Your rights

This charter belongs to you. We want to care for you as well as we can. When you are in care and living away from home you have rights. This means that you can  expect to be treated well and to be well cared for.

A charter is a way of letting you know about what to expect when you are in care. Everyone who looks after you is expected to do their best in caring for you.

In making this charter we have talked with young people and people who work with them.

Please read the charter carefully so that you know your rights and can speak up about them.

1. I have the right to know why I am in care. I should be treated like other children who are not in care and can live at home.
2. I have the right to live with people who care about me, who respect me and who I can trust. They will give me enough food to eat, my own bed, a place where I will feel safe, and warm clothes to wear.
3. I have the right to say no to people touching me, hitting me or saying things that make me feel yucky or uncomfortable.
4. I have the right to have a say about things that are happening to me and to be told what is going to happen to me. My social worker or caregiver will talk with me about this.
5. I have the right to develop the things I'm good at and do things that are important to me, within reason. This includes my culture, language and religion. I have the right to get support if I need help to do the things that I want to do.
6. I have the right to have stuff like clothes, pocket money, toys and books, within reason, and I can ask my caregiver or social worker how to get them.
7. I have the right to see, phone, talk or write to my parents, brothers and sisters, and other family and friends. My social worker or caregiver will tell me why if I can't.
8. I have the right to things that are only mine, and I can be on my own if I want to and it's safe.
9. I have the right to go to school and have someone help me with my homework so I can do my best.
10. I have the right to see my lawyer, caregiver and social worker on my own. These adults will listen to me. I can also talk to other adults, like my teacher or caregiver, about my worries.
    
11. I have the right to have my teeth checked and see a doctor like other children.
    
12. I have the right to tell someone if I do not feel that I am being listened to or I need someone to help me. I could tell my social worker, caregiver, lawyer or my teacher.
    
13. I have the right to a copy of the rights that nearly every country in the world agrees kids should have (this is called the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child). My social worker can tell me more about this.
    
14. I have the right to ask to see what is written about me. I should ask my social worker about the best way to do this. If I am not allowed, I must be told.

If you are in a residence your rights may be different. Your social worker or a residence staff member can talk to you about this.

If you feel you are not being listened to, this is what you can do:

• Speak to your social worker, or you can ask to speak to your social worker's supervisor.
• Call someone at the Office of the Commissioner for Children
• Call someone at Child, Youth and Family.

You can contact us at 0508 FAMILY (0508 326 459)