Child's personal belongings

[ticktock]

Can anyone tell me what the legal position is about a child's belongings when moving from one home to another? My friend's son has been in care for 5 years now. He had been in a home for 4 years, during which time he had accumulated a lot of personal belongings. He was moved from that home to one in L and his belongings followed him in a couple of days. After three weeks, the placement didn't work out and he was moved to S. His belongings remained in L. His parents asked the social worker when these were going to be forwarded and were eventually told that their son's belongings had been 'sorted out' and some thrown away and some given to charity. The home said they had asked their son what he wanted done with his belongings and he allegedly told them he didn't want them. This wasn't true, and his parents have been chasing the social worker ever since to retrieve his belongings. He was moved from L 7 months ago, and the only thing the social worker has done is ask the parents and the child for a list of everything which is missing. The missing items include clothing, shoes, DVDs, Xbox games, and sentimental items which can never be replaced. What is the legal position on this. I'd be grateful for any help I can pass on to my friend and her family.

[ticktock]

Thank you for your reply, but I'm new to this and don't know what the different forums are, and who they are for. I am basically trying to get information for friends who do not have internet access. I am a close family friend of nearly 20 years and have been helping them through the problems of having a child in care. It's not easy to get information, so I'm grateful for any help I can get on behalf of my friends. Thank you again for replying.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Hi ticktock,

Welcome to the Friends and Family Carers' board.

I see that Irene has already given you some good advice in that any personal items should follow the child.

You will see that I have edited your post to remove place names as we don't allow any information on the board which might identify the children. I see that the places you refer to are in Scotland and England. If the Local Authority dealing with the case is in Scotland then we cannot advise you further as there is a different legal system. However if it is an English (or Welsh) Local Authority and you have more questions on behalf of mum, then perhaps you'd like to post them on our Parents' Board. Alternatively, your friend (or you on her behalf) might like to call our free and confidential advice line on 0808 801 0366. It is open Monday to Friday from 9.30am until 3pm.

Kind Regards

Suzie