PORTAL
Reading Council Portal
This Portal includes information on what you can expect from us as an organisation, including how to make a referral.
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Reconstruct is the provider for the following services available for your young people
A little bit about us
Reconstruct has over 30 years’ experience of developing and delivering training, consultancy, quality assurance and compliance services to a range of organisations, as well as direct services to vulnerable young people.
Safeguarding and promoting the welfare of vulnerable children and adults is at the centre of the work Reconstruct undertakes. Incoprorating the needs of our partners, and the children they support, is paramount.
Together with the local authorities we partner with, we strive to secure the best possible outcomes in respect of access to services with the provision of professional and appropriate training; supportive consultancy and compassionate direct delivery of services. We offer a full range of services designed to make positive change, develop strong ethical practice and promote better outcomes for the individuals being cared for. But don’t take our word for it – see what some of our children think about our services in the video above!
Advocacy Services
Reconstruct is an independent provider of advocacy and is a separate service, completely independent of a Local Authority.
We provide:
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Independent advocacy to Children and young people
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Our role is to support and relay the views and wishes of the child or young person and to ensure their voice is represented.
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Parent advocacy
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Parents who are vulnerable due to a diagnosed mental health condition or assessed learning disability can be supported by an advocate to ensure they are able to fully participate in the statutory processes such as Child Protection Conferences and Children Look After reviews.
Who is Eligible for this service?
The Advocacy Service will provide support and advocacy for children aged 5-18 years and care leavers up to aged 25 who are placed both in and out of the authority area in the following placement types: This includes Homeless 16-17 year olds, Young carers, and Children in need.
✔ Foster Care
✔ Residential Care
✔ Independent Living
✔ Supported lodgings
✔ Living with relatives
✔ Placed with parents
The referrer completes the form on the referral link and this will be sent automatically to the coordinator for Reading.
If the referral is complex please call 0800 0209 858 or directly to Maria the coordinator on her mobile on 07495 542096 and talk through the referral or email advocacy.reading@reconstruct.co.uk
Within 24 hours the referral will be acknowledged by the Reconstruct team and within 48 hours will be assigned to an advocate. You will be contacted to discuss the following upon receipt of referral:
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To let you know the status of the referral and who the Advocate allocated will be. If the referral is missing any information, they will also ask for further clarification, including any risks that the advocate should be aware of before meeting the child/young person.
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Advocate will arrange with parent/carer to speak with the young person.
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If parents or young person do not want to engage then advocate would complete a non-starter form and advise the social worker.
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If the young person is aged 16 plus the Advocate will ask the referrer if it is acceptable for them to contact the young person directly.
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An advocate will meet with the young person face to face or virtually (child led) s a paragraph.
Please ensure invites to meetings are sent well in advance to allow for advocates to be allocated and for the V&F’s to be collated. Should an advocate not be available due to delays in Reading, Reconstruct will not be held responsible for not attending said meetings. However we will endeavour to support the child but this may not be possible and the child may have to be represented at the next meeting.
Independent Visiting
An Independent Visitor (IV) is an adult volunteer who is independent of Social Services. Their role is to establish a supportive and long term relationship with a young person built on trust. They will guide and listen to a young person, helping to build their self-esteem and develop new interests and skills over time.
Who is Eligible for this service?
✔ All Looked After Children will be able to access the Independent Visitor Service up to the age of 18
✔ Children with disabilities and special educational needs
✔ It is expected that the majority of children accessing this service will be over the age of 8 years old
Making a Referral
All social workers can make a referral using the links below. If you are a parent or carer and would like to access the service, please contact your social worker who will make a referral on your behalf.
Parent Advocacy
Who is Eligible for this service?
Parents who are vulnerable due to a diagnosed mental health condition or assessed learning disability can be supported by an advocate to ensure they are able to fully participate in the statutory processes such as Child Protection Conferences and Children Look After reviews.
Making a referral
The referrer completes the form on the referral link and this will be sent automatically to the coordinator for Reading.
If you are referring two parents complete the referral form for one parent and email the name and Dob of the other parent to advocacy.reading@reconstruct.co.uk
Within 24 hours the referral will be acknowledged by the Reconstruct team and within 48 hours will be assigned to an advocate. You will be contacted to discuss the following upon receipt of referral:
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To let you know the status of the referral and who the Advocate allocated will be. If the referral is missing any information, they will also ask for further clarification, including any risks that the advocate should be aware of before meeting the parent.
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Advocate will arrange to meet with parent.
If parent is not willing to engage then the advocate would complete a non-starter form and advise the referrer. -
An advocate will meet with the parent face to face or virtually
Please ensure referrals are sent well in advance to allow for an advocate to be allocated in good time. Should an advocate not be available due to delays in sending the referral, Reconstruct will not be held responsible
