Following recommendations from the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care headed by Josh McCallister of the Local Government Association, our Corporate Parent Advisory Committee (CPAC) decided to raise the issue of care experience in Newcastle, and were grateful for the original lead by the Redcar and Cleveland Lib Dem Group, which we adopted to present as a Cross Party Motion to full Council on 2 October.

Making care experience a protected characteristic is a National Issue which broadens corporate parenting responsibilities across a wider set of public bodies and organisations. It could motivate employers, businesses, public services, and policy makers to develop policies and programmes promoting better outcomes for care experienced people. It would also make the UK the first country in the world to recognise care experienced people in this way.

Care experienced people face significant barriers throughout their lives; with their needs rarely taken into account. Too often they face a post code lottery of support, discrimination and stigma across housing, health, education, employment, and the criminal justice system.

As corporate parents, Councillors have collective responsibility for providing the best possible care and safeguarding for our looked after children; including challenging negative and prejudicial attitudes. The Public Sector Equality Duty requires us to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation of people with protected characteristics. Accepting care experience as a protected characteristic would positively support these children and young people towards a level playing field.

In discussions with a group of Newcastle’s children both in and leaving care, they reflected that such action would help stop discrimination, help align offers and give them more rights in employment etc.

One young person S very eloquently expressed his view as follows:

To those looking in from the outside, we with care experience are just a group of young people who have had a difficult start to life and need extra support. We’ve been described as “hard work” and even “not all bad”. However, what we really are is a group of individuals who need a positive, supportive city so that young people in the future with care experience can be proud of where they live and feel like they have something to offer.

A very frustrated young care leaver looking for a job, who asked why care leavers couldn’t be offered jobs in the ‘family firm’ (ie the Council) in the way that Billy Brown’s dad could give him a start as a joiner in his business or Sally Smith’s mum could take her on as a hairdresser in her shop? As Corporate parents we must be able to respond.

We can unlock the potential that care experienced young people have and support them for years to come, by giving them a say, hearing their voices, opinions and understand the impact decisions have on them. If every council adopted Care Leaver Status as a protected characteristic it Could provide extra support needed at a local level, while sending out a clear message to central government more needs to be done.

Relevant facts

• Some 83,840 children were looked after in England as of 31 March 2023, up 2% on a year earlier (82,080), the 15th consecutive annual rise

• Legal status: while most children are under a care order, this proportion fell from 78% to 76% over the past year,

• Placements: most children are in foster placements, which has fallen from 70% to 68% over the past year, with a rise, from 16% to 17%, in those in secure or open children’s homes or semi-independent settings. The number of children in independent or semi-independent settings, which were unregulated, rose by 20% in the year to March 2023, from 7,500 to 8,980.Unaccompanied numbers grew by 29% in 2022-23, from 5,670 to 7,290.

• Stability: 69% of children had one placement during 2022-23, the same proportion as in 2021-22, with ten per cent experiencing three or more placements, as in 2021-22. 21% of children were placed more than 20 miles from home as of March 2023, the same proportion as a year earlier.

• Adoption and special guardianship: There was a fall of 2% in the number of children adopted from care in 2022-23 to 2,960, and in the number who left under a special guardianship order, which was 3,840.

• Care leavers: 29% of 18-year-olds and 38% of 19- to 21-year-old care leavers were not in education, employment or training as of March 2023, similarly to a year earlier.

* Cllr Christine Morrissey is the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Children, Families and Skills on Newcastle City Council.