What does looked after children mean

A Child in Care (CinC) is considered to be in the care of Norfolk County Council (NCC). You might hear people refer to children being 'in care' or professionals using the term 'CinC.' It all means the same thing.

The child might be looked after with their parents' consent or by a court order. They might live with foster carers, in a children's home, with family members or connected people (eg friends or neighbours) or sometimes even with their birth parents.

Once a child is looked after, NCC has many duties to check on the child's wellbeing and planning for their care. Their carers have to be approved as foster carers. The child and the carer will each have a social worker and there will be regular review meetings, called CinC reviews which are chaired by an independent person called an IRO.