Charter of Rights for Children and Young People in Care

For ages 0 to 6 (PDF, 98kb)

For ages 7 to 12 (PDF, 139kb)

For ages 13 to 18 (PDF, 152kb)

Poster (PDF, 246kb)

Information for staff (PDF, 80kb)

The Charter was developed as part of the introduction of the Children and Community Services Act 2004.

It is a requirement of the Act that all children in the care of the CEO know their rights. The Care for Children and Young People Advisory Committee (CCYPAC), asked that the Office for Children and Youth, together with CREATE Foundation, develop the Charter by talking and listening to children and young people in care or who had been in care, field staff, carers and not for profit stakeholders.

Their combined ideas and voices are now represented in the Charter. It’s development has been recognised as a benchmark process and resulted in one of the largest consultancies ever conducted on the children in care population.

• All children and young people entering care will be given their own copy of the Charter.
• The case manager will explain the rights to the young person in a developmentally appropriate way.
• The case manager will regularly review the Charter with the young person.
• The case manager will ensure that the child’s carers also have a clear understanding of the Charter and their role in ensuring the Charter is implemented.

It is envisaged that the Charter will be a good tool for facilitating engagement with children in care.

For queries about the charter contact Judy Garsed, the Advocate for Children in Care.