Contact: Pete Marsh, Deputy County Youth Officer, Tel; 01962 846805

email: [email protected]

1 Summary

1.1 The paper attached as appendix (1) outlines how the youth service contributes to supporting young people who live in children's homes and the summary of current practice (appendix 1) was developed in partnership with the Education Team for Children in Care. The approach emphases encouraging access to existing provision, but does not preclude specialist activity taking place at a children's home.

1.2 Children Looked After by the local authority are a priority group and form part of the County's Public Service Agreements (PSA) targets. These proposals the Corporate Strategy Aim 1 - maximising life opportunities by ensuring that looked after young people living in children's homes have the same access to local youth service provision as other young people living in the area.

2 Principles

2.1 The youth service makes a valuable contribution to the social education of approximately 25% of 13 -19 year olds living in Hampshire. Young people living in children's homes because of their personal circumstances have reduced life chances; they often have little stability, reduced friendship or peer groups and can experience constant transition. Thus, ensuring they have access to local youth provision can provide valuable support opportunities.

2.2 Most children in care do not want to be treated differently or separately from their peers, rather they prefer to access and participate in the same opportunities and activities as their peers who do not live in children's homes.

3 Practice

3.1 A named youth worker should be identified for each children's home, where young people in the youth services target age range live. That named worker's role is to ensure the young people living in a children's home know what opportunities are, available locally, accessible and can be introduced sensitively to them.

3.2 Many opportunities may develop from this introduction and other activities may be provided to meet the expressed needs of the young people living in the home either directly to them if desired, or in settings with their peers.

4 Legal implications

4.1 There are no legal implications resulting from this guidance.

5 Financial implications

5.1 The financial implications of these proposals will be met by prioritising existing resources.

6 Personnel implications

6.1 There are no personnel issues, as the proposals would fall within the normal workload of a youth worker.

7 Impact assessment

7.1 Race and equality impact assessment has been considered in the development of this report and no adverse impact has been identified.

8 Crime prevention issues

8.1 Unfortunately statistics demonstrate young people living in children's homes are disproportionately likely to come to the attention of the police, although the majority, like the majority of their peers, are not involved in crime. Youth Work guidance will encourage those young people to use some of their leisure time in a more constructive way and act as a diversion from crime.

9 Views of the Local County Councillor

9.1 Elected members and local authority officers are corporate parents ensuring that their children are provided with the same access to services as other young people is a priority.

10 Recommendations

That youth work practice to develop arrangements, which supports young people living in children's homes be welcomed.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background documents

The following documents discuss facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB: the list excludes

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

None.