Health, wellbeing, and relationship support
Looking after your physical health and mental wellbeing is extremely important as you get older. The Leaving Care team and your personal advisor (PA) will arrange advice and support to encourage you to lead a healthy and active lifestyle.
Our health and wellbeing offer to you includes:
- support to access adult social services
- support to register with a GP or dentist
- provide information on healthy living
- support to have an eye test
- if you want someone to talk to your PA can refer you to counselling
- if you are a young parent, being referred to a local family centre for help
- give information on getting help to pay for prescriptions
- support you to move from CAMHS to adult services
- give you help with transport costs when attending health appointments
- if you are a young parent, take an interest in your children and support you to do the best for them. We will help you arrange childcare, if this is what you want
- access to the leisure centres run by 1Leisure
- give you information about health drop-in centres
- work with you to make a ‘health passport’ containing key information from your childhood (for example, when and if you have had immunisations) and your current health needs
- Health APP to enable you to have a record of all your immunisations, health history and future appointments.
Children in care and Care Leavers Nurse team
This service delivers direct clinical contact, advice and support to children in care and care leavers, their carers and social workers to address health issues unique to this group of children and young people. The team is part of the Children's Safeguarding team and Community Paediatric services.
The team consists of:
- Specialist Children in Care and Care Leavers Nurse – Kim Cook
- Children in Care Nurse – Sarah Kearns
- Team Administrator – Kate Armstrong.
Health promotion is provided at health assessments and on contact with carers or children and young people, information is available for:
- healthy eating
- dental care
- alcohol and substance misuse
- sexual health
- healthy lifestyles
- quit smoking
- safe relationships
- emotional wellbeing.
Come and see the nurse team for any health advice or issues. Clinics are now also being offered within schools; contact the team for more information.
Clinic contact information
- Drop In: first Friday of every month, Lower Maternity Unit, St Marys Hospital.
- Phone: 01983 524081 (ask for the Children in Care team)
- Mobile: 07747 485425 (ask for Kim)
- Mobile: 07827 086771 (ask for Sarah)
- Email: IOW.childrenincare@nhs.net
- Facebook: Isle of Wight CIC & CL Healthcare
- Address: Children's Safeguarding Office, St Marys Hospital, Parkhurst Road, Isle of Wight, PO30 5TG
Relationships
If you have entered care, it is likely that you have experienced some level of loss during your early childhood, and possibly trauma or abuse. It may be that you are only starting to come to terms with this as you enter adulthood or that you realise this still affects you today.
In addition to this, your own experiences may impact on your adult relationships, both with professionals, friends, and intimate partners. You may fear if you are about to become a parent that your child will have similar experiences and be taken into care, and this can be a very scary time for you. You make also want to ‘get it right’ to make sure your history is not repeated in your own relationships.
This may place you under and immense amount of pressure, as you begin taking responsibility for your actions as an adult. We can offer you a safe, trustworthy PA to talk to.
The PA will support and advise you as you transition into adulthood. If other needs are identified, your PA will support you to access appropriate support.
If you're a young parent
If you are a young parent and you wish to access support with parenting, you can speak to your health visitor (if your child is under five years old). If you have more than one need, you can access parenting courses and other support through local family centres, which may benefit you socially too.
If you require additional help or support then you can you ask a professional (health visitor, GP, nursery or school teacher) to refer you to the Early Help team. You can also self-refer to this service by calling the Hampshire MASH team on 0300 300 0117.
Anyone, not just care leavers, can access these services, so you are not alone in needing support with parenting.
As well as support from a PA, we may be able to offer you additional practical and emotional support, such as:
- an advocate if you need one
- where appropriate, continuing to support contact with the ‘Independent Visitor’ you had while you were in care
- help to maintain or regain contact with people special to you or who cared for you in the past, like former foster carers or social workers
- life skills workshops that focus on practical skills and managing relationships
- Come Dine With Us cook and eat group.