Agenda item

The Chair invited Councillor M Walton, Chair of the Corporate Parenting Panel to present the report and informed Council that Billie Leigh, Luke and Cory, three young people co-opted onto the Corporate Parenting Panel (CPP) were in attendance to speak to the report, supported by Rob Walker, Project Worker for Investing in Children (for copy see file of Minutes).

Councillor Walton presented the Corporate Parenting Panel Annual Report for endorsement.  She thanked officers from the Corporate Parenting Panel along with all the young people who made the Annual Report possible.

The Annual Report covered the period April 2023 to March 2024, and covered a wide range of work taking place in County Durham to support young people in care, as well as care leavers.

Councillor Walton alluded to some of the particularly proud achievementsincluding:

•         Learning around the language we use, we might not always get it right but are making progress

•         Know ‘what when’ guide

•         Poetry book

•         Education Fun Fund

•         Supply Pack funding

•         Good Luck cards for exams

•         John Pearce was ADCS Director last year and invited young people to present at the ADCS conference at Manchester

•         Establishment of a Regional CPP Chairs / Vice Chairs Network across the 12 LA areas

Councillor Walton said that anyone who served on the Corporate Parenting Panel knew that she used the phrase ‘So What?’  as she wanted to see real action and improved outcomes for young people..

Councillor Walton highlighted work that had taken place throughout the year which included meeting with young people from the children in care council, who hold the CPP to account on the progress  against priorities, and reminded members that all Councillors were corporate parents and had a duty to fulfil corporate parenting responsibilities.  Those members not on the Corporate Parenting Panel should still champion young people on the committees and panels they sit on, look out for them, and ensure that decisions taken have a positive impact on their lives.

The CPP Annual Report was a great resource to see the breadth and scope of work undertake by the Corporate Parenting Panel and the service.  She asked that the annual report was shared as a tool to highlight the good work and to champion our young people.

Councillor Walton was extremely proud of the work of the Corporate Parenting Panel, and the commitment within the service to ensure the best possible experiences and outcomes for the young people who were in our care, and she presented the annual report for endorsement.

Councillor Walton handed over to Luke, Cory and Billie Leigh from the Children in Care Council.

Luke said that this was the third time he had attended and presented at a Council meeting and appreciated that young people were being heard and had their voices listened to and their ideas put forward at CPP.  He added that it was important to work together to ensure Children’s Services received the funding required to make people in care have a better start.  He was very proud to be working and sharing his thoughts with the CPP.

Cory said that to him, the CPP allowed him to speak to officers and councillors and to scrutinise all of the services affecting young persons.  He urged everyone to offer something or make a change to service provision that would make the young people’s experience of being in care a better one.

Billie Leigh said that children in care became part of the Durham family, who in turn were responsible for these young people.  She felt empowered, being listened to and coming up with resolutions to problems at the CPP and ooked forward to the year ahead. She asked people to act and not standstill.

The Chair thanked Luke, Cory and Billie Leigh for their presentations. 

Councillor A Reed congratulated the officers and the CPP who supported the young people in care, and thanked the young people in attendance who were a great example to everyone one of us.

Councillor S Deinali said that it was a pleasure to be a member of the CPP and to see all of the work carried out.  She added that it was evident that so many strategies and support were in place especially in high levels of deprivation, however, it was an area that was underfunded.  She praised the social care teams that went above and beyond by listening and supporting the young people and praised the report that celebrated the young people’s achievements.  She thanked the young people on the panel who were very eloquent in putting forward their ideas and she looked forward to what could be achieved in the future.

Councillor Hopgood, Leader of the Council thanked every member of the CPP and to our young people.  She also thanked Rob Walker for his support to the young people, who were an inspiration to us all.

Councillor C Varty said that she felt it was an honour to be part of the CPP listening to what the young people were going to do and say next.  She said that it had been a treat to listen to them at this meeting and said they should keep doing what they were doing.

Resolved:

(a) That the content of the Corporate Parenting Panel Annual Report be noted.

(b) That the Corporate Parenting Panel Annual Report, which provided oversight of the work undertaken during 2023-24, and the priorities for the year ahead be endorsed.