The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care headed by Josh McCallister recommended that “Government should make care experience a protected characteristic” and that “New legislation should be passed which broadens corporate parenting responsibilities across a wider set of public bodies and organisations”. The report published in May 2022 stated that “Many care experienced people face discrimination, stigma and prejudice in their day to day lives. Public perceptions of care experience centre on the idea that children are irredeemably damaged and that can lead to discrimination and assumptions being made”.

One young person told the review that a teacher had told them “You’re smart - for a kid in care” another young person said “I don’t want people to point out that I am in care if I don’t want that mentioned. It makes me so cross – that shouldn’t happen.”

This stigma and discrimination can be explicit and often comes with assumptions about the likely characteristics of children and adults that have care experience. They can also be implicit and are evidenced in the way care experience is discussed in schools, workplaces and the media.

At its worst this can lead to care experienced people being refused employment, being disadvantaged in education or facing unfair judgements about their ability to parent when they have children and families of their own.

Hearing testimony from care experienced people sharing the discrimination they have experienced, even from a very young age, it is clear that such discrimination can be similar in nature to other groups that have a legally protected characteristic under the Equality Act (2010).

So, while there may be ways that society can help reduce stigma and discrimination, including creating greater public consciousness on these issues, just as with other areas of equality, there is a case to go further. Therefore, the government should make care experience a protected characteristic.

Following the publication of the review, Trafford Council engaged with representatives from Trafford’s After Care Council to understand what considering Care Experienced as a Protected Characteristic would mean to them.

This Council believes that Care Experienced people face significant barriers that impact them throughout their lives and recognises that;

-         Despite the resilience of many care experienced people, society too often does not take their needs into account.

-         Care experienced people often face discrimination and stigma across housing, health, education, relationships, employment and in the criminal justice system.

-         Care experienced people often face a postcode lottery of support

-         As corporate parents, councillors have a collective responsibility for providing the best possible care and safeguarding for the children who are looked after by us as an authority.

-         Councillors should be champions of our looked after children and challenge the negative attitudes and prejudice that exists in all aspects of society.

-         The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies, such as councils, to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation of people with protected characteristics.

-         Council acknowledges that children don’t choose to enter the care system, that they don’t choose to be split up from their siblings, and don’t choose to be placed outside their local area, where this happens.

-         Council respects a young person’s right not to disclose their care experienced status, unless they wish to.

Council therefore resolves:

1.          When making any decisions in relation to its policies or formulating Corporate Plans it recognises that Care Experienced people are a vulnerable group who face discrimination;

2.          That it recognises that Councils have a duty to put the needs of vulnerable  people at the heart of decision-making through co-production and collaboration;

3.          That in the delivery of the Public Sector Equality Duty the Council includes care experience in the publication and review of Equality Objectives and the annual publication of information relating to people who share a Protected Characteristic in services and employment;

4.          That the Council will treat care experience as if it were a Protected Characteristic so that future services and policies are assessed through Equality Impact Assessments to determine the impact of changes on people with care experience, alongside those who formally share a Protected Characteristic;

5.          This Council will provide support to Corporate Parents to act as mentors;

6.          The Council will champion this with our partners and work with other bodies to treat care experience as a Protected Characteristic until such time as it may be introduced by legislation;

7.          To call upon other public bodies to adopt corporate parenting for children in care and care leavers until such time as it may be introduced by legislation;

8.          For the Council to proactively seek out and listen to the voices of care experienced people when developing new policies based on their views.

It was moved and seconded that:

“The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care headed by Josh McCallister recommended that “Government should make care experience a protected characteristic” and that “New legislation should be passed which broadens corporate parenting responsibilities across a wider set of public bodies and organisations”. The report published in May 2022 stated that “Many care experienced people face discrimination, stigma and prejudice in their day to day lives. Public perceptions of care experience centre on the idea that children are irredeemably damaged and that can lead to discrimination and assumptions being made”.

One young person told the review that a teacher had told them “You’re smart - for a kid in care” another young person said “I don’t want people to point out that I am in care if I don’t want that mentioned. It makes me so cross – that shouldn’t happen.”

This stigma and discrimination can be explicit and often comes with assumptions about the likely characteristics of children and adults that have care experience. They can also be implicit and are evidenced in the way care experience is discussed in schools, workplaces and the media.

At its worst this can lead to care experienced people being refused employment, being disadvantaged in education or facing unfair judgements about their ability to parent when they have children and families of their own.

Hearing testimony from care experienced people sharing the discrimination they have experienced, even from a very young age, it is clear that such discrimination can be similar in nature to other groups that have a legally protected characteristic under the Equality Act (2010).

So, while there may be ways that society can help reduce stigma and discrimination, including creating greater public consciousness on these issues, just as with other areas of equality, there is a case to go further. Therefore, the government should make care experience a protected characteristic.

Following the publication of the review, Trafford Council engaged with representatives from Trafford’s After Care Council to understand what considering Care Experienced as a Protected Characteristic would mean to them.

This Council believes that Care Experienced people face significant barriers that impact them throughout their lives and recognises that;

-     Despite the resilience of many care experienced people, society too often does not take their needs into account.

-     Care experienced people often face discrimination and stigma across housing, health, education, relationships, employment and in the criminal justice system.

-     Care experienced people often face a postcode lottery of support

-     As corporate parents, councillors have a collective responsibility for providing the best possible care and safeguarding for the children who are looked after by us as an authority.

-     Councillors should be champions of our looked after children and challenge the negative attitudes and prejudice that exists in all aspects of society.

-     The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies, such as councils, to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation of people with protected characteristics.

-     Council acknowledges that children don’t choose to enter the care system, that they don’t choose to be split up from their siblings, and don’t choose to be placed outside their local area, where this happens.

-     Council respects a young person’s right not to disclose their care experienced status, unless they wish to.

Council therefore resolves:

1.     When making any decisions in relation to its policies or formulating Corporate Plans it recognises that Care Experienced people are a vulnerable group who face discrimination;

2.     That it recognises that Councils have a duty to put the needs of vulnerable  people at the heart of decision-making through co-production and collaboration;

3.     That in the delivery of the Public Sector Equality Duty the Council includes care experience in the publication and review of Equality Objectives and the annual publication of information relating to people who share a Protected Characteristic in services and employment;

4.     That the Council will treat care experience as if it were a Protected Characteristic so that future services and policies are assessed through Equality Impact Assessments to determine the impact of changes on people with care experience, alongside those who formally share a Protected Characteristic;

5.     This Council will provide support to Corporate Parents to act as mentors;

6.     The Council will champion this with our partners and work with other bodies to treat care experience as a Protected Characteristic until such time as it may be introduced by legislation;

7.     To call upon other public bodies to adopt corporate parenting for children in care and care leavers until such time as it may be introduced by legislation;

8.     For the Council to proactively seek out and listen to the voices of care experienced people when developing new policies based on their views.”

(Note: During the debate on the Motion, the time being 9:03 p.m., the Mayor indicated that speeches on this matter would now be limited to a maximum of two minutes per speaker. With Members still waiting to be heard, the time for speeches was reduced at 9.08 p.m. to one minute per speaker.)

Following a debate on the matter, the Motion was put to the vote and declared carried unanimously.

RESOLVED: That the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care headed by Josh McCallister recommended that “Government should make care experience a protected characteristic” and that “New legislation should be passed which broadens corporate parenting responsibilities across a wider set of public bodies and organisations”. The report published in May 2022 stated that “Many care experienced people face discrimination, stigma and prejudice in their day to day lives. Public perceptions of care experience centre on the idea that children are irredeemably damaged and that can lead to discrimination and assumptions being made”.

One young person told the review that a teacher had told them “You’re smart - for a kid in care” another young person said “I don’t want people to point out that I am in care if I don’t want that mentioned. It makes me so cross – that shouldn’t happen.”

This stigma and discrimination can be explicit and often comes with assumptions about the likely characteristics of children and adults that have care experience. They can also be implicit and are evidenced in the way care experience is discussed in schools, workplaces and the media.

At its worst this can lead to care experienced people being refused employment, being disadvantaged in education or facing unfair judgements about their ability to parent when they have children and families of their own.

Hearing testimony from care experienced people sharing the discrimination they have experienced, even from a very young age, it is clear that such discrimination can be similar in nature to other groups that have a legally protected characteristic under the Equality Act (2010).

So, while there may be ways that society can help reduce stigma and discrimination, including creating greater public consciousness on these issues, just as with other areas of equality, there is a case to go further. Therefore, the government should make care experience a protected characteristic.

Following the publication of the review, Trafford Council engaged with representatives from Trafford’s After Care Council to understand what considering Care Experienced as a Protected Characteristic would mean to them.

This Council believes that Care Experienced people face significant barriers that impact them throughout their lives and recognises that;

-     Despite the resilience of many care experienced people, society too often does not take their needs into account.

-     Care experienced people often face discrimination and stigma across housing, health, education, relationships, employment and in the criminal justice system.

-     Care experienced people often face a postcode lottery of support

-     As corporate parents, councillors have a collective responsibility for providing the best possible care and safeguarding for the children who are looked after by us as an authority.

-     Councillors should be champions of our looked after children and challenge the negative attitudes and prejudice that exists in all aspects of society.

-     The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public bodies, such as councils, to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation of people with protected characteristics.

-     Council acknowledges that children don’t choose to enter the care system, that they don’t choose to be split up from their siblings, and don’t choose to be placed outside their local area, where this happens.

-     Council respects a young person’s right not to disclose their care experienced status, unless they wish to.

Council therefore resolves:

1.     When making any decisions in relation to its policies or formulating Corporate Plans it recognises that Care Experienced people are a vulnerable group who face discrimination;

2.     That it recognises that Councils have a duty to put the needs of vulnerable  people at the heart of decision-making through co-production and collaboration;

3.     That in the delivery of the Public Sector Equality Duty the Council includes care experience in the publication and review of Equality Objectives and the annual publication of information relating to people who share a Protected Characteristic in services and employment;

4.     That the Council will treat care experience as if it were a Protected Characteristic so that future services and policies are assessed through Equality Impact Assessments to determine the impact of changes on people with care experience, alongside those who formally share a Protected Characteristic;

5.     This Council will provide support to Corporate Parents to act as mentors;

6.     The Council will champion this with our partners and work with other bodies to treat care experience as a Protected Characteristic until such time as it may be introduced by legislation;

7.     To call upon other public bodies to adopt corporate parenting for children in care and care leavers until such time as it may be introduced by legislation;

8.     For the Council to proactively seek out and listen to the voices of care experienced people when developing new policies based on their views.