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Children and Young People PRC

Corporate Parenting Workshop: feedback

1. Background

The Children and Young People PRC held a Member workshop on Corporate Parenting for Children in Care in December 2006. The session took place against the background of the Care Matters Green Paper in which radical proposals for change in the way relevant agencies deliver better outcomes for Children in Care are introduced.

The role of the Corporate Parent is a key part of these new proposals as evidence from Children in Care shows that the lack of a consistent adult in their lives is a major and harmful feature of being in care.

2. Hampshire's Pledge to Children in Care

The main part of the workshop was devoted to the development of a `Pledge' for Hampshire's Children in Care, giving Members the opportunity to influence the content of this key document. In order to guide this exercise, Members examined various pieces of evidence including feedback from Hampshire County Council staff on the content of the Green Paper, and comments from a national conference at which Hampshire Care Leavers highlighted the following issues as being important to them:

    · Peer mentoring schemes

    · Having a Care Council

    · The choice of staging with carers until age 21

    · More support from schools with education

    · Having a Care Leavers' Group

    · Having a personal adviser who can be with a child until age 25

The two draft Pledges created during the workshop by Members are attached at Appendix 1.

3. Next steps

Members expressed an interest to meet with Hampshire's Children in Care to discuss how best to take the Pledge (and other aspects of the Green Paper proposals) forward.

Appendix 1

Howard's Group

What should a pledge from the County Council look like?

    We will fulfil all our statutory responsibilities towards children in care by working with you through the Care Council and corporate parenting groups to:

    · Provide full time education

    · Provide better stability (year on year improvement)

    · Work with you to keep in touch with your family

    · Value young people and enable you to share in decision making

    · Listen and hear .... And feed back

    · Always work at addressing young people's potential

    · Make sure we keep in touch with care leavers even if that is to 25

    · Ensure you have the best possible life chances

    Rachel's Group

    A Pledge?

    1. Education

      - Best school for the child

      - Support with attendance and school work

      - Monitoring achievements extra support if required

    2. Care Council

      - Views heard by Councillors

    3. Opportunity to be consulted about both school and care placements - and when you leave

    4. Provide an out of hours support service

    5. Provide a peer mentoring scheme

    6. OSHL - Out of Schools Hours Learning -such as leisure activities

    7. Health