“Show us you care” motion from Haringey Lib Dem Group – passed with cross party support
Council notes that:
- Care experienced people face significant barriers that impact them throughout their lives;
- 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;
- All corporate parents should commit to acting as mentors, hearing the voices of looked after children and young people and to consider their needs in any aspect of council work;
- 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;
- In March 2021 the Independent Review into Children’s Social Care began its work.
Council believes that:
- Care experienced people are an oppressed group who face discrimination;
- Councils have a duty to put the needs of oppressed people at the heart of decision-making through co-production and collaboration;
- Services and policies should be assessed through Equality Impact Assessments to determine the impact of changes on people with care experience.
Council resolves:
- To formally support the Show Us You Care Too campaign which calls for care experience to be made a protected characteristic as part of the Independent Review into Children’s Social Care;
- For the council to proactively seek out and listen to the voices of care experienced people when developing new policies based on their views;
- To continue to build on the existing ringfenced apprenticeship opportunities for care experienced people by committing to an agreed number of apprenticeships places each year delivered through the council’s levy funding;
- To take an intersectional approach and commit to tackling the systemic discrimination and disproportionality faced by specific groups of care experienced people.