hey sam, im just wondering if feeling weird and out of place normal when you jut get put in care. my emotions are just too much, and im just feeling lost, hopeless i dont know what to do. any advice?
Hi there
Being in care can be a big change and it’s important that you get support to help you with your feelings. There are people you can talk to – either in the care home, foster family or your social worker. Being in care is supposed to be a safe environment for you to live, so if you are unhappy it’s important to talk to someone about this.
There are lots of different reasons for going into care and it's important that you have a safe and supportive environment to live in. It's normal to feel overwhelmed, lost and uncertain when there are changes in your life. Keeping to your usual routines like the time you get up and go to bed can help to keep things feeling as normal as possible.
You should be given lots of support to settle in and to feel welcomed and part of where you will be living. Everyone in care will have a social worker who is responsible for them. You can talk to your social worker about any concerns or worries you have and they should be there to help. If you feel like your social worker isn’t helping you, Coram Voice have trained advocates who are independent from Children's Services and can help you if you are having problems in care.
It can take time to adapt to new surroundings and it's likely that things will be quite different in a new home. Make sure that you are shown where things you need are kept and ask about house rules and ground rules as so that you feel more sure about how things work.
You may need some extra help with understanding what happened that meant you needed to go into care. Your social worker or doctor should be able to arrange for that support for you. Chatting to other young people on the message boards can help you to feel less alone as well as using the art box, playing games and other relaxation techniques like breathing exercises or listening to music.
Take care and remember that Childline is always there for you if you need to talk.
Sam
You can talk privately to a counsellor online or call 0800 1111 for free.
You can ask me about anything you want, there's nothing too big or small. I read every single letter but I can only answer a few each week. My replies are published here on my page.
