One minute guide: Lifelong links

Lifelong Links aims to build positive, lasting support networks for children and young people who have lost or broken connections with family members and supportive people during their time in care. This approach has been developed by the Family Rights Group, an organisation which aims to enable children to be raised safely and thrive within their family and community.

Lifelong Links is aimed at children and young people in care or care leavers who fit the following criteria:

• there are no plans for the young person to live within their family or be adopted
• are currently in care or are a care leaver with an allocated Social Worker or Personal Advisor
• are a care leaver who is a parent up to the age of 25 years old, who has experienced the loss of a child through care proceedings, and is working with the Futures Service, Home-Start Leeds or Adult and Health (social care)

Lifelong Links work involves identifying and engaging relatives and other supportive adults connected to a child or young person with care experience who are willing to make a lifelong commitment to them. To achieve this, a Lifelong Links Coordinator will search for family members and other adults, such as former foster carers or teachers, to bring together in a Lifelong Links Family Group Conference (FGC). A Lifelong Links FGC is a meeting where the identified people meet with the young person to form a support plan with and for them.

This support plan is then integrated into the child’s care plan by the local authority. Lifelong Links is a child-centred process, meaning that throughout each stage the views of the child or young person are kept at the heart of the approach, ensuring that they are always listened to and feel involved in decisions that affect them.

Why we have Lifelong Links

The demand for Lifelong Links was highlighted by the Care Inquiry (2013), which concluded that the biggest failing of the care system is that procedures can often break relationships for children in care rather than build them. The resulting instability can have a range of negative consequences for young people. Examples include not wanting to invest in building new relationships, mental health issues, and increased harmful and risky behaviours, for example, substance misuse or criminal activity.

Stable support from family and community can be the most important factor for enabling young people to successfully transition into adulthood. By creating a positive, lasting support network for Children Looked After, Lifelong Links can improve outcomes in many aspects of a young person’s life. Just a few of the many possible benefits of increased stability include stronger relationships both in care and upon leaving care, a reinforced sense of identity, and improved mental health and emotional wellbeing.

What the law says about it

The Children Act (1989) states (Schedule 2, paragraph 15) “The Local Authority has a duty to promote contact between a child and their parents, plus any important people in their lives”.

The need to do this is reiterated by Isabelle Trowler, Chief Social Worker for Children and Families, Putting Children First, Department for Education (July 2016): ‘Relationships and long term social connection is the cornerstone to child and family welfare’.

What we have in Leeds

In Leeds, Lifelong Links is part of the Family Group Conference Service. There is a small team working on a city-wide basis with children looked after who fit the criteria listed earlier.

By supporting these individuals to form positive networks and relationships, we aim to improve outcomes for some of the most vulnerable children and young people in our city. This forms part of the Leeds goal to be a child-friendly city where all children and young people get the best possible start in life.

What practitioners should do

Any Leeds practitioner working with a child or young person who thinks that Lifelong Links could benefit them can get in touch using the contact details below.

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