Issue - meetings

This report sets out why Medway Council should consider adopting care experienced as a protected characteristic.

Background:

This report set out why Medway Council should consider adopting care experienced as a protected characteristic.

The duties towards care leavers were defined within the Children Act 1989, the Leaving Care Act 2000, and the Children and Social Work Act 2017, but did not include the more recent terminology of care experienced. Care experienced was used to define people who had been looked after at some point in time by the local authority and was recommended as a protected characteristic in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care published in May 2022. To date over 90 Local Authorities had agreed to add Care Experience as a protected characteristic.

The report had previously been considered by the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee and by the Cabinet, the comments of which were set out in sections 8, 9 and 10 of the report.

As part of the debate a video was shown highlighting the positive reasons for the proposed scheme.

The Portfolio Holder for Children's Services, Councillor Price, supported by Councillor Howcroft-Scott, proposed the recommendations set out in the report.

Decisions:

a)    The Council noted the comments made by the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the comments made by the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the decisions of the Cabinet, as set out in sections 8, 9 and 10 of the report.

b)    The Council agreed to adopt care experienced as a protected characteristic.

Background:

This report requested Cabinet consider recommending Full Council to adopt care experienced as a protected characteristic.

The duties towards care leavers were defined within the Children Act 1989, the Leaving Care Act 2000, and the Children and Social Work Act 2017, but did not include the more recent terminology of care experienced. Care experienced was used to define people who have been looked after at some point in time by the local authority and was recommended as a protected characteristic in the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care published in May 2022. To date over 90 Local Authorities had agreed to add Care Experience as a protected characteristic.

The report was previously considered by the Children and Young People Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Health and Adult Social Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the comments of which were set out in sections 8 and 9 of the report. Following Cabinet, the Plan would be presented to Full Council to agree on 18 July 2024.

As part of the debate a video was shown highlighting the positive reasons for the proposed scheme.

Reasons:

Medway Council are aspirational for children in care and care leavers, as such want to go beyond our statutory requirements and ensure that the needs of care experienced people are at the heart of all decision-making. 

Medway Council is committed to putting the needs of disadvantaged people at the heart of decision-making through co-production and collaboration.

Medway Council will provide greater authority to employers, businesses, public services, and policy makers to put in place policies and programmes which promote better outcomes for those with care experience. 

Medway Council will join the national campaign like other councils, to agree to make being care experienced a protected characteristic in law.