“The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care headed by Josh McCallister published in May 2022 a final report and recommendations that included:
‘Government should make care experience a protected characteristic’ and ‘New legislation should be passed which broadens corporate parenting responsibilities across a wider set of public bodies and organisations.’
Broxtowe Borough Councilnotes that:
1. District councils in England must publish information about services which it offers that may assist care leavers in, or in preparing for adulthood and independent living. (Children and Social Work Act 2017 Section 2 (1) (a))
2. For the purposes of subsection 2 (1) (a) of the Children and Social Work Act 2017. The services that may assist care leavers in, or in preparing for, adulthood and independent living include services relating to;
(a) health and well-being;
(b) relationships;
(c) education and training;
(d) employment;
(e) accommodation;
(f) participation in society.
3. On Corporate Parenting Principals Broxtowe Borough Council accepts that it is a relevant local authority in England by virtue of the Children and Social Work Act 2017 subsection 1 (3) (b) and in carrying out functions in relation to the children and young people who are care leavers as defined at paragraph 4 of this motion must have regard to the need;
(a) to act in the best interests, and promote the physical and mental health and well-being, of those children and young people;
(b) to encourage those children and young people to express their views, wishes and feelings;
(c) to take into account the views, wishes and feelings of those children and young people;
(d) to help those children and young people gain access to, and make the best use of, services provided by the local authority and its relevant partners;
(e) to promote high aspirations, and seek to secure the best outcomes, for those children and young people;
(f) for those children and young people to be safe, and for stability in their home lives, relationships and education or work;
(g) to prepare those children and young people for adulthood and independent living.
3. Children and care leavers relevant for the purposes of the Children and Social Work Act 2017 subsection 1 (2) (a) (b) and (c) are;
(a) children who are looked after by a local authority, within the meaning given by section 22(1) of the Children Act 1989;
(b) relevant children within the meaning given by section 23A(2) of that Act;
(c) persons aged under 25 who are former relevant children within the meaning given by section 23C(1) of that Act.
4. Broxtowe Borough Council acknowledges that Children entering the care system are often split from their siblings and placed outside their home Local Authority Area. That they don’t choose to enter the care system, that they don’t choose to be split up from their siblings and don’t choose to be placed outside their local area.
5. Broxtowe Borough Council believes that:
(a) Care experienced people face significant barriers that impact them throughout their lives;
(b) Despite the resilience of many care experienced people, society too often does not take their needs into account;
(c) Care experienced people often face discrimination and stigma across housing, health, education, relationships employment and in the criminal justice system;
(d) Care experienced people often face a postcode lottery of support;
(e) As corporate parents, councillors in a district council have a collective responsibility for providing the best possible support and safeguarding for the children who are looked after by a local authority and who are leaving the care system;
(f) All corporate parents should commit to acting as mentors, hearing the voices of looked after children and young people and to consider their needs in any aspect of council work;
(g) Councillors should be champions of our looked after children and care leavers and challenge the negative attitudes and prejudice that exists in all aspects of society;
(h) The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies, such as councils, to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, and victimisation of people with protected characteristics;
Broxtowe Borough Council is proud that:
6. It published the first joint Local Offer in England in partnership with Rushcliffe Borough Council, Bassetlaw District Council, Ashfield District Council, Gedling Borough Council and Mansfield District Council and Newark and Sherwood District Council;
(a) That the council tax exemption policy for care leavers across our district and all other districts of Nottinghamshire provides equality of opportunity because it includes care leavers that may have moved into our districts from other Local Authority Areas.
(b) That our district and all other districts of Nottinghamshire has a free leisure centre membership offer for all Care Leavers up to the age of 25
Broxtowe Borough Council Resolves to:
8. That when making any decisions in relation to its policies or formulating its Council plan that it recognises that care experienced people are an oppressed group who face discrimination;
9. That it recognises that Councils have a duty to put the needs of oppressed people at the heart of decision-making through co-production and collaboration;
10. That decision, services and policies made and adopted by the Council should be assessed through Equality Impact Assessments to determine the impact of changes on people with care experience, alongside those who formally share a Protected Characteristic.
11. That in the delivery of the Public Sector Equality Duty the Council includes care experience in the publication and review of Equality Objectives and the annual publication of information relating to people who share a Protected Characteristic in services and employment.
12.That it will treat Care Experience as if it were a Protected Characteristic by this council.
13.That it will adopt the Corporate Parenting Principals for all children in care and care leavers.
14.To formally call upon all other bodies to treat care experience as a protected characteristic.
15.To formally call upon all other bodies to adopt the corporate parenting principals.
16.For the Council to proactively seek out and listen to the voices of care experienced people when developing new policies based on their views.”
Minutes:
“This Council recognises with increasing concern, the significant underfunding of the social care system and the associated difficulties faced by those who experience these conditions. Many care experienced people face discrimination, stigma, and prejudice in their day to day lives. Public perceptions of care experience centre on the idea that children are irredeemably damaged and that can lead to discrimination and assumptions being made.
This Council resolves:
· That when making any decisions in relation to its policies or formulating its plans that it recognises that care experienced people often face discrimination;
· That it recognises that Councils have a duty to put the needs care experienced people at the heart of decision-making through co-production and collaboration;
· That decisions, services and policies made and adopted by the Council should be assessed through Equality Impact Assessments to determine the impact of changes on people with care experience, alongside those who formally share a Protected Characteristic.
· That in the delivery of the Public Sector Equality Duty the Council includes care experience in the publication and review of Equality Objectives and the annual publication of information relating to people who share a Protected Characteristic in services and employment.
· That it will treat Care Experience as if it were a Protected Characteristic by this council.
· That is will adopt the Corporate Parenting Principals for all children in care and care leavers.
· To formally call upon all other bodies to treat care experience as a protected characteristic.
· To formally call upon all other bodies to adopt the corporate parenting principals.
· For the council to proactively seek out and listen to the voices of care experienced people when developing new policies based on their views.”
On being put to the meeting the motion was carried.
(Having declared a personal a non-registerable interest, Councillor D K Watts left the meeting for the duration of the item and did not vote thereon.)