Not knowing what to expect was the worst, but nothing was close to how bad I thought it would be. When you start to settle in you realise there is always support behind your back. Foster carers only want the best for you. They will help you and make you feel part of their family. They will also support you to keep in touch with your own family while you are staying in the foster home.

Many other children between the ages of 0-18 years go into foster care in Wakefield and the rest of the Country because it’s not safe to live at home for lots of different reasons. Your social worker will help you understand your reason for being in care and they will also include you in decisions made about your care (such as where you live, what school you go to, what support you need).

Seeing your family is important although it’s not always possible for everyone. What I wanted to know was the truth about what was happening – your social worker has to explain contact plans with you and include your wishes and feelings in decisions about seeing family. In fact everything that is decided about your care has to be discussed with you before the decision is made.

Children come into care for so many different reasons and it’s important for you to know your reason. What could help is a life story book, your social worker should start this off with you but your carers can also collect things with you to help you understand your past, who your family are and eventually help you understand why you are in care.

For example, if you’re not happy with the way your carers treat you, or you don’t think you were involved in a decision made about you. It’s your right to complain if you’re not happy. Don’t worry, you won’t get into trouble for complaining – staff want to make things better for you. You can download the Mind of My Own App, click on 'Sort a Problem' and send it to your participation worker.

Something they all say is “I know how you feel”. It’s important not to get angry at this, often they want to make you feel better, but what I find works best is meeting other people my age that are in care, going through similar experiences. They really do know how you feel. You might not live with someone your age in the same home, but there are groups that the Participation Service runs which you can be involved in. They are attended by lots of “children in care” my age and service managers attend too; it’s a real chance to change the services that affect me and other children in care. You don’t have to attend, but if you choose to, your carers should support you to get there. Call 01924 304195 to find out about the latest groups.