Agenda item

Tracy Shaw and Lindsey Dodds, Team Managers, provided an overview of the Positivitree initiative which is part of the national leaving care benchmarking forum Positivitree campaign (for copy of report and presentation see file).

The Panel heard that Durham is part of the forum which provides benchmarking standards for services to care leavers throughout the country.  The Positivitree signifies growing the local offer for care leavers and part of this work is concerned with raising awareness. Durham Care Leavers’ Service management team met to consider how to put the work into action in Durham by improving the local offer through actions such as creating more training and employment opportunities and increasing the offer in Care Leavers’ Hubs.  A ‘touring’ Positivitree will be used when practitioners visit businesses, employers and leisure facilities to encourage agencies to think about what they can pledge to care experienced young people. Ideas from the pledges will be taken to the regional board to consider whether they can be taken up regionally. 

Members spent time at the meeting making their own pledges and If Members had any additional pledges, following the meeting, they were asked to forward them to the Senior Partnerships Officer.

Resolved:

That members of the Corporate Parenting Panel note the Care Leavers’ Service work with the Positivitree and made pledges of their own.