Children and young people in care influence Corporate Parenting Board strategy

Children and young people in care influence Corporate Parenting Board strategy.

Children and young people have helped shape BCP Council’s new Corporate Parenting strategy, which will drive how the council works with partners to ensure a brighter future for those under its care.

Councillors approved the strategy at the Cabinet meeting on 13 November.

The strategy’s nine corporate parenting principles were written after hearing about the experiences and views of children in care and care experienced young people. Topics important to them included having a choice over their home so they could feel a sense of belonging, their emotional wellbeing being and a shared language that respects and values their care journeys and views.

The principles are:

• The views, needs and priorities of children, young people and their carers inform everything we do
• Children and young people are best cared for wherever possible within their birth or extended family
• Where children or young people cannot live with parents or extended family and require authority care, we strive to provide the best carers to provide a safe, stable and loving home
• Our children and young people will stay in touch with their family, friends and local community, and have a strong sense of their own identity
• Our children and young people will have positive and stable relationships with those who care for them and support them
• Our children and young people will have physical and emotional health and wellbeing
• We all have high expectations and aspirations for our children in are and care experienced young people
• Our parenting responsibility extends beyond when a young person leaves care, including being corporate grandparents when they are young parents
• We will further develop how we work with children, young people, their families and carers.

The Corporate Parenting Board was set up in July to provide a regular forum for elected members, children in care and care experienced young people, key officers and partners to work together to improve outcomes.