Language that cares- Changing the way professionals talk about Children in Care

There is a great guide for professionals about the language used to talk about children who are looked after.

Language That Cares is a collaborative effort led by TACT that aims to change the language of the care systems.

Language is a powerful tool for communication but sometimes the way that it is used in social care creates stigma and barriers for understanding.

Language can be a weapon but it can also be emotional armour.

We have asked children and young people about their wishes and feelings on the day to day language used with, or to talk about, them and Language That Cares is their work.

Language That Cares is not an absolute list of all words used in the care system and does not represent everyone’s view.

However, it starts a much necessary discussion about the way we communicate and engage with our children and young people.

Language evolves and changes and this is the ‘first edition’ if Language That Cares. We will all continue to consult with our children and young people about language we use.

We also hope that more Local Authorities and organisations will join us for future editions and together, we can show our children and young people that we really care about them and about what they have to say to us.

I will leave the last word to some of the care experienced young people who created Language
That Cares:

“The language of care is so mixed up with our everyday language that it is difficult to
separate the two. These words that we challenge are used by everyone: foster carers,
social workers, teachers, Independent Reviewing Officers, administrators and even
children and young people. We should challenge ourselves and challenge people who
we hear using them.”
– Rotherham Young People