Agenda item

Investing in Children / Children in Care Council update - Presentation of Project Officer, Investing in Children

Minutes:

Robert Johnson, Project Manager, and Amber and Mitchell delivered a presentation which updated on recent activity by the Children in Care Council (CiCC) (for copy of presentation see file of minutes).  The information provided included the following matters.

 

Young people from the Children in Care Council delivered training to over fifty designated teachers, at which the young people provided their views on key messages and school policies.  The young people suggested they would like to have some of their review time held in private, as some young people may feel more comfortable discussing private matters without their designated teacher present. The young people also discussed the importance of the continuity of their designated teacher, which promotes trust and stability, and, allows the relationship to develop.

 

The young people engaged with social work students from Durham and Sunderland Universities to discuss issues raised by the Children in Care Council, including the use of language and the importance of the voice of the child.  The young people are keen to see what the students learnt from their visit and follow-up work is planned for the new year.

 

The Children in Care Council delivered virtual training to future foster carers which was very well received, and, following requests from the foster carers, the young people are exploring further opportunities to work with them.

 

A piece of work is being done, with the Children’s Commissioner for England, on a national policy which is being developed in Sussex which aims to improve policies between the police and care experienced young people.  A number of the young people would like to progress this work further by becoming ambassadors for the purposes of future development and training. It is hoped that and this learning will be incorporated into training for foster carers. 

 

At a recent Children in Care Council meeting, the young people discussed working with the Corporate Parenting Panel in order to develop an annual fundraising event to raise money for young people including care experienced young people.

 

Discussions had taken place on the benefits for children and young people of spending time with, and, caring for, animals, and, the young people talked about ways in which Durham County Council could support this initiative.  They suggested that Durham County Council could investigate the possibility of adopting an animal, possibly through a partnership arrangement with a local farm, which could be linked to the ‘freedom card’ incentive scheme. 

Councillor Scott asked what action could be taken to progress this matter. The Head of Children’s Social Care confirmed that the suggestion from the young people is being considered, and the Strategic Manager for Children Looked After Resources is taking the matter forward, with a view to providing an update to the Panel in the spring.  In addition, the Head of Children’s Social Care explained that the comments from the young people had been raised with Social Workers and Independent Review Officers, to highlight the importance of young people’s relationships with pets, and, how this can have a significant impact, particularly when placement moves are necessary. 

Following on from the discussion at the last Corporate Parenting Panel meeting on promoting the positives of care experienced young people, the Project Manager was pleased to report that Ian from the Children in Care Council had been selected as one of only 25 young people nationally to become a National Voice Ambassador for Coram Voice.  Coram Voice is a national charity for the rights of children who are either in, or, leaving care, which aims to ensure children’s rights are upheld, and, that their voices and experiences inform and improve the systems that care for them.  The Project Manager commented on how proud he is of Ian’s achievement and he added that he is looking forward to supporting Ian in this work which will link with the Children in Care Council, Durham County Council and the Corporate Parenting Panel.

The Corporate Parenting Panel placed on record their congratulations to Ian on his success and wished him well in his new role.  The Chair thanked Rob, Amber and Mitchell for attending the meeting, for providing the informative presentation and for sharing their views. 

 

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