with other young people
Take part in online gaming, art workshops, and other creative sessions
Join in-person trips and activities

Within our Discord community, there’s a dedicated space just for CLA young people.

To join, please complete the sign up form Cardiff Youth Service Discord / Discord Gwasanaeth Ieuenctid Caerdydd.

1-to-1 Support

We offer one-to-one Youth Work support to help young people build confidence, develop new skills and overcome personal challenges.

Referrals can be made by young people, carers, or professionals through the referrals section of this website Referrals – Cardiff Youth Service

From April to October, we also provide dedicated support to Year 11 pupils, helping them take their next steps after leaving school and reach their chosen destinations.

Creative and Digital Opportunities

Our Digital Team works closely with Children’s Services to deliver creative, fun, and engaging activities during school holidays.
These include:

Esports projects
DJ workshops
Studio tours
And much more!

To book a place or share ideas for future projects, please email Lucy.Thomas2@cardiff.gov.uk

CLA young people will receive early access to sign up for all other city wide digital and creative opportunities, including:

- The Summer Content Creators Bootcamp
- Esports events

City-wide creative events

Social Activities and Opportunities

There’s so much happening in Cardiff, and we want to make sure you don’t miss out. Whether you want to try something new, meet people, build your confidence, or start thinking about your future, there’s something here for everyone.

Passport to the City

Passport to the City is all about helping you discover the best of what Cardiff has to offer.

They work with different businesses and organisations to open doors to exciting events, activities, and opportunities for children and young people. From fun days out and creative workshops to sporting events, theatre tickets and behind the scenes experiences, there’s something for everyone.

Some examples of what you might get involved in include:

Tickets to ice hockey, rugby, football and cricket matches.
Outdoor adventure activities like kayaking, climbing, skiing and sailing.
Access to festive city-based events like: Christmas lights, Winter Wonderland, Halloween festivals & more.

For more information visit What’s On In The City – Cardiff Passport to the City

Independent Visitors

An Independent Visitor is an adult who volunteers to spend time with children in care who are under the age of 18, creating memories and becoming someone you can rely on. They are someone you can trust who will spend time getting to know you through fun activities that you want to do, like day trips or hobbies.

Independent Visitors visit young people at least once a month and together, you’ll arrange activities and make plans, such as going on a day trip. This could be a trip to the cinema or going out for a meal together. Maybe you want to try a new sport, or you’d like some help with your homework. Whatever you’re looking to do, an Independent Visitor will help to make it happen.

An Independent Visitor is not a carer or social worker. They are a volunteer who:

Will always listen to you
Is not paid to be there
You can have fun with
Chooses to spend time with you

Find out more here. If you are interested in having an Independent Visitor you can contact NYAS (the National Youth Advocacy Service) on 0800 808 1001, who can help you with your request.

Education

This section is here to show you what is available to you if you’re in school, college or thinking about your next steps.

CLA Virtual School

The Children Looked After (CLA) Virtual School is here to help children and young people who are looked after by Cardiff to do well in school and feel confident about learning.

We work with your teachers to make sure you get the support you need. Every school has a Designated CLA Lead – this is a teacher who understands what life in care can be like and is there to listen, give advice and make sure your Personal Education Plan works for you.

Our team also helps with things like Additional Learning Needs and Individual Development Plans as well as working with lots of other services to give you the best chance to reach your goals.

We want to make sure being in care doesn’t stop you from enjoying school and having a positive experience of education.

The Cardiff Commitment

The Cardiff Commitment is all about helping young people in Cardiff discover their potential and prepare for the future.

By bringing together schools, businesses, and communities, the Cardiff Commitment creates real chances for you to learn, grow, and succeed.

If you’re aged 16 to 24 and thinking about what’s next, whether that’s staying in education, starting training, volunteering, finding a work experience placement, or staring a job, the Cardiff Commitment has hundreds of opportunities waiting for you on their What’s Next Cardiff website.

Some of the things you can get involved in are:

Debate Mate (if you attend Cathays High, Cantonian High, Cardiff West Community High, Eastern High, Fitzalan High, Mary Immaculate, St Teilos CiW High, Willows High, Ysgol Glantaf)
The What’s Next Award Work Experience Programme – for year 12 children looked after or care experienced young people.

To find out more visit Home or email cardiffcommitment@cardiff.gov.uk

Employment and Training

Whether you’re thinking about your first job, planning your future career, or just want someone to talk things through with, this section is here to help you take your next step with confidence.

Into Work

If you’re aged 16 to 24 and thinking about your future, the Into Work Advice Service can support you. Whether you want to get a job, start training, or get back into education, they’ll help you figure out what’s right for you.

There are specific opportunities for children and young people looked after by Cardiff Council including:

Bright Futures

Bright Futures provides 1 to 1 mentoring support to those who are care experienced or looked after in Cardiff. You’ll get your own mentor who can help you with:

Writing your CV and job applications
Preparing for interviews and building your confidence
Applying for college or university
Finding and funding training opportunities to build your skills

Bright Start Traineeship

Want to try out a job and gain experience? This scheme offers work placements for up to 6 months, helping you build skills for your future career. You’ll get:

A mentor at work to support you
Help with travel and uniform costs
A weekly allowance of up to £75 which won’t affect any benefits

To find out more, you can visit our website at www.intoworkcardiff.co.uk, drop us an email on brightstart@cardiff.gov.uk, or call/message us on 07790591089.

Mentors

1 Million Mentors is all about helping young people aged 14 to 25 build positive, supportive relationships with mentors who can help you explore your future and build confidence.

You’ll be matched with a mentor from a business or organisation for up to one year, who will provide you with advice and support about education, work and volunteering.

1MM run a programme just for care experienced young people with the Bright Sparks Club. It means you can have the opportunity to access mentoring within a group setting to help build relationships and confidence.

Contact Information

Cardiffyouthservice@cardiff.gov.uk