PORTAL
Milton Keynes 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 35 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.
Reconstruct are proud to be partnering with Volunteering Matters who will be managing your Mentoring service, Grandmentors.
Volunteering Matters is a national charity with over 60 years of experience bringing people together to overcome some of society’s most complex issues through the power of volunteering. They work with local partners, turning local knowledge and energy into action and progress. Their work spans individuals, employees, and entire communities, driving meaningful social action through volunteering.
Advocacy Services
An advocate is someone who provides support to children and young people in care, care leavers and children and young people who are subject to a Child Protection Conference.
Advocacy means to speak up for someone and there are some groups of people who may need more help that others – in this case, vulnerable children and young people. It’s about making sure that children have a say in decisions that affect their life. Advocacy is about making things change because children’s voices are heard and listened to.
Who is Eligible for this service?
The Advocacy Service will provide advocacy support for children in care aged 4 -18 years and care leavers up to aged 25 who are placed both in and out of the authority area
✔ Children in receipt of social care (including Children in Need, those on a Child Protection Plan and Looked After Children)
✔ Care Leavers that are not transitioning into Adult Social Care
✔ Children with Special Educational Needs (SEN) and disabilities
✔ Homeless Children
✔ Children in a mental health setting
Please note, the following categories are entitled to support from the Adult Advocacy Service and are not included in the Children’s Advocacy Service:
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Care Leavers transitioning into Adult Social Care
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Children complaining about health
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Over 16s lacking mental capacity
Any referrals for the above categories will not be processed and will be sent back to referrer.
If the referral is complex please call 0800 0209 858 or email mkadvocacy@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 Milton Keynes, 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
Independent Visitors will not be available to care leavers. However, where a child has an existing relationship with an Independent Visitor, and they become a care leaver, this can continue if the young person deems it beneficial. Click to jump to the Moving On section which provides more detail on this.
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.
Return To Home Interviews
We can provide experienced workers to undertake interviews with children who have been missing from care. The level of independence will provide an opportunity to look at each episode individually and within the context of the history of the individual child.
Any patterns emerging and any concerns regarding CSE, risk of grooming, inappropriate peer relationships, bullying or any other concerns will be reported immediately after the interview.
Who is Eligible for this service?
Looked After Children up to 18 years of age who live outside the borough of Milton Keynes boundary, regardless of how the Police rate their level of risk
Making a referral
The referrer completes the form on the referral link and this will be sent automatically to the coordinator for Milton Keynes.
Return to Home interviews for all Looked After Children living inside the borough of Milton Keynes boundary, and non Looked After Children, will be conducted by the Milton Keynes Council Youth Faculty.
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
Mentoring
Grandmentors is an innovative project that sees older volunteers (aged 50+) use their lifetime of skills and experience to support young people leaving the care system.
By sharing their life experience, our Grandmentors provide a vital link for young people, offering emotional support, practical advice, and a steady presence to help them build confidence and independence. Our Grandmentors come from all walks of life, bringing unique perspectives that help meet the diverse needs of each mentee.
Our volunteers are trained to forge positive, trusting relationships that both support and empower young adults to discover their strengths and pursue their own goals. Grandmentors are a source of encouragement and challenge, helping mentees to unlock their potential and take charge of their futures.
To make a referral please complete our referral form: